Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-12-21
GAS usual. thank Won. Mrs. Dunn"

she apologised 81 thought you must b.
going to have an ill turn just now. Yot
look quite CHASTITY upon my word. Are
you quite sure you feel all right -
cit was nothing, believe me-nothing
more than twinge of rheumatism, thai
one must expect at my age
sob where was l? You gave me suci
start, assure you.''
"The young people were walking arm IL
arm on the Mall, and the band was play
ing" said he, giving her the cue.
ooh yes, thanks. Id been in the bust
ness about a year when he came across my
path. I dare say it's silly for me, with my
grey hairs and crows feet. but sometimes
of a spring morning, when I open my win.
dow and the fresh fragrance, steals upor
me. find myself forgetting my years and
expecting him. jusG as [ used to; and
when I come to my senses presently, al
the day seems vacent and dark, and | &C
about with weights at my heel, and the
spring sun is behind cloud. don't sup
pose you can understand such nonsense. y
You don't know me- said her listener
turning his back upon her to snuff the
candles.
''He wasn't one of my boarders, you
know" she continued, 'but he was init
mate with some of them, and as familiar
in the house as reed be, coming to dinner
and lunch when it pleased him, till he
knew the lay of the land as well as if it be-
longed to him. That was long before knew
that he cared for or thought of me, for
though my glass told me [ wasn't i'll look
ing-it has given over telling flattering
tales nowadays-yet I'd never thought
much about love and that sort Of thing
being practical body, and two busy to
NEEDLE with things 1 wasn't called on to
worry about. He got in to the way, when
his friends we're out, of knocking at the
door of my. private parlour. and dropping
in till they came home, as a matter of con-
venience, I naturally supposed, because
public parlours are dreary places to wait in
at the best, and he was one of those men
I'd noticed, who loved luxury and pretti-
ness desperately. But one night when the
moon was up, and the band was playing
out on the Mall 1.-The Girl | left behind
Me-" and was leaning out of the win
dow, after casting up my accounts for the
day and giving orders for breakfast, watch
ing the loye-sick people strolling about by
tWos and stopping to kiss each other in the
shadow of the elms-somebody tossed a
handful of cinnamon rncac I'M at NV win
dow. Of all the roses that June blows
that little old-fashioned cinnamon rose is
the most fragrant to me; and it was he,
calling to me to come down and walk: and
I went down, too readily perhaps, and we
walked through half dozen tunes-such
t mes as seemed like the music of the
spheres with variations. Sometimes when
I've been passing your room, Mr.. Roy
bure, you've drawn out a strain or two of
those very airs on your violin, and it has
had to sit down Oh the stairs to recover
myself. However, when | reached home
that night and locked up I'd found out
something I hadn't known when l went
out had found out that l loved Jules
Adderley, whether he loved me or not. 1t
was an embarrassing piece of news to me
it was with pain and pleasure curiously
twisted together. 1t made me start at
every step and get nervous at every knock,
and began to look into the glass with
more attention, and worry about my face
and grow absent-mindel about the bills
and the housekeeping till one night met
him on the stairs; he was going UP and I
was coming down, and we didn't do either
and-dear, dear, what an old fool am !
[ can't think of that time without tears
and the band outside in the moonlight
playing My love is like the red, red rose
And yet he couldn't really have loved me,
you know
II don't know anything of the kind
broke in Mr.. Royburne, almost angrily !;
''I'm sure that he loved YOU"
Il like to think so, she said, smiling to
herself and looking into the fire; but you
haven't heard all. We weren't going to
be married for a year OF so, because he
was only cashier in bank at Croftford--
the Pactolus Bank-I nate the very sound
of it; the words burn my tongue-and his
salary WASH t big enough to please him;
and then was in no hurry. wanted to
make money enough myself, and life had
grown so sweet, was almost afraid OF my
good fortune; and perhaps was just pun
ished for my want of faith in Gods provi-
dence. Well, one day I had great sur
prise. Aunt Huldah died, and 1 went
away to the funeral ; and when the lawyer
read out the will, she had left me five
thousand dollars-in stocking. The
night reached home Jules came to well
come me, and 1 showed him the stocking
and asked him to guess and then 1 threw
the whole, part of which was shining gold
and silver, on the table, and it rang with
with pleasant sound. But it seemed to
me that Jules had something on his mind
that night, and rallied him about it; but
that made him put out. And then 1 put
the money back into the stocking and
locked it into the desk, while he held the
lamp; and remember that when | open
ed the desk he caught sight of the daguer-
reotype I'd had taken to give him on
Christmas, and begged it: and l wouldn't
let HIM have it, because it wasn't good,
and meant to sit again, and after he had
gone put it into the fire and said nothing.
But when he said goodnight there was
something odd about him; he looked at
me long and searchingly, as il he'd like to
see my thoughts themselves; and once or
twice he began to speak, and broke off
with a kiss, and finally he told me that 7
shouldn't see him for few days, as he
was going out of town on bank business"
Mrs. Dunn paused, and sighed profound
": Mr.. Royburne walked to this window.