The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-01-04

. tiTely re-Onciled to the guitar.
e II was the evening of Cbristm AZ
: day. Miles Guernsey sat SlOne in MS
: peric-, thought on his brow and q
pips in his mouth, when Nike entered
: with 3 dainty rose periumed three.
4 Icornered nate.
, From the ovid mail, sure" sail
j lie.
5 'sMiss Osborne, you meau," said his
master, sternIy. "DOn't call her an
j old maid again"
Would Mr. GueTnsey"-so thc
: pote rau-"givs Mrs. aud Miss 05-
borne the pleasure Of his company
Z this Cnristnias evening? Brother
= Robert and MS wife have came down
{ from the city, and there would be q
little music, little suppsr snd
whist"
, "Wsit, and I'il write an answer, !"
: said Mr. Guernsey. Ard while Mike
: waited he began to talk again. ''Shure
= sc heard the news, sur the village
is fu.I Nv it. They say she uughtn'i
- done it"
"Who the dickens are you t4lkin >
about ?" asked his master, turning
impstiently around, pen in hand.
"The Uwld-I name Miss Osborne
sur" answered Mike.
"And pray IUlIat shouldn't she have
J done ~
Taken Bessie Vests baby. sure"
"tTaken Bessie Vests baby p
Go on this moment, Mike, or FIJI
brain you with the poker"
| Well, you see, sur" Mike, thus ad-
mcnished, went on glibly enough,
I've know poor Bessie West, the pOr-
ty sewin'- -gurriI ?"
"Yes, yes"
"WelI, sur, LAST night she died, an
she sint for the oWld-I name Miss
Osborne. For she was frightened nv
4 the other WOmen-Oad 'cess to 'em
am half Nv 'em wild ehildher Nv
their own; an the oWld-I mane
| Miss Osborne, wint-"
"Of course she did," interrupted his
master. 'fGo on"
"An' she prayed wild the poor
thing, an closed her eyes an whin
she came away she fetched the young
wun wild her, am they do say she's
s-going to 'dOpt it, an they'll niver
shpake 70 her agin."
(Which would be q very great
pity 20 said the old bachelor, with
emphasis, and rather 3 dis0olicsl
grin.
"Yis, sur. An now 1 suppose we'll
be afther movin,' shltre, for it only
naded the baby to make it complate
owld-I name Miss Osborne, cats,
dogs au' babies
"Get me my great-cosp was the
only reply he received. I'll answer
the note personally" And, the great
coat on, away started Nils Guernsey
for Rose Cottage once more.
"Bedad, said Nike. with an intoxi-
Gated wink, "it's mesilf knew he
wouldn't shtand the baby"
Miss Osborne's parlor was that
night, II possible, brighter aud cheer
ier tnan il was on tue summer day
the old bachelor first entered 1t. In
stead Of roses, Christmas greens dotted
with brilliant red berries lOoped back
the curtains, enWreathed the pictures,
and dropped from vases aud shells,
and right over the tall wax candle
burning on the eenter-table hung a
bunch of mistletoe (sent with kindly
greetings and q real English plum
pudding from some kinsfolk across
the seal, its waXen berries cleaning
like clouded pearls among its slender
green leaves. Miss Osborne had evil
IDENTIFY not expected her guest so soon,
for she sat before the glowing CRATE |
FIRE with Bessie Vests baby on her |
knees, its small pink toes bell out to- |
ward the welcome warmth, and itself
cooling and gurgling after the fashion |
peculiar 20 extreme youth.
How lovely she looked, with .
spray of holly in her hair, 8 tender |
light in her eyes, and the loose
sleeves of her dark siIf dress falling |
back from her shspely white arms, as |
she held the child with motherly |
grace, and softly sang q dreamy nur-
sery rhyme ! Miles Guernsey thought |
of 8 beautiful Madonns he had seen |
in Rome, as be looked earnestly at |
her a moment before she became |
aware Of his presence. THE black /
eyed maid-servant going out in q
hurry as he reached the door, he had /
entered unheard.) At last she start 1
ed up, the roses in ber cheeKs sweeter |
and pinker tnan ever. IA merry I
Christmas 2" she c=ied. "How good |
Of you to come 50 early I'll go call /
Brother Robert"
"I don't want to see your BROTHER"
said the old bachelOr-"at least not /
yet. 1 came to ask"
"I was sure you would" said Miss 1
Osborne, breaking into laugh like (
young girls. "I told mother so this /
morning. know what you came to \
esk.n
"Are you quite certain you do ?''
said the old bachelor, an odd smile /
spreading over his face, until il |
danced in his handsome dark eyes.
"Qltite certaln," said the old maid,
seriously. "But we really don't need
your help, Mr.. Guernsey; for,
although we are far rom rich, we have
enough to share with this dear little
one, sent to me, it seems-dOn't think /
me foolish-as a precious Christmas
gift on the blessed Christmas Day
the day Mary clasped her beautiful
boy to her heart in the stable at
Bethlehem. See, isn't she pretty
And so plump! Take her in your
arms. am sure you, who are so
kind to cats and dogs, must almost |
EoUe this motherless little girl" And
she laid the child in the arms Of the /
man who had never held 8 baby be-
fore, aud who looked down upon it |
with something very like tears gilt
tering in his eyes.
tfYes, it is pretty, and plump, and /
everything you say. Rosa-psrdon /
me, Miss Osborne, but please take it /
back. Pm afraid OF it. It's making
fearful mouths at me, and Pm sure
it's going to scream" said the old
bachelor, after holding baby exactly
two minutes, the tears, If they were
tears, gone, and the smile back again.
h,1 a -
The old maid held out her arms.
He placed the child in them.
"And now you must go to bed,
baby,n she said, turning away and
then turning back tn say, with anoth-
er merry laugh You'd scarcely be-
lieve it, Mr.. Guernsey, but Wsif is
Jealous, and so is Puss and her daugh-
ter"
And there they were. Walt on
one side of her, and the cat and her
kitten OF the other ali the objects of
his detestation grouped together in
one terrible tableau
zone moment, Miss Osborne, before
you CO." he stammered. 81 have
come to ask
"Ask anything I can grant," said
Miss Osbsrne, encouragingly, hand l
will grant IL, for you have been q
kind neighbor-I hope l may say
friend-snd this is merry Christ
mas
"You to be my wife, interrupted
Miles Guernsey, a wonderful look of
love lighting up bis face.
The baby would have been dropped
then il nc hadn't caught it. But he
did catch it, and the old maid, too, in
his strong, tender arms.
1 won't tell you what she said, but
will say that nowhere on earth was
there q merrier Christmas party than
that at Rose Cottage thai Christmas
night and 1 will say, further, that
the following summer a Mrs. Miles
Guernsey helped to superintend the
culture Of the early cueumbers and
peas in Miles Guernsey's minizture
vegetable garden, and that number
of rose-bushes found their way across
the daisy-spangled meadow and over
the fence to the border of the neatly
kept lawn, snd on that same neatly
kept lawn wee baby girl tumbled
about unreproved, with Wait as q
constant companion and Mary Ann,