The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1879-01-03
THE THREE SISTERS.
CHAP pR 1.

just MS turned INTO the httie pain acIoss
the field"
The first speaker, who was the eldest
raised her head from her work, and, looking
at Gabrielle, said:
"For you it is too late. You are not well,
Gabrielle. You are quite flushed and tired
Where have you been ?"
"Nowhere but in the village" Gabrielle
said.
She paused moment, then added, rather
kurriedly
II was detained by poor sick woman
went to see. You don't know her, Joanna,
she has Just come here"
"And who is she 2" Joanna asked.
''She is a widow woman, not young, and
very poor. She spoke to mo in the road
the other day, and l have seen her once or
twice since. She had heard our name in
the village, and tonight l promised her
that you or Bertha would go and call on
her. She has been very unhappy, poor
thing. You will 90, sistcr?'
"Certainly. You should have told me
before. Go, now, and take off your bonnet.
You have walked too quickly home on this
hot night"
Another lady entered the room just as
Gabrielle was leaving it, and addressed her
almost as the first had done:
"You are late Gabrielle. What has kept
you out so long?"
joanna will tell you," Gabrielle ans
wcred. Il have only been finding some
work for you, sister" aud with smile she
went away.
They were two stern, cold women-Jo-
unnp and Bertha Vaux. They lived to-
gether-they two and Gabrielle-in dark
old, fashioned house, close to a little village,
In one of the southern counties of Eng land.
1t was pretty picturesque village, as most
English villages are, with little clusters OF
white. washed, rose .twined cottages sprin-
kled through it, aud little rough,stone
country church, covered to the very top OF
the spirc so thickly with ivy, that it looked
like green bower Here and there were
scattered a few pleasant houses of the bet
ter Sort standing apart in sunny gardens,
and scentin. the air around with the smell
Of their sweet flowers.
But the house in which Joanna and Ber.
tha and Gabrielle lived was always gloomy
and dark aud cold 1t was square brick
house, with damp, unhealthy cvcrgreens
planted in front, upon which the sun never
shone-summcr or winter the flags which
paved the front Of the door and the steps
of the door, were greened over with cheer.
less moss and fungi grew up in the seams
of the pavement. The windows, with their
thick, black, clumsy frames, almost all faced
the north, 80 that the cold, dark rooms
were never lighted up with sunshine bu,
oA thn
time, with the empty freless CRATES, than on
winter days Yet the house seemed to suit
we'll the tastes of the two elder of the
Misses Vaux.
1t had stood empty for some years before
they took it; for it's last occuper had-com.
mitted suicide in one of the rooms-it was
just the house for such a thing to have
happened in-and the superstitious horror
which the event created in the ncighbor
hood, coupled with the dark and cherries,
appearance of the house, were the causes
why it remained so long unlet and so much
neglected.
About six years ago, the Misses Vaux
had come quite strangers to the village
md in short time, were settled as tenants
Of the lonely house. They were young wo
men then-not more than three and four
aud.twenty but already grave, severe, anG
stern. They dressed always in mourning
and rarely was smile seen on their colo
lips; but they spent their time almost EN-
tirely in performing acts Of charity, in Wis
ting the sick, and in making clothes fnl
the poor. For miles round they wer,
known and looked up to with mingled rev
erence aud awe. But theirs was strange
souless chari,y-more like the performanc,
of heavy penance than Of acts Of love.
There was a mystery about their antece
dents. No one knew whence they came, OF
who they were they had neither relations
nor friends; they lived alone in their
gloomy house, and only at long intervals
sometimes of many months-did they re
ceive even single letter. They were two
sad, weary women to whom life seemed to
bring no pleasure, but to be only burden
which it was their stern duty to bear I'D
couplainingly for a certain number of years
Gabrielle-the beautiful, sunny. .natured
Gabrielle-was not with them when they
first came to the village; but three years ago
che had joined them, aud the three had lived
together since. She was then about fifteen;
bright, joyous, beautiful creature, without
thought OF sadness in her, or the faintest
shadow Of the gloom that rested upon her
sisters. Even now, although she had lived
for three years in the chilling atmosphere
that surrounded them, she was still un.