Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-02-03
n y = :
MAGGIE.
A PLEASANT LOVE STORY.

lanes of PerlOCk, listening to the cease
less murmur Of the sea. as, at intervall
they had walked and listened ever sine
they could, remember, at any rate, fo
she was six years younger than he
4 former play fellow ls Asii.2 iias
"You are going to be promoted; - sh
said. 2l-9 irl9 f.if.5'sio2 9ai II
a"Promoted, you little goose No on
lever gets promoted in the British army
Guess again." ts ee!3Es ,zlcil
s.You are going to marry an heiress.
There was a lump in her throat as sh
said it. '3 81 1e. Dtlo7 . itazsl-' 1i
"Wrong again. Noinestimable youn
person, with green eyes. a tErn- up nose
susceptible heart. and fifty thousand
year has turned up yet. But it's some
thing nearly as good. I'm ordered t
lChina." z,,1sry-fT
"Oh.. Alic!v she gasped, and burs
into tears. 1t was very foolish Of her
but then she was only 16, and had no
yet acquired the praiseworthy art o
cencealing her feelings. 3 III
| why. whatever areyou crying for p
he asked, and kissed away her tears
He'd kissed her ever since she was s.
and thought no more Of it than If shl
had been his sister, or the cat except.
ing, perhaps, that 1t was nicer--whict
it was. no doubt II shall only be awal
five years at most, and when I conn
back I'll bring you a pig-tail and al
ivory tooth-pick, and whole lot o
things. and-n H
"Yes ?" she said, listening attentive
ly: es u. "a
''But then you'll be young woman
Il TO got-and out and all that sort o
thing, and won't condescend to speat
to poor Lieutenant you will have al
the squires and fox-hunters about this
place at your feet" u
"Oh. no! indeed I shan't, iAlic," she
said. eagerly. "a sg M /
"But tell you. you will. 1 believe
you are q born little firt, and I shal
come back and find" eifar.., !
But she burst into tears again, and
put up her pretty little hand as If tc
stop his teasing, which she could moi
bear just then. It seemed so cruel o,
fhtn to laugh and Joke. when he was
going away for five years, He did not
seem to care a bit, and she could have
broken her heart on the spot, apd would
have gladly done SO and thrown tht
pieces away, so as never to be bothered
with it again. Then, seeing her mourn.
| full blue eyes. he was merciful.
Il believe shall come back and End
you just as great little darling as you
are now, and. if we've got any money
we'll get married and live happy evel
after. and If we haven't we'll get marri
ed and starve ever after-unless, o.
course, the heiress turns up"
"Oh, I hope she won't!" said Maggie
like truthful little idiot. '.ShalT You
ever write to me. Alic, dear"
"Yes, of course shall. and T shall
expect you to write back six pages
crossed. and all that sort Of thing, yor
know"
So Alic Granger went to China, and
Maggie waited hopefully enough for 8
letter, but six months passed away and
none came. Perhaps It takes longer
for a letter to get here from China" she
thought, knowing as little about. the
means of transit and the time 1t took as
If the celestial city had been in the
moon. But year passed and no lette'
"Peyhaps he's iii, or it's miscarried, y
she said, tearfully, half wondering lit
cauld be. possible that a Chinese heiress
had turned up, and that was the real
reason Of Alic's silence. 1.-Two years
passed. and never q word. It's too bad, ,
she said, bitterly. and wondered rueful.
~ if he had married with pig tail.
And the days and the months went by
and Maggie journed in womanhood, but
no word or sign came from Alic Gran
ger. and at length she gave him up al
together.
Maggie was 20 years old when her fa
ther died, and the creditors did pouncs
down, and she and her mother wefs
sold out. Drs. Dunlop was offered {
a home In London by a sister who wes
well off aud bad-tempered, and it wal
thankfully accepted. Maggie was in
formed that she mdst get her own -liv
ing, which, being precisely Maggie''
own opinion as we'll as intention, sh,
advertised for situation as "governess
Now, Maggie had very modest IDEA b
her own merits, and therefore only
asked f25 year and q comfortable
home, so no less than five answers cam
to her announcement that she coult
teach English, French, music and tn
rudiments of drawing
One of these answers came from
Woolwich. and stated that. Mrs. Mar
shall required q governess for her ti1re,
little girls. Mrs. Marshall was q stiff
necked sort of woman, and stared a
poor little Maggie-who looked almos
as child-1ike and twice as pretty wa
eyer-through double gold glasses: Col
Marshall, her husband, was a nice oil
man with gray head and an ironxra,
mustache, and there was a growing vi
daughter, Miss Patterson Mrs. Mar
shafl's daughter by her first husband
who was reeilv the mistress of the es
tablishment, for Maria Patterson had
strong will. and was an heiress '.A
very nasty heiress, too" poor Maggi
thought. and she was right, for Mari,
was skinny, and thought herself sarcas
tic, and always said nasty things to peo
pie who did not dare to say them haci
again.
One evening. when Maggie had bee,
about year at Woolwich,- and she wa,
sitting alone in her school room as usu
al. for her pupils had just said good
night. and been delivered up to the ten
der mercies of their nurse, Miss Patter
son walked in very much dressed, ahl
rather flushed and excited
Miss Dunlop" she said, tive shal
have few friends this evening, and
know one or two of them like an i'm
promptu dance; will you be ready t.
come into the drawing room and pla,
If we should want you ?"
II fear cannot play dance musi
very well never keep time," sait
Maggie. 8
''Yes, feared SO, and thought
would come and tell you, SO that yo
might practice for an hour or two til
after dinner" and she sailed out of tn
room. evidently considering the matte
settled, and Maggie meekly proceeds
10 practice the mabel Waltz" and tn,
Flick ard Flock Ga!op" Then sh
put on her shabby black evening grow
and stuck spray of white flowers int
her golden hair, and waited patientl,
for summons, hoping she would wal
In vain. 1t very soon come, and with
roll of music under her arm, q flush Of
her Innocent, frightened face. and
scared, almost hunted expression In he
eyes. she descended and timldly opene
the drawing room door, and there stoo
still for q moment, staring in astonish
merit at the scene before her. Ther
sa' the h.iress, with-an eager, please
expression on her face, and leaning owe
her, talking and laughing, and NOR
handsome than ever, and sunbnrnt an
soldieriy-looking. was Aiic Granger
There was no mistakipg him Th
color rushed to Maggie's face as if to sa
buried good by, and then left it alto
Qether. She recovered self. poasessior