Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-07-23
BERTHlLDA'S OFFER.


inc as hard as his name. Certainly
he was sort of crusty old gentleman
with a disagrceable habit OF telling
what he considered tho plain truth to
every one. As every one did not at
once bow low aud say, "Mr Flint,
you are perfectly right" thi' habit OF
irankness had brought him into n
great many quarrels with his friends
and relatives, so that at last the only
one OF his own blood with whom he
was on speaking terms was his orphan
niece, Berthilda, who kept house for
him, to whom he was unusually kind,
and who believed him to be q modern
Solomon.
She had never once contradicted
him. When he told her that the
Flints were generally good-looking,
but that she took after her mothers
family, who were all as plain as pike
stats, she answered, ''Yess, uncle; but
that is not my fault, you know
When he said she need not mind
about being good-Iooking, because,
after all, she was a nice little thing,
and would be more apt to be lett to
keep house for him forever, she ap-
peared to be comtorted. She was
mild and meek, and her vanity had
been quite taken out OF her by her
uncle's irankness.
She was really, by no means. 80
very plain, but she accepted Mr..
Flints opinion w''hoat u murmur. 1t
was all genuine. She was one OF those
little women who naturally bow down
before the head of the family and wor.
ship him. She had not even rejected
that he might leave her his money, or
some portion of it. 1t was too dread
full to think OF Uncle Flints ever dy-
ing at all.
As for marrying, it did not enter
Ber,hilda's mind. She had written
herself down a Spinster as soon as she
had heard Uncle Flints opinion on
the subject, which was oracularly CIV
en-, when she was about sixteen years
of age; but now that she was nearly
thirty, she was astonished by the ap-
pearance of lover, in the shape Of a
stout farmer CT forty, a widower with
out children, and owner OF as fine a
piece of property as could be found in
the State.
It was q case of love at first sight
on his part, and Berthilda, finding
herself made love to, and being quite
unused to the situation, felt that it
was her duty to refuse him, since tc
marry would be to contradict Uncle
Flint's distinct assertion that she was
born to be an old maid; and yet she
Welded to the advances Of Mr.. Hos
kins so tar as to allow herself to be
seen home from meeting" kissed at
the gate and occasionally encircled by
a very large arm, which, after sqeeze
or two, she always put away with a
shocked little squeai.
Finally Mr.. Hoskins offered himself,
and Berthilda, having confessed to
partiality for him, ended by asserting
that Uncle Flint should decide the
matter, and that she dared not men
ton the subject to him.
"Well, then, l will" said Mr.. Hos
kins. II amt afraid OF no mau, anC
if our uncle has anything agin me, ht
can out with it and prove It. II
write and ask him, since You are sc
partlkerler, Berthildy; though bein
of age, cant see why he has any
thing to say about it."
To which Berthilda, sobbing, re-
piled that her uncle's word was hel
law, and was kissed at the gate, as us
ual, this conversation having taker
place on Sunday evening on the way