Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-02-01
MY ADVENTURE.

THE STORY OF GRANTED WISH.
"To know the misery of granted
prayer" l believe the line is Pope's.-
I am sure it is some old author, for read
it during my stay at Dullerton, and, no
books of modern date ever find their
way to that dreary place. Dullerton,
justly named-for it was the quietest,
cleanest, dreariest country town in Eng
land. spent three years there with an
old aunt, and hope may never visit the
place again. 1t sounds ungrateful to
say this. for Aunt Anne was very good
to me, but it was sucn change from the
gay and happy. albeit somewhat BOhe-
milan, life I led in London with my
father. He was an artist, not a very
successful one. | believe, but we had
enough to satisfy our modest require
ments. and I certainly was happy
enough till that unlucky day that my
father accepted: an offer to travel for
three years with a nobleman, who
fapcied he had taste for'painting, and
wished 10 stay in Italy under my faith
er's direction. Of course it was very
advantageous thing in pecuniary point
of view, but did not think of that dur
ing The years Ispentunder Aunt Anne's
wing at Dullerton during my fathers
absence from England. There was Moth
ing 10 see, nothing to do, nothing to
thii'lZ about. | was too thorough a
cockaey to care for country pursuits,
and esides, we lived in country tosO9a
not r village. Aunt Anne's house, was
in t:r High street, one of those neat
wbi,c houses with green blinds and a
brass knocker that one always sees In
suc:l q street, with strip of garden as
big - a pocket handkerchief at the back
Here L lived-or veget0ted- three
long years. And all that time I was
signing for an adventure-somethin to
happen, something to break the mono
tony Of existence. The reader shall hear
how Igained my wish at last, and learn
ed IN indorse the truth of the words with
which began my story.
"ls.essed is the life that has no his
tory" Aunt Anne would say, with a
sigh and SMILE as 1 used to wish for
something, anything, to happen, to
make little variety in my life. you'll
find the truth of that one day, Ella"
Foor soul, she had had her "adven-
lures" in life, and had not found the ex-
perience agreeable. After twenty years
devotion to reprobate husband-twen-
ty years spent wandering about the
wosjj in quest of the "fortune" men of
his class never find-she was only too
thank full to settle down in her widow
hood at cheap, quiet Dullerton, and en-
Joy the little annuity that a relative had
bequeathed to her. After her troublous
life she was contented to sit in peace and
knit in her neat parlOr from years. end
to years end; but I, who was young and
restless, and, like the bears, "had all my
troubles before me-" was less tractable
If ii had not been for the organ at the
church think must have run away,
or died of sheer e'anui. We had a fine
old church at Dullerton, almost as large
as a small cathedral (excuse the Irish
ISM 1t was rich in brasses and fine
tomb5; used often to wish had known
the place before SO many of its inhabi-
tants tlad died, for it must have been
livelier before the church was so full. I
really believe there were more male ef-
figies in the tombstones than living
young men in the town-probably laving
people did not care to stay in so dull a
place The church, though very fine,
was sadly out of repair, but its restOra
ton was a thing not to be thought of in
a poor town like ours. The church
wardens did little vamping-up here
and there, but as long as the roof held |
together further repairs were not dream |
ed about. Consequently even some of |
the tornbs wanted looking to, and our
vicar occasionally made feeble efforts to
have them attended to; but as he was
no richer than the rest of US, the effort |
generally ended in talk.
One thing the church possessed-a
very good organ. 1t had been bequeath
ed to the parish by a Dullerton man,
who had been educated at local char
ity scnool. He left the place and made
his fortune sin foreign parts" remem
oering his native town with this hand.
some legacy. I was passionately fond
If music, and when our good, easy vicar
gave me carte blanche to use this organ
found life at Dullerton more endura
de- AS an artists daughter could not
oe insensible to the beauty of the church
tself, and between practicing on the or
,an, sketching the interior the church