Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-10-27
The Wrong Passenger.

"Col. st. Albans," !" cried Annie Grey,
the bright and lovely cousin of Miss
Marsh. "How delightful 1t is FIVE
years since he went away to that horrid
India, and ] was fifteen then-a mere
school girl-but still l remember that
he was one of the handsomest men in
the place How pleased his sister Helen
will be 70
Certainly. This note is from her,
saying that they-herself and Colonel
St. Albans-will do themselves the
pleasure of calling here the day after
"Splendid I'll set my cap at once !"
cried the gushing Annie.
"Don't be absurd, cousin Col. st.
Adams is taveled man, and quite
familiar with pretty faces by this time.
Besides. he is an artist of no mean abil-
ity, and his character for gallantry in
action stood very high when he was in
the army"
"Heigho Well, 1 only wish there
had been a hero in our family But
what makes you look so grave, Aunt
Letltia?" addressing serene faced
brown haired woman of past thirty, who
was engaged in sewing.
Miss Letitia lifted her sad brown
eyes, soft and beautiful still, and glanc-
ed at her young relatives from beneath
the long, black lashes.
ooh, let Aunt Letitia alone !" said Is
abel, half pettishly; "she is working
and dreaming as usual. And she is too
old to care about brave and handsome
gentlemen like COL St. Albans."
Letitia's pale cheek flashed red; her
eyes cleaning with fire; for the mo-
ment she was far more beautiful than
either of the girls beside her. She
made no reply, but directly gathered up
her work and left the room.
Annie gazed after her with open eyes.
"Good gracious! What have said ?
She looked like young girl who has
just met her lover. Did you see that
red on her cheek, Isabel brighter than
the rouge in my toilet case! Aunt Le-
titia must have been handsome once !''
"She was the beauty of the neighbor-
hood. She is elegant now, though ev-
erybody knows that she is passee. There
was some gossip about her and this Col.
St. Albans once, you know. She saved
him from drowning on one occasion, and
he was the prince of devotion for a
week; then, man. like. he forgot his
gratitude and sailed for India. Men
are very consistent creatures, my dear. -
Meanwhile Letitia Marsh, who was
the sister of Isabel's father, went to hel
chamber and laid her work carefully
away in its neat basket; for she was ar
old maid. and old maids, you know
always do everything with care if yor
may credit tradition.
She unlocked drawer and took from
thence small escritoire which opened
to the touch of a key which she wore
always attached to slender gold chail
around her neck.
The lifted lid displayed few letters
a bunch of faded flowers tied with blu
ribbon. and a miniature case of deat
gold. The case she did not open-per
haps even yet she could not trust her
self to look upon the face hidden there
but she pressed the faded flowers to he
lips and held the yellow letter momen
against her heart.
"Yes," she said sadly, 81 am too old
The girls were right. And | am s
SO very slow to learn the lesson of grow
ing away from youth. Too old for love
but not too old for suffering Heave
help me''
She rose and looked in the glass.
stranger would have pronounced tn
face reflected there fair and sweet an
; youthful still but Letitia Marsh-ster
critic upon herself-saw only the line
of care on the white brow and the trar
sient threads of silver IN the dark, brigh
hair.
) EYES," she said. wcarily turnin
away, 81 am too old. And yet, despit
, it all. love him still. Oh, Gerarc
, Gerard why did you win my heart an
cast it back to me desolate and unbles.
, ed? Oh, Heaven why are women crea
: ed with these intense longings for Low,
love, always love aud then suffered I
drag out dull existence, missing a
ways all that can make existence life /?
She paced the floor softly, her eye
t weeping tears bitterer than those whic
t come to younger eyes, her woman
heart wrung with pain fercer tha
anything which comes to her sex
' careless glrlhood. But when the stor
/ was overland that was soon, for Let
: tia Marsh's nature was we'll disciplil
! ed nature-she went down to the parl,
just as serene and quiet and self.possesst
Z as usual.
And when three days later, Colon
st. Albans called and was devoted
. the young ladies and coldly courteo