Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1881-03-04
THEIR SECOND YOUTH.

@'HS tOOIH
The Lady Annabel set in a small roor
IN her fathers castle, looking ont of
window which overlooked n wide land
scape Her maidens were in littl
| group at the other end of the apartment
busily engaged at their embroidery
laughing and chatting and Whispering
Just as they might were they alive nor
for this was many vears a1o. and tbo To,
are all dead and buried. The Lady An
mabel took no notice of them; she wa
thinking At last she looked up an,
ed-"Oh, / am so sleepy and thirsty
Mable bring me some water"
Mable obeyed-and as she received tb,
cup again, she said your ladvship viii
not be sleepy tomorrow .sTo-mdrrow
What is tomorrow" Does not yor1
iadyship recollect that tomorrow is voul
ladyships birthday? and"
My birthday? Oh, yes! so it is.
had forgotten all about it. We are n
have merry time of it, | believe: but
am sure | feel in no humor for me,1.i.
ment now. Indeed, / should like to~be
alone. Lay down your work, Girls. for
little while, and take stroll in the
garden"
When she found herself alone, the
Lady Annabel walked up and down the
small apartment, then stopping before
the looking glass, she said AIR birth
day! Am | indeed twenty-nine to-mor-
row? Twenty-nine! that sounds old. It
IS ten years since my father came into
the possession of this estate, and every
one of those Years have passed one inst
like another | feel no older than | was
then. | look no older" And she look
ed again in the mirror. Il am no Older
IN any one respect. How | wish thew
would let my birthday pass bv in silence
and not distress me by publishing to ali
the assembled crowd that the Lady An
mabel IL now twenty-ninel"
Her Teverie was here distnrl,od nv tho
ny, " iioss as.41.l--7-s ) a'sss,--s.ssi'. :
cast, daughter? For shame. 90 down
and assist in the preparations for to-mor-
rows feast instead of moping here. But
must not forget to tell you, saw my
neighbor l. this morning. We
passed through his grounds, and he joined
our hunting party
At this the Lady Annabels color
heightened visibly
He SAYS he expects his son back in a
few months; and he and | were settling,
that as our estates touch, and as he has
but one son, and have but the daugh-
ter --; but | hear my men; they
have brought home the stags-one of
them has such hornsl You must come
down after awhile and see them" So
SAYING. he left her
"And Jasper is coming home" con
tinued the Lady Annabel to herself.
''How well do | rememcer the first time
| saw hint was on my birthday l
was twelve years old, and although he
was just my age, I was a tall girl and he
a little boy, | refused to dance with him
because he was whole head shorter than
l; but if my father and his have such
plans for U.s."
At this moment her companions re-
turned, and quieting their laughing
countenances, sat down again to their
embroidery.
The next day was one of unusual fes-
tivity. BY midday the hall was crowd
ed with ladies and gentlemen of high
degree, from far and nesr, The music
n. 5fIsr 7f'tih 81 the day. T,d feasting were
,ll ile oae,ql ,,txoqv ~ To to her Lady Anna
esuiled by the Joy she saw on every lace
around her. and entered with great ViVss-
CITY into every sport that was proposed
No laugh so loud as hers-no movements
SO full of glee. Late at night, when the
pnests had departed, she threw herself,
flushed and excited, into a large chair In
her own room, and began to loosen the
rose from her hair.
So it is oil over, and have been hap
pv, very happy, indeed | have-only the
4 recollection that it was my blrthda,
would int11lde itself upon me, to damn
nv enjoyment, every now and then.
heard several people ask if it We're tru
that it was my twenty ninth birthday
they did not know it was the twenty
ninth. And that odious Miss What's
her-name actually said l looked yer
we'll for that, very well, indeed. shoul
be glad, | know, to see her look hall
we'll though she was, as she says, ban
when | was almost grown up. Iwent
nine! twenty mine! Oh! | wish | VI
not so old" and covering her face VII
her hands, she burst into tears.
Let us pass over few months. III
neighbor's long expected son has con
home. and Lady Annabel is in state
anxiety. for her heart is true to her III
love, despite her twenty whine years Il
father and his neighbor are great dc
together. looking over papers and
specting boundary lines; but, contra
to all expectation, the neighbor,s
turns out perverse, as neighbors' So
are not to do, and begins Irritation W
a little eirlsof sixteen, as poor as \ I
His father frowned-Annabels ia'i
frowned, and Annabel-she remember
her twenty-nine years
This state of things continued for so
months, in spite of various remonstran
on the part of one father, and pol
speeches on the part of the other.
vain title deeds were shown HMM V
the contiguous estates were talked o
and walked over. Jasper remained
movable. At last, upon being forms
~ and vigorously appealed to by his. fat
as to his intentions concerning Lady
mabel, he obstinately refused to ell
into any engagement with her what
ever, alleging as a reason that she
too old to be his wife, and adding,