The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-12-22

much concerned, when she summoned her
niece to tea, to find her still pale, languid
and detected. The old lady rallied her
good -naturedly, saying she did not know
what was coming over the girls nowadays;
in her time young girls had rosy cheeks
and were full of health, and life, and gaye-
ty; very different from the laclS-a-daisical
creatures of these times. And Ella smiled,
family, as her aunt talked on, trying TO
cheer her up, and thought within herself
how impossible it would be for her to be
lively or gay any more.
Then the kind old lady dropped the sub
ject, and began speaking of friend whose
arrival she expected the following day.
81 am delighted that he is coming at
this time" she said, smiling pleasantly on
her silent guest, "you will be company for
each other and predict you will be
charmed with my friend Harrison. Ella,
my dear, you cannot help it," she added,
laughing, as Ella began to utter faint
negative, che is young, handsome, lively,
witty, and all that sort of thing just the
kind of person to captivate silly girls but
then he can attract us old folks as we'll"
And the old lady launched into an enthu-.
siastic eulogy, on the many virtues and
amiable qualities of her "friend Harrison"
until Ella grew quite sick of the subject,
took real schoolgirl dislike to Mr.. Harri-
son, and resolved to be as little in his COM
pany as possible.
The morrow came, Ella, by her aunt's
desire, strolled with her through garden,
and meadow fed the chickens; went down
to the brook to sec the geese and ducks at
their aquatic exercises, all with an air of
such utter listlessness, that Mrs. Rand was
very much troubled. AT length, she had to
return to the house, to attend to some
preparations for the other guest, whom she
was now hourly expecting
Ella, glad to be alone, sauntered here
and there at will, caring for nothing, and
then turned to the house, devotedly hoping
that something had occurred to prevent the
exemplary Mr.. Harrison's arrival. But, as
she entered the wide hall she heard her
aunt's CHEEKY voice in the parlor, and that
lady at the same instant appeared;
"Come, my dear" said she, taking the
young girls hand, and leading her to the
parlor, " 1 was just going in search of you
-hey-day, what's all this ?"
For, without waiting to be presented,
Mr.. Harrison rushed to meet Ella, and she,
with little scream of delight, nestled very
costly in his arms.
The old lady peered sharply through her
spectacles at the pair, who, for the moment
were too much absorbed in each other to
heed her astonishment. Then explanations
were quickly given, and, it appeared that
Elias lover, Frank Ardley, was fayorite
from childhood with Mrs. Rand, who al
ways called him his middle name, and to
whom he had now come to impart the
story of his unhappy love, and to seek in
her quiet old home comfort for his wound
ed spirit, and truly he had found it.
But Ella, when the bewildering rapture
of the unexpected meeting was over, began
to talk, tearfully, yet decidedly, of return
ing home without delay. She knew for what
purpose she had been sent from home
knew that under present circumstances her
father would not allow her to remain an
hour under her aunt's roof-so she must
not stay
Frank, looking very blank at this an.
nouncement, declared he would leave on the
instant rather than occasion her departure.
But Mrs. Rand vetoed both motions,
"Ella's father had written to her, asking
her to take charge of his daughter for the
summer, and she intended to do it, SO Miss
Ella need not think of running away from
her-a pretty thing, truly And as for Har-
rison, his home was always with her when
he could spare the time to come; SO there
they were, and there they must remain.
And If her brother Horace had picked up
the wicked notion that nothing was of val
ne but wealth and grandeur, it was high
time for him to drop it again. He thinks
his daughter too good for Harrison Ardley
indeed She could tell him her Harrison
was match for the proudest lady in the
world p
Without doubt Ella stanwood fully con-
CURED in this opinion, and the result of the
old lady's representations was, that the
young Ipeople submitted with wonderful
docility to her decision and said no more
about leaving. .ls1
And now what happy hours they spent
together, quite fulfilling Mrs. Rand's pre-
diction. Ella forgot her purpose of dislikine
and avoiding MIR. Harison--forgot that she