Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1875-02-20

on are true women, little Ethel, now
run do rs babe you, aud gathering up
her basket of snowy Lingerie Mrs. Ethel
left the room with sigh.
Two or three days after Mrs. Ethel Chan
ning was sitting in her pretty morning
room sewing. Ii was Saturday, and she
had sent for the little school teacher 10
spend her holiday with her, for since that
cynical handsome brother had left her
mornings were dismalIy lonely, Raplh
having no end Of bsuiness(2l that kept
him outdoors. 1t WAS not long till Am
Der came--the same Amber, with torpaz
lEster ia her eyes, with classic bright
brown coils, only a shade Of piquancy
dashed out Of her merry, mocking face as
il were. She was clad in somhre elose-ht-
ting black, very different from the trailing
silken greens, blues and mauves of her
Washington triumphs, but exquisitely be-
coming, nevertheless, to the clear, fair
face and bright hair
!" Good morning 10 you T. she cried
With an imretuous, cafessing kiss upon
Mr. Ethel's bonny brow g You were
very kind to send for IRE to-day, Mrs
Charming !; yon know | enjoy being here
don't you2' with sigh of girlish pleas
IRE as she took in the tasteful aspect of the
bright, little room from the flower laden
brackets. TO the pretty mistress in her be-
coming morning dress, with azure rib
bons at hersthroat and in the abundant
golden hair.
Well, yes, dear, taking the girls hat
and wrappings and smoothing the bright
hair. think you must get tired over
there they are so vulgar and you
aAh bnt they are very kind, Amber
said with tears in her bright eyes. "Mrs.
Willet treats me as though were her own
child, and the children are fond Of me -
They are no. congenial, il would be sheer
folly 10 say so with spice of her habit
nal eandor, but they are hospitabe and
mean we'll so | thoroughly respect them.
All who's there for Mrs Ethel had
turned suddenly and the servant was
ushering stranger.
Excuse me madam, | came TO see -
then he stammered incoherently and stood
before the two ladies confused color on
his face. He seemed an overgrown boy,
very tall and broad-shouldered with a
great shock of coarse black hair and pair
of large luminous blue eyes beneath well
defined black eye brows the mouth with
a faint shadow Of golden moustache
above il, gave character TO a face that
would otherwise have seemed too boyish
for the athletic proportions Of his strong
figure.
Mrs. Ethel kindly proflcred chair.
81 wanted to know madam IL you could
give me boarding until spring, | should
like to attend the district scdool but no
one seems willing to take me in
Amber opened her eyes very wide, as
yet but few Of the 'big boys" had entered,
and she was beginning to hope there were
none to enter.
II don't know inuecui replied Mrs
Ethel deprecatingly, prepossessed in favor
of this large limbed handsome school boy,
"Ralph--my husband-Mr Charming,
will be in to dinner soon, and can con-
suit with him MS to the possibility Of taking
YOU. You can wait in here if you please,
opening the library door lyon will find
books and papers to amuse YOU" with
which she left him. The boy walked up
and down the library for little while
impatiently, then sat down very near the
door that opened into Mrs EthePs morn
ing room.
You see Mrs. Charming am not always
brave,n Amber's voice came in on a little
wave of sound, tonchingly plaintiye and
patient. 81 get positively DOM sometimes,
but not for long ii is my nature to be
cheerful, and the thing of all that makes
me ehecrfullest Is to think that my own
dear Papa is out OF it all am thankful
that he died when adversely came, for he
was old and had breathed the air Of luxury
long while well, with a gay effort
and battling laugh, "when we are young
we can accommodate ourselves so wonder
fully to circumstances, don't you think 50
Mrs. Claiming, dear ?''
f" I suppose 30 child, but takes a brave
pure nature TO do so,p
"0hi no, p"merrily, most young women
are so. | once had gentleman TO doubt
my reracity Mrs. Claiming, he as much as
told me that | was amusing, but useful
never. You see it was his false reading Of
human nature that made him Judge me so,
perhaps he had met no pure fair types, or
mayhaps, like Mrs. Browning's
eFretful children
Leaning their faces on the window pane
To sigh the glass dim with their own
breaths' stain,
And shut tie sky and landscape from their
view
he scoaid not see the truth because he woaid
not.
The boy did not hear Mrs Channings
reply for he had walked to the window
out of the range OF her voice. per-
haps, from glimmering suspicion
that it might not be honorable to listen I;
be that as 1t may, he stood there looking
oat over Mrs. Estbel's parterres and only
turned when Mr.. Ralph Claiming entered
the apartment, bringing current Of fresh
winter air with him, and a fund ofencour-
agement in his genial, gentlemanly air.
"Ralph has concluded that he will stay !,
dear" whispered Mrs. Claiming to AM
her, as they went out to dinner, Sand SO
you gain another scholar, quite formida-
BILE in appearance, don't you think ~
81 am not afraid have a passion for