The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-07-11
9Hiscellaneons.
'I1U0S The mind.

'l2C0S Inc W3NU.
Sitting by the fire waiting tor the new year 10
come in, golden haired Gertrude croucbed on the
heart-rug, roasting herself ia the blaze, her head
pillowed in the lap OF her aunt Jane. She is d
| saucy young lady OF eighteen, this Gertrude,
| with short upper lip used to scornully curling
but she is charming enough when she smies.--
Aunt Jane is thirty five, with the pensive, soften
| ed face we used 10 admire IN our youth. Aunt
Polly-a few years older-sitS OR the farther side
and in the old leather covered arm chair is Uncle
Ned, his browa meerschaum pipe III his mouth,
| in a sort OF haze oi tobacco and meditation. Un.
Gle Ned is aot profoundly impressed, possibly,
with solemniIy Of the occasion. He is used TO
sitting up I'LL midnight, and good deal later,
and does not trouble bimSelt much about the
past encept in its geologic or historic aspects -
But Aunt Jane is sensitive, gifted creature,
| profoundly sympathetic, with dark mobile lace
and deep luminous eyes, She is in the habit OF
holding forth on matters connected with love and
the relationships Of the sexes with great lervor.
On these occasions Gertrude generally makes pan
tomimic gestures, as though as she were beating
the big drum haunt Jane goes on with gsten-
ing eyes, needless OF The irreVerehce Si her Ju-
| Eier.
| Gerty however, is rather silent and solemn to-
night. Perhaps il is that tue thought OF the
| ruthless flight oil time has cone wildly home to
her, or haply she is still unbalanced at the end OF
her first year in society.
1t is a long, irregular, many -cornered room, In
an old-iashioned country-house. AT one end is
a low window that looks upon lawn and large
garden In the farther anRleis door leading out
upon the lawn Gertrude rises, and marching to
the other end Of the room, opens this door, letting
| in q volume Of cold air and the sound OF distant
church-bells.
"Botber the girl p growls Uncle Ned, SILVER
ing. "Gerty, Shut that door"
Gertrude let 60 the handle of the door; gust
of wind caught it and slammed it to with loud
bang.
Aunt Jane jumps and turns little pale. Pol
ly too is startled and looks significantly at her
sister.
"Do you remember, Jane2' she asked.
Aunt Jane sighed softly "Ah, yes" she
said.
"Mysteries |" cried Gertrude, sinking down
into her place again. "What do you remember,
Aunt Jane? Come, tell me-"
'It's a very old story, dear"
Cali the better Tor that let US hear it. But
| first tell me what reminded you of it?'
"Twas the wind, said Aunt Jane.
"Ah, tell it, Jane, " cried Polly "it will be
| lesson for these young people"
"a lesson they don't require" said Aunt Jane,
severely "but as you'll tell it, Polly, il don't
at was eighteen or twenty years ago, Gerty,
and your grandfather was alive then dc was u
physician and we lived in big house in the
Chaplain Road. There was nice garden about
it. and close adjoining was another large house,
whose grounds were divided from ours by high
wall. 1t was an old-fashisned house--your
grandfather s-with wide passage right through
it, and glass door, leading out into the garden,
directly opposite the hall door. In the other
T. bob hot fara rod
fiery, man but he had 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
be would never 60 cut, but with the sons, and
especially Bep, who was the youngest, and only
year older than |.
swell, we grew up together, girls and boys,
and somehow Ben and were thrown good deal
together, and he seemed to take fancy to me-"
"Ah, you were very fond of him; don't tell
me ~ cried Polly.
swell, perhaps was, said Aunt Jane, with
another sigh. ''At all events, this went on for
three years, and Ben had never said anything to
me-not anything particular, you know"
"Tkree years % cried Gerty, in amazement.-
sFancy and never proposed. Goodness me !!
I'd have brought him to book in three months"
"Ah, we were very differently brought up in
those days, Gerty. Why, | was quite baby in
such matters, very child, compared with you j
and yet was about your age, If not older Why,
don't think I'd said word to him all those
three years but just, Yes, Ben,' and No, Ben
Yes, was little fool, dare say, Gerty | can
see it now. We would 60 out for long walks to-
gether, too and Ben would talk all SORTS of nom
sense to me-about love, and so on and all l
could say to him was, oh Ben, yeu shouldn' t
say such things' 'Oh, Ben, you shouldn't, in
deed = Ben, how can your Ben, you mustn't
All could shake myself now to think of it
"But one New-Year's Eve-yes, it was just
| eighteen wears ago-Ben came and spent the day.
And we had little carpet dance, and Ben danced
with me ever go many times, and we danced the
new year in together; and when the time came
| for him to go went to the door with him gen.
| orally didto show him out
| "And Ben turned round upon ne after | had
opened the door, and be had just crossed the
threshold--turned round with his face quite
white and his voice husky. Jenny he said, in
a SORT of hoarse whisper-'Jenny, | love you /;
will YOU be my wife2 And he tried to take hold
of my hands to draw me to him. And l was
frightened, dear, and stepped back (; and some
body at that moment opened the glass door at the
end of the passage, and gust Of wind reared in,
and slammed the big hall door right in Ben 8
face And sat down at the foot OF the stairs
and cried. never saw Ben again for years"
COB, aunt" cried Gerty, "why didn't you run
after him? l would"
"Ah, my DEAR" interposed Aunt Polly, we
were very differently brought up"
"But I'd have opened the door and shouted to
him"
"Well," said Aunt Jane, blushing slightly, u
did open the door after WHILE but he was gone
and called out very gently, Ben Ben But
be never heard me. And he went out to India
soon after. And some years after-nine or ten
Il was walking in the garden all alone, and
heard somebody talking in the nabob's grounds
knew the voice in a moment; it was Ben's.
ran up stairs TO the very topmost room, where
there was window from which you could SEE
right Into the nabob's grounds. And there was
Ben, sure enough-a little yellow fat man, with
a sandy beard and a white hat. He was quar-
reling with dark woman, head taller than h'
Lady Ben, of course and there was hideou'
aysh standing by with No, the baby was no
SO bad ;" said Aunt Jane, biting her lip.
'For all that you never forgot him, Jenny,
said her sister land things might have beer
very different if the door hadn't slammed"
iAh, yes" cried Aunt Jane, with final sigh
nTwas the wind "-Harper's Bdzar.