Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-09
A STORY OF A COSY.

q
this is how it was MY sister Eliza is a woman
OF an ingenious turn OF mind, and clever; and
when We were spending few weeks once In
the country, she said 10 me at tea one evening:
Anthony, We must have COSY"
Nonsense" said; what a silly expense,r
'What expense?" said she.
ITO buy stuff for cosy"
81 don't want any stuff, - she said: and after
tea she brought out her large scissors and a
newspaper, and soon sewed together capital
cosy that answered It's purpose perfectly ali the
we were away. Every evening ss We sat
q, tea couldn't help being attracted by the
oNerent Advertisements on this cosy; for 1t
was the outside sheet OF The Times that ELIZA
had happened o." as our American cousins
say.
Wei, l used to read out these different no
tees, and at first Eliza stood them pretty we'll;
and we used TO talk over what we would do II
some one made us present OF one of the 'eltgl-
BILE properties advertised for SALE though
these. OF course were on the back OF the cosy;
but II | had the other side toward me. there
was bit OF the agony co:umn,' as they call It,
with Its odd appeals to different letters OF the
alphabet to come back and be forgiven By their
DC pairing relatives; and then there were some
OF those strange entertainments always going
on In London: and these and the agony ones /
used 10 read out again and again monotonously,
till Eliza really got Initiated. which Is not a
common thing with her under ordinary cir
cumStaDceS. Then there were advertisements
OF people changing their names zone John
Betel. who had changed his name to Hare re-
member, especially used to amuse usl; and then
IL.
lost properly, and all sorts OF other Thugs
"Well, as think | said, my sister Is an In
genlous woman. and always told her 50; and
4 used TO add that GDe of her cleyere5t d1dyes
was the capturing OF young John Whiting, 10
Whom she was engaged-hookIng him. as /
used 10 say; and Once when we were In Devon
should like some hook and line whiting. We
both laughed So that was obiigei to explain
10 the aStonlShed servant-eiTI that my sister
and had funny joke connected with the
CxU nj N
because he is young TO me- being only twenty
eight. while Tm-WeiI I'm good deal more
than that, as any one may guess.
To begin with, before telling you about the
cosy, / must tell you something about our
serves. My father had very goc I country
practice as lawyer down in Hertford5hire,
follow my profession there. We were only
three children. I'm the eldest OF them by
good bit. and then comes William, VINO went
out at sixteen to Canada. AM Eliza is Of
course the youngest. Speaking Of William, re.
minds me OF an odd thing that John Whiting
has often told u.s. John was one OF the first
acquaintance William made out in Canada,
John having been born and bred there, by the
bye: and though Eliza was only eleven when
William left, l believe he thought more Of
leaving her than OF my father or mother or me.
Wen, he used TO talk about US all to young
John; for John was coming to settle here just
as William had out there and he would often
say to John: "If only my sister turns out Just
such woman as she is Child why. she'll be
one OF the sweetest women on earth" John
says he couldn't help getting rather Interested
Ia nearing about her, my brother used to talk
so much Of her.
Well, years went by. and the time came for
John y leave. OF course he brought letter
from William. and he Acknowledges that he
was half IN love with Eliza before he saw her;
however, he says he didn't need to think twice
when he did see her; he was quite knocked
down at once. Before he left the first time he
asked II he might call again. and then he came
often; and really he was such nice fellow,
and thought very likely he wanted friends
here, so l didn't discourage him: and Swell,
he asked me In a very straightforward way
and said no; and he asked then If, as time
went on, he got on In his business, he might
propose TO her; and so soon they were engaged,
and very happy couple they were, though
could tell, as they hadn't hundred year be-
tween them.
That brings me back to my father. When
he died, having only outlived my mother six
months, Eliza came up to live with me; and
then 1t was that found that my rather had
put the bulk Of his money In one OF those
sW1nd1Dg companies that was then down at
zero, and soon wound up altogether; and so
Eliza and | had to depend on my earnings,
which were, and are, small enough, He ven
knows. But We managed to rub along, and
Eliza never complained; She lisa hard Working
girl, and good sister. and clever, as think /
told you.
Those were happy days OF which began tell
Ing you. when We had the cosy. Not more nap
lived very contentedly together. But It was
net long after this that things began 10 look
rarnse 1ssk Senn Peng 10 Eliza
the principal partner in the house which en-
pioyed hiEl died. and then somehow things be-
gan TO change This old partner Was the one
VINO mad oeen IN Canada, and had knO xn johns
family, and SO was always interested in him
and kid TO him But the younger men didn't
Know SC nuch about him, and thought only Of
the fact that the elder mans interest had en-
cOuTsged John In the idea Of some day becOnl.
Ing more Than mere clerk. And so, after fan
ing out with Linn about one or tS trivial mat
tiers. they began TO find thatit would be greatly
TO the advantage OF the firm Ii one OF their
superb dous clerks. as they said, were to go out
to their house In Canad9.
The first time John heard OF this he knew
What II meant, and he was dreadfully put out
ABOUT 1t; but being conscientious, straight
Forward fellow he wasn't going to deceive us
ana so he came at once and told us about it.
ADDING, unwillingly enough, that If he had
thought the post was likely TO prove perma
nently good one, he should have liked above
all things to have taken Eliza with him as
against him. he thought 1T quite possible that
they might get rid OF him altogether; and that
rather than run the risk OF taking FL "a out to
poverty, he would go alone, II he could hear OF
nothing else here, and hope for Eliza to come
out to him + and when ne was settled.
must say thought this very good and
Inorghtful OF him, and very different from
what many selfish young man would have
done. Suli OF course we were very down
hearted about IL, for, Independently OF every
tnlng else, johns visits were great pleasure
and Solace to US; and II he went away every
thing seemed so very uncertain.
Elza bore II very wen. At first when John
toio U.s. she said, indeed, poverty or not, she'd
go anywhere with him; but then glancing
round she caught sight or nle looking at her
ana then suppose she thought what it would
be for me TO lose her, and then, Just that once
she broke down altogether; but 1t was soon
over, and she said nothing more either Way
Wei, the next time John came, the first thing
we did was to ask him II he had heard aUytbipS
about Canada. he told us then that he had
heard nothing; but be soon did, and as &c
seemed quite hopeless to think OF his finding
any better opening here, we all thought he
ought TO co. and so 1t was settled. There WAS
sl decided till he had to leave England; and
really It all seemed so miserable, and we hardly
ever managed 10 talk or anything else, that /
almost wished IL were not so long.
Very soon after thiS-I mean after 1t was all
arraDged-it was q Sunday evening, and John
MAD come In as usual 70 sit with us, and after
We had finished tea and drawn near the fire
John suddenly said:
II nave had something on my mind OF late
mat think before leaving ought to tell you
indeed ne added (speaking to both of us), Il
rious, hope"
II hope not" said he, and stopped again.
u hope it's no fresh misfortune, John,n
said.
mo-" said he, sits no fresh misfortune
It's respecting my family. YOU never asked
me anything about them, except about NV
father, and / never told you; but Pm sure
ought
az