St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-07-17
Twas the Wind.

Sitting 10y the fire waiting for the
new wear to come in, goldcnhaircd
Gertrude crouchcd on the hcartl-rIIg
roasting herself in the blaze. her head
pilloWed in the lap of her aunt Jane
She is II saucy Young lady of eighteen,
this Gertrude. with IA short upper liz
used to scornfully curling; but she is
charming enough when she smiles.
Aunt Jane is Thirty five. with the pen
sive. softcncd face we used to admire
i'll our youth. Aunt Polly a few Years
older sits on the farther side; and in
the old lcathcr-covcred armchair is
Uncle Ned. his brown mecrSchaum pipe
i'll his mouth. in sort of haze of tobac-
go aud meditation. Uncle Ned is not
profoundly impressed. possibly, with
the solemnity of the occasion. He is
used to sitting up till midnight. and a
good deal later. and does not trouble
himself about the past. except in its
geologic or historic aspects. But Aunt
Jane is a sensitive, gifted creature. pro
foundly sympathetic. with dark. mo-
bile face and deep. luminous eyes. She
is in the habit of holding forth on mat
tcrS connected with love and the rcla-
tionships of the SEXES with great fcrvor.
On these occasions Gertrude generally
makes pantomimir gestures, as though
she were heating the big drum: hut
Aunt Jane goes on with glistcning eyes,
needless of the irrcvcrcncc of her junior.
Gcrty, however, is rather silent and
solemn, tonight. Perhaps it is that
the thought of the ruthless flight of
time has come Nividly home to her, or
h.,tIN liz, -, .,,,1,ar.,I 4,
that she is still unbalanced nt the end
of her first wear in society.
1t is Il long. irregular. many -corncrcd
room, i'll an old-laslIuncd country
house. At one cuh is low window
that looks upon Il lawn and large gar
den. In the farther angle is IL door
leading out upon a lawn. Gertrude
rises. and. marching TO the other end of
the room, opens this door. letting in II
volume of cold air and the sound of dis
taut churchhclls.
''Bothcr the girl =" growls Uncle Ned,
shivcring. "Gcrty, shut that door"
Gertrude let go the handle of the
door; Il gust of wind caught it and
slammed it to with Il loud bang.
Aunt Jane jumps and turns little
pale. Polly, too, is startled, and looks
Significantly at her sister.
''D" you remember, Jane ?" she
asked.
Aunt Jane sighed softly. "Ah, yes"
she said.
'Mystcrics :" cried Gertrude, sinking
down int" her place again. "What do
you remember, Aunt Jane Come, tell
me-"
''It's very old story, dear"
''All the better for that; let lis hear
it. But first tell me what reminded
You of il ?"
Twas the wind" said Aunt Jane.
''Ah, tell it, Jane" cried Polly; ait
will he a lesson for these young pco-
pie"
"A lesson they don't requirc,n said
Aunt Jane, severely; "but as You'll
tell it, Polly, if don't, and az couldn't
bear to hear you tell it-wen:
at was eighteen or twenty years ago,
Gerty, and your grandfather was alive
then. He was n physician and we
lived in big house in the Clapham
road. There was nice garden about
1t, and close adjoining was another large
house, whose grounds were divided
from ours by Il high wall. 1t was an
house use-yOurgrandfather
with wide passage right through it.
and glass door, leading out into the
garden, directly opposite the hall door.
In the other house lived an Indian ma
bob, hot-tcmpered, fiery man: but he
had a son Benjamin who was very nice
at least thought SO then. Papa at
tended on this nabob, and by degrees
we became quite intimate with the
family; not with him, for he would
never 90 out, but with the sons. and
Ben, who was the youngest.
and only year older than /.
"Well, we grew up together, girls
and boys, and somehow Ben and | we're
thrown a good deal together, and he
seemed to take fancy to me-