Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-04-03
show of irritation:

intend to marry Mr. Temple-if- he ask
me-or Mr.. Ashton, or anybody; and In
sick Of being worried
She put on a little chip bonnet with
flirt-angry-and went out Of the room AM
down the hill toward the stream to avoit
persecution. She was full of ennui. He
] little pleasure boat was at the bank. Sh
stepped into It, and began to play in TIN
water like child.
Thereupon an event occurred which dis
PEELED her ennui. The boat had been neg
| igently fastened-in stepping upon it sin
| had pushed it from shore-and 10 ! Mis-
Annie found herself drifting down toward;
some ugly looking rocks below, where tel
| to one the boat would be capsized, for tht
| waters ran swiftly, and the rocks wert
| sharp and edged with foam. Annie was ;
sensible girl She looked around for /
paldle-there was none. She looked around
7 for help-none. Then she looked forward
and the jagged rocks seemed to say. ''Yor
are our prey - Then all traces Of ennu
| completely disappeared, and the girl be-
| C(tLll0 4ulgC pd1C-OuC uCcOANo 81 AAoGAS oei
fled cry, and thought she was going to be
drowned. The boat swept on-the waves
dragged it-swifter and swifter it began t.
| race-and-
There is always a good genius which
watches over maidens in distress. A boat
had, unseen by Annie, darted from the OPP
posite shore, where Jack Temple had been
rambling He had seen her peril, came as
fast as his paddle would drive him, and
now reached her just as her boat neared
the dangerous reef. The two crafts struck,
and the shock threw the girl into the Wa
ter. Five minutes afterwards the youth
was carrying up the bank, i'll his arms, the
drenched and limp looking damsel-one
slipperless foot in a white stocking pro
truding from her streaming skirt.
Some cries, ordinations, explanations
and tears followed, then Miss Annie
Heath walked up the hill, escorted by hei
friend, both in an extremely wet condi-
ton.
A tragic event succeeded. What induced
him to perform so absurd an action jack
Temple never could explain afterwards !:
but he proceeded then and taere-carried
away by the excitement of the moment
to propose! He proposed, making u pas
sionate avowal Of his love, and the blush
ing, pouting, confused, somewhat lrrltated
Annie tlatly discarded him
Just an hour after this scene Jack Tenn.
pie was walking up and down at lis OWL
house, and rejecting with moody eyes and
blushing cheeks.
SWELL, have made a fool of myself at
last = he muttered, and she has the right
to despise me now. The best thing for M
to do is to leave this country and her and
l will =
1t is singular fact that Annie was also
blushing at the same moment and muttel-
ing to herself. She had changed her cloth
ing and was sitting in her chamber.
Just to think y she wl:impered, he saw
me looking like t,at-and had lost one OF
my slippers?
Jack Temple went to a party on this
sane evening-beng an impulsive youth,
with an objection to moping-and met
Miss Augusta Wesley, the poor cousin Of
the rich Annie at home with "a headache.
He spent two or three hours tete-a-tete
with Miss Augusta, who beamed on him
with sweetest smiles, obscurely alluded to
the misadventure Of the morning, when
she suspected. and not obscurely intimated
that Mr.. Temple would have better luck in
-anot er quarter. After which she cast
down her eyes, blushed, and pulled flow
er to pieces.
When Jack Temple came home lie said to
himself:
sShe is certainly very handsome. What
if were TO-
He broke off, and muttered with satir-
ical laugh.
sNo-I suppose am a fortune hunter
after all. If can't get the heiress won't
try the other?
On the very next morning an event oc
CURED which nobody could have foreseen
unless it was Miss Jemima, who STATED
subsequently that she had foreseen it. 1t
was thunderbolt, and was preceded by {
visit from MI. Tom Ashton, touching
which gentleman a word or two is here
necessary. Tom Ashton WAS not bad fel
low-he was only ''hard up" very hard
upindeed He had been wealthy but cards
gradually absorbed him. No one wins Iii
the long run at this business. Mr.. Ashton
cast his eyes upon the broad acres OF
Annie Heath, paid assiduous court to thf
heiress, and on this morning, after an elab
crate toilet which SET off his handsome per
son to great advantage, had visited Oak
hill, firmly resolved to propose.
| Annie was laboring under ennui, as
usual, and welcomed MIN and his gay talk
This cheered the aspiring bachelor; he de
ployed his brightest smiles and most sentl
mental graces he made a touching speech
he extended his ieweled hand with lmpnl'
| sive ardor to take that of the lady, wher
suddenly there appeared at the door OF the
parlor Miss Jemina.
sWhat is the matter, aunt = said Annie
calmly.
This is the matter y
what p
sThis!' screamed Miss Jemima, rattlins
q paper i'll her hand.
But what is it p
'Another will of your uncle's, leaving
his property to Augusta
Solomon Heath, Esq, a rusty, crusty
and growing old bachelor, with the eS
preston ''no women about me y habltu
ally upon his lips, found one morning t
his immense surprise that he had adopte