St. Landry democrat., 1879-04-12

few words, written, it might be, by an
articled clerk in London Inn Fields, the
letter was so aggressive.
swell, girls"-with a faint attempt
at cheerfulness-"here1 a chance tor
one of you, at last. This letter is from
your aunt Ruth Rushton, your fathers
eldest sister, who never married, and
never spoke to him after he married me
though I do not remember it against
her now. I have always thought OF
Ruth as being a superior woman-a very
superior woman. l have heard your
father say that she spoke four languages
in her young days, and that she was a
great belle then"
This brought out a contemptuous
"Humphl" from the girls. This was
the letter which proved the turning
point in my life:
"S1sTER D.LAw: ] hear you are blessed
with three daughters. am a chlidless,
bedridden old woman with no one to care
for me. I need some strong, active young
| person daily and hourly. Send me a niece.
| She shall be paid for her trouble. l sup
| pose YOU consider them all paragons; but
| beauty Is not indispensable. Honesty and
| good morals are. Let me know at once.
| Your ob't servant, RUTH RUsMToN,
"of the 'Pines,' Kent"
What an INSULT" said Edith. Hor.
| rible old womanl After all these years
of neglect, abe would now make 8 maid"
servant of US. I shall not Co."
Then Caroline delivered the address at
the beginning of my story.
Poor nanny picked the wadding
from the back of the stuffed chair like q
bird pecking at barley all the time a
cloud creeping over her pale face.
"No; of course you'll neither Of you
20, after this letter but it seems like
Aging in the face of Providence to
refuse. 1t is not like going out to
s~ervioe, you know, after all. The com"
ing winter will be very hard on me, and
I can't zee my way out very clearly.
There's Aggressive might let her go;
although I should miss her sadly. And
she has not a decent gown to 60 in. Her
next quarter will not be due for q long
time yet"
What dees it matter p I said at
last, my heart filed with bitterness.
"I sho uld not be expected to dress
greatly. I am ready to 60 just as I am"
ooh, I dare say" said Caro-, in high
disdain. "Playing Cinderella is quite
in your line; but there's to be no god
mother or prince in the story. You're
going to drudge and slavedfor a hideous
old tyrant, and wear her ridiculous fnery
for pay. But anything for an excuse to
leave the drudgery here to Edith and L
you u~ngrateful thing"
I've done it all my life uncomplain-
ingly," I plucked up spirit to say, con-
fdent it would not help my case, how
ever.
"Don't quarrel now, just before sepa'
rating" said poor nanny, almost
sternly. =
And 80 it was settled that ! should
leave home ; the letter was posted to my
hard aunt, who was to lock for me Tues
day fortnight, some little time being
allowed for my preparations. These
were ridiculoualy simple. My few things
were to be "gotten up" as the clear
sta, ehers say, and I turned a ehangeable
silk gown of mammy'sth the snufy side out,
and could have went at the thought Of
how I should look in it. This and my
old black, and n or two prints, were
what I packed in my mean little trunk,
with many sobs and tears at bidding
farewell to my poor nanny, OHIO cried
80 bitterly, her thin arms wound about
my neck, as if oil her poor heart lett her
by misfortune was bursting in twain.
"Good by, nanny darling, I shall
write often, and if there are any earn
ings they shall come tt you"
"One would think that Agnes were
on the v of starting to America"
sneered Edith, shaking my hand coldlv,
and giving me q dabby kiss on my tear.
stained cheek.
Oh, I never knew what q dear little
dun-celored home it was, until ! had
turned my back upon it in the chill Sep
tember rain. .-
A grsy-haired servitor, in gray stock
ings and rustg, small clothes, met me at
the station, with an ancient affair on
four wheels, drawn by an animal not at
all unlike the solemn old man, who said
his name was Dark, and whom I shocked
unutterably by calling him MI. Dark.
had plenty Of time for rejection as
we left the highway, turning up through
an avenue of paternal hemlocks, to the
no less forbidding house, with a quantity
Of wings and windows, q rambling porch,
and one or two statues on the terraces
all soggy with rain, and Uttered over with
dropings from the pines, whose funeral
branches had for many years kept the
sunshine from that gloomy portal
A staid, elderly woman, in o respect
able silk gown, met me at the door with
the intelligence that my aunt was quite
put out at having the, tee kept waiting
q quarter Of an hour, which I accepted
az an omen of q bad beginning.
She was4already sitting at the head Of
| the table In the dining rnom-a uaunt