The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-07-19
AUNT PRIsCILLA,s STORY.

called her queer and odd; even her own
mother said she didn't know what
to make OF Ernestine 1t times"
Naughty, and perhaps cold and reserved
to the many, TO the few she was most at.
fectionate and gentle. I had known Err
nestine ever since she wore baby clothes
and she was very fond Of me. lived In
the little white house opposite her@Slived
alone, with the exception Of my nephew
Jack. Jack was in love with Ernestine;
no one knew it but me; ! don't think Jack
himself had decided about his feeling TO.
ward her. They say there's none 50
sharp in love affairs as an old maid; still,
i must confess that, when saw Jack fol-
lowing her around with his eyes, taking
every opportunity to be near her, and
paying her SO many little attentions, I
wondered how people could be so blind as
not to noticeit.
I had made up my mind that Jack
should have her, and was laying my
plans about the wedding, when some
thing occurred that completely upset
them. The way that it happened was
this: went over one evening 10 get a
recipe for making crullers from Ernest
ines mother. Walking round by the side
door, saw Earncstine and some young
man from the city playing croquet. !
was screened by the lilacs and syringas,
but had good view Of them, and could
observe plainly the exertions he was
making to please her. Watching them,
] could not help thinking sorrowfully. Of
Jack, as II the mere coming Of this strang.
er should darken Jacks prospects Of
winning her. Struggling my shoulders
impatien,ly, / passed into the garden,
where Ernestine's mother was picking
currants. From her | learned that the
young man was Ernestine's cousin Alex;
be was an artist, and had come up among
our hills for his summer.sketching. There
we're a great many young people visiting
in the village that summer, and scarcely
a day went by without some summer
merry.making. Ernestine went to all OF
them; and, where Ernestine was, there
was Alex. So l did not see much Of
ErnestiIe; for a week. she had not been
near the house. All the reports about
her and her cousin came from outside; |
think Jack heard them, too. Inoticed
that he grew thin and pale; and, in fact, |
worried good deal about him. He did
not say anything to me about her, how
ever, and things went on in the same
quiet way.
About three weeks after. her cousin
came Ernestine opened tile garden.gate
II was lovely night in June; the rose
bushes and pinks were in bloom, and the
pansies and mignonette filed the air with
heavy perfume. She came up the walk
slowly, and sat down beside me on the
porch Jack was inside, lying on the sofa;
she did not see him In the half-light). l
knew, from the expression Of her face,
that she had something to tell me; and !
knew she would take her own time to tell
it. We sat in silence for a while; and
then, leaning against the pillar, and
twisting spray OF pink honey.suckle
round her fingers, she commenced !:
"Aunt Priscilla (she always called me
that what 1 am going TO tell you may
surprise you, but Iknowyou will be none
the less glad; am engaged 10 marry my
cousin Aleck% and with that she put her
arm around my neck, and waited for me
to speak. l could not tell her l was glad,
because wasn't; l only said, constrain.
edly: II hope you will be very happy,
DEAR" and kissed her, thinking all the
while how differently / could have spoken
II It had been Jack instead Of her cousin.
She stayed only short time; and,
when the gate clicked behind her, Jack
came ont on the porch. He had heard
her, and he bore it like q heroI-Jack
never was ono Of the moaning, groanipg
sort, but l could see In tie dim light
how white his face was, and how he BIT
his lip to keep back the bitter disappoint-
ed words. He only said, quito slowly
aud steadily: "I'm :going out for little
while, Aunt Pris don't sit up for me; |
may not get in till late" l didn't see
Jack until the next morning. He ap.
peared more like himself then; and when
he told me that he had decided to spend a
month or so at his uncle's, In Westheld, /
wasn't bit surprised had been ex.
pecting it,-and told him l thought il
was the best thing he could do.
After Jack went, would have been
very lonesome indeed II II had not been
for Ernestine; her artist-cousin had taken
himself and his sketches back to the city,
and she was hen old self again. She soon
saw that did not regard her betrothed
very fayorably, and we seldom spoke oil
him.
Ernestine, 1t seemed to me, was not
very passionately in love; when Aleck's
name was mentioned she did not blush OF
tremble in the least; when her friends
leased her about him, she did mot appear
to care or mind It all; and she herself
would speak Of him In exactly the same
way that she would Of any one else. One
evening she was sitting in my rocker, by
the window, when her father threw 4
letter from Aleck into her lap; she took
il up slowly, read the direction over once
or twice; and put II in her pocket! ]
wondered 10 myself II that was the way
Of ali girls engaged to be married; then
thinking II might be mere bashtulness on
Ernestine's part, Tsaid: Don't mind ne