The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-06-08
A WOMAN'S MISTAKE,

Miss MAJ tha Bailey-knownthro
out Rosevi le simply as miss Martha
sat by one of the windows of her coy
sitting room, putting the last stitche,
into flannel skirt for old Mrs. Bo ilev
WHO suffered terribly with the rhe una
tism, which was not improved by the
weekly srrubhiugs she gave the office,
in the btick block on Main street.
Miss Martha had just sewed a ste
horn button on the waist belt, and wa,
about to fold the skirt up, smiling a.
the thought of the old woman's de,ighi
when she should receive the gift, whar
the ball door op ned without the cere
monv Of a nreceding mock, and neigh
Dor, Mrs Marsh, came in.
You 7ught not t. sew by TWILIGHT
Mss Martha" she said, as she enter, d
the room; you'll ruin your eyes. Bl,
that's not what 1 came here TO Say
MRS NorcroSs died an honr ago"
The smile faded from NJ So Marthas
face. and her eyes grew humid.
Poor woman - she said, in her low
sw ct voice. $50 he has gone at las
Sue really suff'rt a great deal"
Yes, and she was gal to 60. Bu
she ID every attention in spite Of he,
being str nger here. DR. Edgecour,
visited nel ev, Iy dav, and never charge,
q cent, know; AID sll ih- neigLb rs
sent thinF to eat. Car GERS are terribl
th,n9s, She was mighty patient We.
mari P"or s0uil But now" wi h
sndde} change Of toe, "what's to b
done with Eva p
I" Has she - r~lstives at alp"
"So ore S is too refined and
pretty to do homework, even if she va
st ong enou h, which she isn't. Sh
can't 60 TO the poo,house. OF course
and she hasn't dollar there's TO be
subscription to pay the burial ex
penses"
Mis- Martha stood smoothing tn,
fan e. S irt wi h her white, thin hand.
her f'c3 wearing an expres ion OF de, .
thought mieRled with snyiey. Onc
she opened her lips as if to speak, the n
be~itated and closed thcm again. Ouch
she 10 make this sacrifice which seemed
urged u on be It wonld be selfish
not to d. so. She raised her head, and
said IN finn, sweet voice:
"The girl mist come to me, since
there j. no one else to take her have.
plenty for one-I n make it enough
for two by exercising economy"
That's jost Ii e you. Miss Msrtha
knew you'd m Ike the offer. The cir
has gbt first rate education, and she
can study up enou, h to take schco
by next fall. OF course, you won't want
her round after you are married"
A deep flush came into NJ SIS Martha's
naturally pale face, she drnpped her
eyes, and turned away from Mrs Marsh,
with some mu,mnre1 excuse about
making the flannel skirt she held into
bur die to be sent away.
The nAighbors agreed that Eva Nor
cross could not have found q better
home than she had at Miss Mar has.
Tue little cn'tage stood in large ga--
dea, we'll Tiled with fruit trees and
shrubs. Ia the summer it was gay
with flowers of very many varietit s
AMI sweet smell ng honeysuckle wan
derrd over and nearly concealed the
fence and front piazza.
Miss Martha had lived in the cottage
it'll cid Hannah for twelve years. For
h rec of TIL Sc Nears she had been en-.
gig d to DR.. Tom Edgecourt, whose
practice was as yet too small to enable |
him to marry. He was q year younger
than Miss Martha, and this fact often
stung her very keenly. She some
times stood before her looking glass
aud attentively studied her face, wish. |
ing she was twenty intread OF thirty,
and had the bloom of ten years before,
Her hair Was still glossy aud abundant. |
her eyes still bright; but the plump.
ness and bloom Of early girlhood had |
fed forever.
Occasionally she wondered if Tom
would always love her, and tortured |
herself with imagining il sacrifice for |
him to marry her. Would not young |
girl suit him better? She started like |
a guilty thing when Hannah's tap at !
the door or call from the hall below in.
terrupted these meditations. She was |
provoked with herself that she thought |
so much of departei prettiness and the
difference between her age and Toms. |
Yet she could not drive away her
doubts, nor would she try to
set them at rest by speaking to Tom.
She was shy and sensitive and so was he.
and they were both very proud.
Eva Norcross fonnd her new home q
very quiet but not unhappy one. She |
was gentle and timid, aud did not care
for the society of gils of her own age
She liked nothing better than to lie in
an easy-chair all day with a book or
some embroidery in her white pretty
hands, which Miss Martha was never
weary of admiring. The dead mother
had indulP ed her child, and never taught |
her to make herself useful, There was
no need for her to be active in the cot