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

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 we'll,
Gabrielle. You are quite flushed and tired.
Where have you been ?"
"Nowhere but in the village" Gabrielle
said
She paused moment, then added, rather
hurriedly:
Il 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 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 80, sister,"
"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?"
"Jaanua 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-
unnu 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 ol
white. washed, rose twined cottages sprin-
kled through it, and little rough.stonl
country church, covered to the very top o!
tic spirc SO thickly with ivy, that it locke!
like green bower. Here and there were
scattered few pleasant houses of the bet
ter sort, standing apart in sunny gardens,
and scentins 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 cvcrSrccns
planted in front, upon which the sun never
shonc-summcr or winter; the flags which
paved the front of the door and the steps
of the door, were grcencd 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 but
looked even more drcary in the summer
time, with the empty fireless CRATES, than on
L. "a
we'll the tastes of the two elder Of the
Misses Vaux.
1t had stood empty for some years before
they took it; for its last occupier had Com
mittcd suicide in one Of the rooms-it was
Just the house for such thing to hav"
happened in-and the superstitious horror
which the event created in the neiShbor
hood, coupled with the dark and cherries
appearance of the house, were the causes
why it remained so long unlct and SO much
neglected.
About six years ago, the Misses Naux
had come quite strangers to the village !;
md, in short time, were settled as tenants
Of the lonely house They were young wo
men thcn-not more than three and four
aud twenty but already grave, severe, and
Stcru ucS uTcsScu always Ill uiuuIHlUE,
and rarely was 4 smile seen on their cold
lips but they spent their time almost ell
tirely in performing acts of charity, III Wis.
itins the sick, and in making clothes for
the poor. For miles round they Were
known and looked up to with mingled rcv.
ercucc aud awe. But theirs was a strange,
soulless chari'y-more like the pcrformanc"
Of a heavy pcnance than Of acts Of love.
There was a mystery about their antcce-
dents. No one knew whence they came, or
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 t.
bring no pleasure, but to be only burden
which it was their stern duty to bear IN
conplainingly for certain number Of years.
Gabriclle-the beautiful, sunny.uatured
Gabricle-was not with them when they
first came to the village but three years az"
she had joined them, and the three had lived
together since She was then about fifteen;
n bright. joyous, beautiful creature, without
4 thought o! sadness in her, or the fantc>t
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
Il.