Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-08-22

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dreadful. They all told me not to do it
But remembered mama's injunction no
to forget that Miss Julia had once passion
ately loved my father, and had hidden
all when she found by the terms OF tn
will if he married cousin he would b.
penniless, and 60 to her if she ever needed
me, as if she were my mother. To thinl
of the romance in this little image! Blu
she has magnificent eyes for all. So ha
that young prince below-stairs, Mr.. Ger
vAis. Something about him reminds mi
of papa-the grand air, perhaps.
January 10.-This looks like diary;
whole week gone. But there's no time
miss Julia is very peculiar" She say
she is dying of loneliness, that she hardly
sees any body from morning till night. I'm
less Mr.. Gervais comes in and reads thu
Bible to her. "And don't want to heal
the Bible!" she cries. "As if | were al
/ old woman with one foot in the grave.
want a good roaring love story. Find mi
| OoOs Aly dCNAs AO 8l0AlO N0SASOo OPNAAN
the door and says good morning; Mr.
Gyles Whyte does the same, and adds gen
fly, that he hopes his cousin is we'll: nobo
dy else comes, except Mr.. Gervais. He
sits an hour with her, and I take that
time for my afternoon walk. I 20 down
stairs only to dinner, where there is always
company, slip into my seat after the Others
are placed, and am, of course, never in.
troduced. If Mrs. Whyte is obliged to
mention me, she says, in poor-relation
sort Of way, miss Purcell, the cousin and
companion of Miss Julia" It makes me
shudder to think of the life this poor Miss
Julia lived without me. Mr.. Gervais is
the only one who has seemed to think Of
her as anything but an animal that must
be fed and clothed. I have been reading
her bundles of old letters that she has had
me rummage out. When came from my
walk the other night, Mr.. Gervais was
still sitting there, and she was talking OF
the letters.
January 23.-Another week. Or, let me
see. is it year? Miss Julia interests me
though. sometimes she praises me; the
other day she slapped me. took he1
hands and said, s'Miss Julia If you had
been my mother, couldn't allow that
And she dropped her crutch and threw her
old arms around my neck, and sobbed out.
'sOh. if had been! if had beenl Oh, my
dear, don't you ever be fool, and let love
60 by for whiml' I turned my head
and saw Mr.. Gervasis in the door; and
when 1 had thrown on my cloak for a
walk, I found him going along beside me.
"Well." he said, abruptly, "don't you
think my fine sister-in-law will get herself
into difficulty for maintaining white sla-
very in a free country?" Of course I
laughed. $50 you are flesh and blood?''
he said. "You haven't meant one of these
people should see you smile, or frown. or
do anything other than in the capacity of
a machine"
Perhaps, answered him, ''these people,
had not the Importance in my thoughts he
would give them; they were shadows. I
came here at poor little Cousin Julia's cry
out of Macedonia; I don't stay because
they wished me, and I shouldn't go be-
cause they sent me.
When I had done, it was he that laughed.
"You are tragedy queen" he said. "We
are not so bad as you make us out. I
doubt if anybody wants to throttle Miss
Julia. People who do not make themselves
loved run the risk of having their exls-
tence forgotten"
'You do not forget her existence, Mr..
Gervais.''
"She is lesson in natural history to
me-"
"You are not so bad as you make your
self out" said. "Now I am going to
walk faster than you like. Good bye"
To my surprise he still stalked on beside
me. 81 don't think you understand me-"
said I.
"Perfectly," he said. "But Mrs. Whyte
has already remarked on the danger of
your solitary walks"
'Mrs. Whyte would have a great deal
more to remark about If my walks were
not solitary!'' cried. And then stopped
red, red, red to my eyes. "This is the one
hour" exclaimed, in evaporation, sin
which I live my own life. am alone. can
breathe. Please let me have my hour"
Then he stood aside, lifted his hat, and
let me pass. How grave and how superb
he was! And II was an angry child. I
had no 80 oner crossed the crest Of the hill
than 1 threw myself on the snow and had
one good cry that cleared my heavens. My
nerves are getting used up.
February 2.-What spasmodic diary
But really so little to say. 1t hardly seems
worth while to chronicle Mrs. Whyte's
small beer, her dinners and her lions-and
there's nothing else. The other day Mr..
Gervais quietly took the vacant place be-
side me at the table. 'sNow shall have
a fine time," he said. under his breath.
s'Being appointed to take in Miss Mayne,
absconded, and another has received the
appo intment. Something too much of
this"
''Have you really been so rude?" said I.
81 see. You are not in the conspiracy"
he replied. "But if your sister-in-law
meant to marry you to an heiress for
whom you had an aversion. and who, for
all you knew, had an aversion to you.
what would you do?"
"Why have you an aversion? She is
pretty. Her diamonds are"
81 have enough of my own," he said.
s'And if had as much as the national
debt, would choose this life, instead of
a cottage among the mountains, with
books, pictures, music, dogs and horses,
choice friends and few?" And Herewith
he was describing all our life at dear old
Carecross. don't know why he selected