Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-12-02

~ AlQa zol = A1 81
what makes you keep us
my dear?'' asked Mrs. Clement
after everything and eyerybod1
had gone wrong. "Why didn'
you ever marry? You had
lover, / dare sayY'
|. j. Yes; a long time ago." gg
"Tell me about hint"
"There isn't much to tell. .sa III,
asked me to marry him. III,
was going TO Australia. / coult
not leave mother and father, yol
know, they we're both feeble) and
he couldn't stay here. That was
aH."
@And yeu-yoa-"
"Now all men besides are tc
me like shadows"
"And have you never heard
of him since?"
si"Yes, he wrote; but where
was the use? 1t could never
come to anything. 1t was bet,
ter for him to forget me and
marry. / was a milestone about
his neck / didn't answer his
last LETTER.
'But supposing he should re-
turn some day, would you mar
ry him?y ssrsnorD af sgbsfs q
81 dare say" laughed Della.
gently, as if the idea was famil-
lar; .let the neighbors laugh
ever SO wisely. PVe thought of
it sometimes, sitting alone when
the world was barren and COM
mon place. One must have rec
reation OF some kind, you know,
Every body requires little ro-
nance, a little poetry to flavor
everyday thinking and doing.
I'm afraid you'll think me a silly
old maid, Mrs. Clement"
"No. The heart never grows
o.d. The skin shivels, the col
or departs, the eye fades, the
features grow pinched; but the
soul is heir of eternal youths
as beautiful at four score as at
Sweet twenty Time makes
amends for spirit. You didn't
tell ME your lovers name. Per-
haps you'd rather not"
"His name was Stephen Lang
don. Sometimes Captain Scy-
mour runs against him in Mel
bourne and brings me word how
he looks and what he is doing,
thongh l never, never ask, and
never asks for me, that
[ can hear oil"
.Delia's summer boaracrs were
not a success, to be sure. If
they took no money out of her
pocket they put none in. She
was obliged TO exc out her sup
port with copying for Lawyer
Dunmore and embroidering for
Mrs. Judge Dorr. One by one
ler boarders dropped away like
the autumn leaves, all but old
Mrs. Clement.
81 believe I'll stay on" she
said. "I'm getting too old TO
move often. Perhaps you take
winter boarders at reduced rates.
Eh?YAq .2HEIJIg Tx w. g.
"Do you think my terms
nigh2" o Jkl) ,85I 81
"By no means. But when
one's purse is low" saI-
eyes, | know. Do stay at
your own price. / can't spare
you" :
,oShe had grown such . fontl-
ness for the old lady, that to re- :
use her own terms would have
seemed Ike turning her own
mother out of doors; besides one
more would not signify.
But she found it hard to make
both ends meet, and often went
iungry to bed that her mother.
md Mrs. Clement might enjoy
enough, without there appear,
ng to be sjust a pattefna,L AT
Christmas, however, came a ray
If sunshine for Della, in the
shape of an 500 bill from an
unknown friend. ~ w
cit can't be meant for me,
Ihe cried.
sits directed to Della Rog-
said her mother, aand
here's nobody, else by that
lame, now that your aunt is
lcad." e
ave are not sure that she is
lead, z objected Della. M
"Horrors! Don't you know
whether yonr own aunt is dead
n alive?" asked Mrs. Clement,
n a shocked tone.
at isn't our fault. She is
'ich and lives abroad. / was
famed for her. / used to look
n the glass and try to believe
"a inherit her beanty with the
lame, though she was only our
.reat-uncle's wife,"
"She ought to be doing some-
hing for YOU"
"How can she, if she is dead?
don't blame her any way. Her
money is he- own, according to
Ter pleasure. Uncle John made
t himself, and gave it to her.
"But if she should come back
o you, having run through with