Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-03-08
MAMIE.

Wnen or now 1t came to be understood be.
tween my partner, John Stillman, and
myself, that [ was to marry his daughter,
Mamie, when she was old enough. Ihave
an impression that she was in long clothes
at the time we first talk6d OF it,
Her mother died when she was a little
girl, and old Mrs. Stillman took her home
to the family at Owls Corner, one of the
prettiest little villages ever had the good
fortune to see. But Mamie was eighteen
when [ first met her a woman, and this
was the scene of our meeting.
John had sent for me to come to Owl 8
Corner on a certain July day promising
to drive out to the station and meet me.
as my elderly legs covered the ground but
slowly. We had retired from business,
rich men both, some five years before, and
correspondent regularly. But I had been
abroad, and this was my first visit to Owls
Corner in ten years. 1 remembered Nan
ME as romping child, found of swinging
on the gates, climbing up grape arbors and
imperiling her neck fifty times a day,
John always saying on such occasions.
HShe's little wild, but she'll get over
that
WAITED at the station for half an hour
then, seeing no sign of John, 1 started to
walk to the house. 1t was mid day, and
fearful hot, and when had accomplished
but half the distance I turned off the
road and started through grove that
gave me a longer walk, but thick shade.
[ was resting on broad stone, completely
hidden by the bushes on every side, when
I heard johns voice:
"Whefe have you been ?''
There was such dismay and astonish-
ment in the voice that l looked up in sur
prise, to find that he was not greeting me
but tall, slender girl coming toward him.
Such a sight She was dark and beau
tiful, dressed in a thin dress of rose pink
faultless about the waist and throat, but
from the waist down clinging to her, one
mass Of the greenest, blacklist, thickest
mud and water.
sin the duck poEd,' she answered,
with voice as clear and musical.as a
chime of bells. 'sDon't come near mel"
You are enough to wear man into
his grave!''
''There, don't scold," was the coaxing
reply, "little Bob Ryan fell in, face down.
1t did not make any material difference in
his costume, but was afraid he would
smother, so I waded in after him. The
water is not over two feet deep, but the
mud goes clear through to China, l ina
glne. It is rather pity about my new
dress; isn't it ?''
"a pity!' roard John, ''you'll come to
an untimely end some day with your
freaks. AS if there was. nobody to pick
an Irish brat out of the duck pond but
you'll
''There actually was nobody else about.
There, now. don THE angry I'll go up to
the house and put on that bewitchlng
white affair that came from New York
last week, and be all ready to drive over
to the station with you, at what time? 20
''About 8. Lawrence is coming on the
2:1O."
And 1 had come on the 12:1O.-This &C
counted for tie failure to meet me. l
kept snug in my retreat until John and
Mamie were well on their way homeward,
wondering little how many young ladies
in my circle of friends would have so reck-
lessly sacrificed new dress to pick up a
beggar's brat out of the mud
When 1, in my turn, reached the house,
John was on the porch waiting for Nan
MES temperance. He gave me most
cordial welcome, ordering a luncheon.
called Mamie, his mother, and man to
go for my trunk, all in one breath, and
seemed really rejoiced to see me.
Presently slender girl with truly be-
witching white dress, trimmed with dashes
of scarlet ribbon, and smoothly braided
black hair, tied with scarlet bows, came
demurely into the room and was intro
duced. Never, however, in that first hour
could the widest Imagination have pic
tured Mamie Stillman wading into duck
pond.-But the half shy, half dignified
company manner soon wore away, and
Mamie and [ were fast friends before din
ner. She sang for me in voice as de-
hciously fresh as a birds carol, she took
me to see her pets, the new horse that was
her last birthday gift from ''papa," the
ugly little Scotch terrier with the beautl-
full brown eyes, the rabbits, Guinea hen,
and the superannuated old pony, who had
preceded the new horse.
In week I was as much in love as ever
John could have desired.-Nannie was Tie
most bewitching maiden had ever met,
| childlike and vet WOmanlv. frank, bright