The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1877-11-28
ON WITH THE OLD LOVE.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.

as-ss. - - ..E
A THANKSGIVING STORY.
Miss Jane Finch was lonely; the SEN
sation was an old one, and she was at a
loss what to do with it, She had lived
for fifteen years solitary life, had prided
herself for a decade and q half on being
independent of and Indifferent to the rest
or the great human family, and now she
grew suddenly weary of her self-imposed
solitude. It might be because it was
Thanksgiving week, and every body about
her was so busy and busting and happy,
or it might be from many other reasons;
but whatever the cause, the fact remains
that, on d certain sunny morning in I
November, Miss Finch awoke to the
knowledge that her condition was not to
be enyied.
In vain she tried to argue herself back
into her old self-satisfaction. 1t was
ust as true new as it was yesterday that
her brother James had married Sarah
Jones---a girl she thought she had good
reason to hate; but, someway, there was
no pleasure to be gained froI comparing
their poverty with their riches.
4 monster turkey was just beng
brought into the next door neighbor's; it
reminded her that the following day was
Thanksgiving, and also reminded her that
she had to provide herself with the Gull
nary wherewithal without which no
Thanksgiving dinner might be properly
celebrated.
It always made Miss Finch's face burn
to think of Captain Abel Jones-first
cousin to her obnoxious sister-ln-law.
Long ago, when she was in: her teens
they had been lovers, and everybody
knew that, as soon as he got his ship,
Abel Jones and Jenny Finch were to be
man and wife; but one evening she ran
over to Sarahs (they had once been
bosom friends), and hearing voices in the
parlor, had stopped a moment to discover
who was there. In that moment she had
seen Miss Sarah crying, as if her heart
would break, with her head on Mr..
Abel's shoulder.
Quite ignoring the fact that these two
had been brought up together, and that
Abel had time and again told her that
Sarah was Just the same to him as dear
sister, Miss Finch grew righteously in
dignant; yet she was .just-very just, in
deed she would not judge them on this
evidence, although to most any one it
would have been proof enough OF a very
disagreeable fact; but she would wait,
and see how their conversation accorded
with their position. So she waited.
"Donf cry" said Mr.. Abel Jones, plead
ingly, II am sure I can fix it all right.
She isn't nearly SO fond Of me as you
think. and YOU know, Sarah, how dear
YOU are to her. I'll break it to her gen
fly, and I'm sure she'll give me up OF her
own accord.
Now, Miss Finch hadn'ta Jealous ma
ture, not at all but the most unsuspi-
cious idiot in the universe could not have
misunderstood that speech. It was very
evident he wanted to be free from her. SO
she stole gently out, without letting them
know Of her presence, walked home at
railroad speed, and, with a very proper
self-respect, Immediately tied up his
picture, his few presents and his fewer
letters, and sent them back to him with
the pretty falsehood that she found she
didn't like him well enough to marry
him, and should be obliged it he would
release her from her engagement.
She didn't propose to be Tilted by him
and she wasn't.
Then she went off on visit, staid two
months, and came home to find hel
brother engaged to her friend, and hel
false lever nowhere.
In vain she endeavored to prevent this
marriage. Her brother would not BIZ
convinced, without absolute proof, tina,
Sarah Jones was not perfect woman
She begged, pleaded and urged. Blu
pride prevented her giving him the one
fact of which she had become possessed
and SO the two were married, and SD,
took her fortune Cleft her by her father
only sisterl and herself to another town
gradually withdrew herself more ant
more from the world, until, at twenty 81,
she was q confirmed misanthrope, seein,
no one. @ II #5
This sort of existence she had kept ii
until the time our story opens.
WHY Sarah Jones married James Flncl
and why Abel j ones was still a bachelo
sea-captain, were mysteries she did DC
trouble herself to explain. Sure OF the
treachery, what mattered it to her }ho'
they spent their lives. 0
To-day Miss Finch, in thinking ove
her past, acknowledged to herself fe
the first time that she might have bee
hasty; not so far as the stalWart sailor WI
concerned, but about her brother.
s'L don't suppose ought to have g,
pected him TO give up his. sWeethea
without any reason, she thought
wouldn't have done it myself. / belle,
/ IL send them a good Thanksgi giving di
ner. From all I can hear, they amt alb
(. # t. do much Id that line for theslselye
~ aud with sudden tWinge OF conselenc