Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-01-08
afliseellang.
Ny AunPs Will.

nW We are none of US perfect, thank
goodness" said Caroline, my eldest sister,
With an aggravating laugh. do not
clam to be II paragon. by any means. and
il would take qualities little short of a
saints to poke down in the country and
hobble through life at the beck of Il frac-
tous old woman. | shall not 20 for
one"
Gardiner said mother, in a mild tone
of rebuke
Poor little soul! She rarely ever asserted
her authority before the elder girls. They
were all Rushtons every inch, and poor
little nanny had learned all about the
Rushton blood years before l was born.
They were Il stern, proud, arrogant set,
and in her meek eyes, were more like
queens and ogres than her husbands
relatives. How Gerald Rushton came to
marry poor country curate's daughter
remained mystery to his family to the
day of his death, and with a woman's in
stinct freshened by my mothers sad face
and fearful eyes, l think she had puzzled
over the enigma through many lonely
hours, only the question might have been
put to her consciousness q little differently
As, how was it that she had been brought
to hold in idolatry man of my fathers
temperament.
He was very unlike her imagined hero,
quite unlike the lover she had expected
would come up the pretty rose walk at
Aubrey Rectory to ask her to marry him.
My mother rarely spoke OF her later years
as u wife, but often with even enthusiasm
of their first meeting, and the childish
fondness with which she regarded him.
Il l., I ,In ttn,,n Of nTOIn oh
to her always by his relatives. and my
father, think, never entirely forgave her
for her share in his alienation from his
family. He died with that antagonism in
his heart, and my mother had suffered
silently, rearing her three girls as well as
she could on the slender patrmony left
her, with just enough of the old curate, s
dignity OF character TO restrain her appeal.
inc to the great people down in Kent.
Caroline, now in her twenty-third year,
had been waiting some years, rather I'M
patiently, for dnke or viscount to come
down into the country and marry her for
her peachy cheeks and sloe-black eyes.
But nowadays dukes prefer bad COM
plexon and 10000 IL year to captlvat-
ing young person whose sole dover is III
mere personal attraction.
Edith was already twenty-one, and felt
aogrieved mt her sister for not having
made IL match, leaving the field to her.
Not strong like Caro-, Edith was, how
ever, pretty girl, with fine, ladylike
hands, and II carriage princess might
have envicd.
believe | was seldom thought of by
any one until it was discovered that | was
much too grown to utilize the frocks OF
the other girls, and was now u tall, aWk'
ward girl of eighteen, with large elbows
and sandy complexion, like the Aubreys
1t was also discovered about this time
that | had made much of my musical
chance, and what with few lessons from
the village organist, and the drummings
through long winter evenings on the Ole
harpslcord in the sitting-room, l had sud
denly become proficient in small way
enough so, at least, TO admit OF my taking
a few of Miss Harmon S scholars in the
afternoons. The money | earned in this
way, seemed, no doubt, Il prodiglous sun
to poor nanny, whose common condition
was state of perfect impecunloslty
Mother had often declared that both Care
and Edith possessed the hands of musi
clans, so slender, supple and white, whll
mine were overgrown from the wringins
of dish cloths, and red from boilln:
water.
Providence had given me my bon
hands with music in them, and wonder
full voice, which Miss Harmon had declar
ed made me almost seem pretty. Sh
never knew, kind soul, how she made m
heart ache with II dull, horrible pal
when she dealt me this deprecator
praise.
IfI was ever loved, it was then to b
like the nightnga lr, who charms tn
nearer, while, ali unseen, she hides he
homely breast in the branches Of tn
thorn tree. -
"If only l might charm II blin
prince" Miss Harmon said, smoothln
back my bronzed locks with her soft, TIN
hands, . what fine thing that would be.
The Girls and nanny were in the litt
dun.colorcd morning-room, which ha
once been my fathers study, with close
blinds, ripping un an ancient CHAIR, VI
bolstcred in . grand Arab pattern Of sea-
let and GOLD, to construct IN over-dress IL
Carolines cherry silk, the sleeves an
bodice of which were quite beyond repai
The chair had been shrouded in gray no
land for the last dozen years, and the 81
really was unWorn.
Who ever thought Il letter would find
way from the outside world to our SOD
Iiltle house behind these pollard wlllo"
like 50 many transmigrated Rushtons' u
and angular, and keeping guala oV
nanny and her brood.
do open it, nanny said Edith, IL
patiently. Very likely 1t Is from son
forgotten creditor Of poor papa's.'
Poor little mammy's cap-rlbbons ttci
bled and tluttered while she read the te
words, written, it might be, by an articl
clerk in Lincoln Inn Fields, the lcue
were so aggressive.
"Well, girls, with Il faint attempt
checrfulncss-'' lie is q chance for o
of YOU at last. This letter is from 20
Aunt Ruth Rushton, your fathers eld
sister, who never married. and who nev
smoke to him after he married me
though do not remember it against Il
now. have always thought OF her
being u Superior woman-a very super
woman. heard your father say that
spoke four languages in her younger da.
and She was a rreat belle then"
This brought out contemptuo
..lIumphn from the girls. This "
the letter which proved the turnlng-po'
IN my NE: -,
"SlsTEK-IN- LAW | hear you are bic
ed with three daughters. am IL chi
less, bed.riddcn old woman with no c
to care for me. l. need some strong, act
Young person daily and hourly. send
Il niece. She shall be paid for her trouo
suppose YOU consider them all paragon
but beauty is not Indispensable Hone'
and good morals are. Let me kno"
once, Your obedient servant,
"liuTn RUsHToN, of tue Pines, hen
"What an insult, - said Edith. "Horri
Old woman After all these years
neglect she would now make mald
want of us | shall not go" 49,
Then Caroline delivered the address
the beginning of my story. ,,. r.
Poor NANNY picked the waGains II
the back of the stuffed chair like
l,ecking ut barley, all the time ol'
creeping over her pale face: c
10; of course you'll neither OF you M
after This letter; but it seems IKE ny
INTO tho face of providence to refuse.
Is nat like uoinU out to service you XIII