Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-07-19
the vALENorENNEs TIDY.

Ia me. bat i had made up my mind i
that / would never tell her so. A
richer eaveryOungman than would
win her heart. lit was not likely
she could fancy grave man OF
thirty-fve.
Love in a cottages very small
cottage, with a very small income
to keep it up On-Would scarcely
present attractions for her with such
4 companion, when there was Hor-
ace WalpOle Smith at her feet, and
rich young BentIy Gadmore, with
all the Bently as well as all the
Gadmore property coming to him, J
ready to offer wealth if wit did not
win the goal. was William Hun
ter, nobody, and felt that L must
take nobody's place.
Holm cottage was the house where
she lived with her grandmother,
old Nine. Holm, between whom |
and myself there existed relation /
ship which, though a very distant /
one, was the cause of some likeness |
between US.
Partly on this account she liked |
me, and when she was alone 1t was |
pleasant to go over to her house and |
sit beside her and talk TO her about |
Lydia.
She sat in a large Turkish chair,
clad in a straight and economi- |
caIly cut black silk.
-On her head ValencienneS cap
with long tabs, protected from the
rOughness of the chair cushions by
one of those cOntrivances which
women love and which men hate
n tidy.
Walking down a certain pleasant
lane between my home and that of
Nine. Holm, / saw Lydia walking
was talking very earnestly to her,
and she answered in a shy, confused
manner, and then lie kissed her.
Now | was sure that all was set
tied between them. / resolved to
leave the country the very next
day, and that night + would go to
her and tell her of my intentions.
Later ] walked over to the cot
tage, and, and, as / was permitted
egress and ingress through the long
French windows, entered the par
Tor that way.
The room was dark, but a light
cleaned on the floor above. Mad
anne was up there, / knew, for the
floor shook under her heavy tread.
/ saw that her chair was empty,
and for the first time in my life /
sat down i'm it. AS / did so that
horrible Valenciennes tidy dropped
upon my head. My face was turned
towards a glass. In it, by a beam
of moonlight from without, l saw
that the accident had suddenly
caused me to bear an almost I'M
canny resemblance to Nine. Holm.
My profile was hers exactly. The
light was too dim to show the COM
plexiOn. My black clothes set
scarcely closer to me than did hers,
and we were almost of a size.
AS the ends of of the tidy fell on
my shoulders / saw Madame in her
cap.
The sight arrested my attention.
l sat still looking at it and at that
instant a step crossed the sill, a little
figure in a hood entered, advanced
and seated itself at my side.
Lydia-no one else.
"YOu didn't expect me home so
early, did you, grandma ," she
said. "But something happened
that made it too unpleasant to stay.
Would you believe-On the way
Horace Walpole Smith proposed"
''And you accepted him." said /.
"Why, grandma !" cried Lydia,
not undeceived by my voice, az ac-
cept him Dear me, of course not.
/ hate him. But he asked me if he
might kiss me for the only time,
and l had to let him, you know.
And foIt bo FbS,, I~1,. GO,
much of himself and lectures one
in private, and he's so ugly"
1t was mean of me, but l took adj
vantage of the-situatiOn.
"And you like Bently GadmOre
better? ''
"Well, grandma" said Lydia,
"better isn't best, you know. Bent
ly is generous, but he is such a fool
| don't care anything for poor Bent
ly, and all his money can't buy
me
"And who do you like best ?"
said |.
Grandma, "said Lydia solemnly,
elf / tell you, will you promise
never, never, never to tell ?''
81 promise" said |.
"But earnest, honest, grandma,
for | should die of shame if you
did, said Lydia. "YOu see | like
best some one who don't like me
the least little bit. He never makes
love to me like the rest do. l know
by that, and sometimes l even cry
about it at night up in my own
room. Oh, l wouldn't let any one
but you know for my life. LISTS
William Hunter"
"What ," said /. essay it again."
William Hunter, grandma,
dear, said the poor child, nesting
to me. $50 / shall never marry
any of those people that want me,
you see. / shall be an old maid,
have made up my mind to that"
"And don't you know he loves
you, Lydia ?'' said l.
"Grandma ~ cried she.
"Better than his life," said /.
"Why, grandma-why-did he
say so, grandma ?"
kiss me, dear, and I'll tell you"
said |.
Then little Red Riding Hood put
her lips up to mine and | drew her
to my heart, and she screamed
"Oh, grandma /"
At that moment down the stairs
came Madame with the candle,
and poor, trembling little Red Rid
ing Hood saw who held her to his
heart.
She vowed never, never to for
give me ut first, but l knew those
vows would never be kept.
at was not my fault it was
yours" said 1. "The Valenciennes
tidy did it all. Blessed Nalcnci-
ennes tidy
The other day l saw her kiss that
old tidy, laid away for years in a
drawer with lavender and rose
leaves.
eve have been so happy all this
while, dear WILL" said she "and
you said it was the tidy"
Caught in His own Trap.
\ friend of Dean Swift one day