The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-02-15


so. hope your ideal husband may APP
pear. In the meantime 1 think you are
but one remove from an IDIOT to refuse |
Walter, a perfect gentleman, and my
probable heir -
"Perhaps / will come tomorrow
and finish your dress.
And 80 saying Edna wrapped her
shawl about her and departed. For
this girl, sharing with her mother an ex-
ceedingly slender income, the legacy of
her long-dead father, utilized a ready
needle and exquisite taste by sewing for
her relatives. Her mother would have
tainted in horror had any one suggested
to her that her daughter was dress
maker. But dear Edna, she admitted,
helped her more.prosperous relatives
with their sewing, emitting to add that
said relatives put sufficiently small
pecuniary acknowledgment into Edna's
purse.
The girl herself, superbly-handsome
brunette, rebelled mentally every hour
of her life against all this pretense.
Proud to her hearts core, she had no
mean shrinking from facing the truth
that she was poor and obliged to work
for money: but the prejudices OF her rich
aunt, the Alterations of herhelpless, fine
lady mother must be respected, and she
worked for half pay and secrecy when
she might have won an honest living as
an acknowledged dressmaker.
When Walter Templeton asked her to
be his wife some of this long-pent-up
irritation of the false life forced upon
her found vent in her refusal of his suit.
She half regretted the sarcasms she had
poured upon his position when she saw
the detected face and the expression OF
hurt amazement there.
"After ALL" she thought, when he
left her, "the poor fellow is not much
to blame. He has been under Aunt Luz
Giles thumb ever since he was mere
boy, brought up upon small doses of
common sense and vast ones OF Pilgrim
Fathers, blue blood. and the degradation
of honest labor. But [ won't marry
him l get enough of the family fail
ing without going to live with Aunt
Lucille, one more hanger-on. / earn all
she gives me, that's one comfort. Any
dressmaker would charge twice as much
as she will pay me to make that black
velvet
Yet when she came day after day,
working busily at the fall sewing of hei
aunt, she missed the courteous atten-
tons of her cousin. Truly Aunt Lucille
had spoken truly when she said Walter
Templeton was perfect gentleman. His
manner was the perfection of good
breeding, with deferential courtesy fol
all womankind, and a most fascinating
Difference for the one woman he loved
Stung by the bitter emphasis of Edna's
refusal, the contemptuous sarcasm OF
| her reasons, he Withdrew from her pres.
ence, seldom coming to the room, where
he read to his aunt while she sewed.
| Truly Edna had defined his position
in that mental retrospect she had taken
He had been his aunt's plaything in his
boyhood, handsome lad, full of talent
and promise When he attained ripel
years he was sent to school, to college
graduated there, was put into the pc.
sition of uutisul nephew to an aunt
who openly proclaimed him her heir
Courted in society, his aunts favorite
with ample means at his ready com
mand, his own idea of his course of life
was that it was far superior to that o.
common men. Thoroughly imbueo
with his aunt's pride, he rather scorneG
the idea of labor of any kind until he
loved Edna.
BY the light of that love ne felt un-
easily that she scorned the money he
took freely, unless he earned it first
More than once he had known of hel
proud refusal of any gift for which hel
nimble fingers had not given a full
equivalent. He loved her first for heI
beauty, then for the noble attributes OF
mind and heart she certainly possessed
though she screened them well with hel
sarcastic pride.
Gradually, indeed unconsciously
she had sheathed the weapons she had
e kept at command, her pungent wit, hel
i keen satire, when her cousin Walter was
by. She let herself be interested when
t he read, and spoke freely when they dis
cussed literature or art.
Mrs. Montgomery looked well pleased
1t was one of her pet schemes to leave
her wealth divided between Walter anG
Edna, as man and wife, and she encour.
aged intimacy with all her heart, hiding
her satisfaction under her usual cur
manner.
Partly from her hints, partially, it must
be confessed, from his own sense of SUI
? periority, Walter had settled convic
ton that he was comforting an honor
7 when he offered his hand to Edna,
hand that would lift her to his side il
the affiuence of his aunt's favor.
SO the first spur that drove him from
her presence was certainly mortified
} vanity. More reasonable motives came
later.
Tho fall sewing was completed, when
with that unreasonable perversity thai
falls often to the lot of the most favored
mortals, Mrs. Montgomery was Obliged
to have it all renewed in mourning fol
her only sister, Edna's mother.
It was "dreadfully provoking" Of
course, the more 80 as Edna, really Low
ing the peevish invalid who had been hel
care for years, could not attend to the
sewing. She was sorrowed sincerely fol
many weeks, and then, to Mrs. Mont
gomerys infinite disgust, accepted pc
sition as companion to an invalid lady
and went abroad.
81 suppose" her aunt said, when il
was too late, "if L had offered you 9
GALAXY with n home Won would have