Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-04-04

DeEcu tuot over SIuCc ItICk came III u
make a morning call, knowing Mrs.
Lounsberry was absent-poOr fellow
he'd have staid away il he could have
foreseen his reception Baby had been
| sitting alone 10 the dining room in the
middle of the big dining table, sur
rounded by all the pickle and marina a.
iade jars and fruit oans and catsup bot.
ties and jam pots out of the store room
For it was the monthly hOuse-cleaninR
day. and the store room fell to Lefty &
share, the foreign help being gifted with
too great talent for smashing and
breaking, to say nothing of an equally
great talent for abstraci ing and devOur
ing both sweets and sours Lefty sprang
from the lounge, thrust her feet into heI
slippers, and hastened where duty had
been calling her for some time. Baby
tomato sauce, snugly wrapped in q, thsh
| ,Owel, in the very spCt where she had
been when Rick's ring summoned her
sister to the door. Only one small flask
lay broken on the floor, fiIlins the air
with the subtle fragrance of garlic -
''That won't be missed" said Lefty.
"Thank fortune, there is no worse mis-.
chief done" But the 'thauk" was
scarcely uttered when her eyes fell upon
| the last jar of the fam,ns peach marina
lade, the secret of the tuaking of which
died with grandmanima, and which was
being carefully kept for Aunt Emory g
| (Aunt Emory was an old maid worth
| thirty thousand doillrs) birthday -
| There II stood directly in front Of Baby,
| with more tn II half Is, its thick paper
hat torn off, and a va" ming cavity made
in it's precious conteuts by little SCOOP
ing fingers.
"Ob, Baby, why tcouIdn't you have
taken any jar but that?" asked Lefty,
reproachtully and dramatically
But Baby evidently had no excuse to
Offer for not doing 40 for she kept OF,
grooming to her bottle doll, while her
sister hastily fashioned another paper
hat and tied it securely over what re
mained of the original covering.
Then said Baby
| "Rick tiss I-nice Rick !"
| Oh, that is what he was doing when
sh.. fooIishly imagined he was wal ing
for her to come aud implore his forgive-
ness bidding good-by to Baby She
might have knows it, for he had al ways
loved Baby dearly
"Yes. Baby nice Rick, good Rick,
dear Rick /; but. for all that. the ring he
gave he gees back to him to- O-morruw
unless hear from him to night. How
dare he wish titat We had never met ?"
| But she did not Eear from him that
night. and the next day the little band
nf gold was released from its hidiug-
place in her thick brown hair, and too
faithful messenger placed it in Rick's
hands as he left his place Of business -
But, ah! what a silent, sOrrOwful maid
Ell wandered about the Lounsberry
dwelling thereafter what lstless,
weary voice repeated the nursery
rhyme that Baby demanded fifty times
day!
mo nice Rick no more" said Baby,
missing the merry tones and the happy
laugh.
But Mrs Lounsberry was not at all
dispieased with the turn affairs had
taken, Brougham Brown suited her
much better rs prospective son in-law
than Richard Creighton. One was, a
wealthy young brewer, the other poor
| clerk in a counting. house
Lefty will soon get over It," she said
| to Letty's father, whose heart ached at
the sight of his danghter's sad face. "a
| first love disappointment is always hard
to bear for while. thought should
|
my cousin but didn't; lived to mar
ry you, aud have a sealssin cloak, and
Mrs Ford hasn't even jacket
And so Brougham Brown, who was
really a manly, generous, good -hesr. ed
fellow In spite of his beer and wealth,
encouraged by the maternal head of the
house, began devoting himself in the
most ardent fashion to Lefty; and she.
seeing her mothers pleasure thereat, and
hearing no word from Rick, received
his attentions in passive, unresponsive
way.
| Three months went by, and it was
Aunt Emory's birthday, and that &C.
centric old lady had decided to divide
it among the family, lunching with one
portion, dining with another, and sup
ping with a third. The lunch party
was given at her sister Letitia's Mrs
LouDsberry,) and some half dozen old
| friends and some dozen relatives were
bidden to the feast. Lefty, in sea-
green gown Rick favurite gown. with
spray of pink hyacinths (Rick's ia
vorite spring flower in her hair. went
quietly about welcoming the guests.
Br0ugbam Brown following her like
her shadow, until luuch was announced
Then taking her place at the table. the
young man still near her, she raised the
cover from aud dipped spoon into the
last Jar of grandmamma's famous peach
narinaiade (she had had il placed br-
fore her. trusting TO be able to hide the
mischief Baby had done,l when some
body said, addressing her mother =
"Have you heard that Richard
Creighton is going abroad for his health?
He has given up his situation, and sails
in a day or two They say be has failed
fas, lately"
! And the very next moment Aunt
Emory fixed her specialized eyes upon
her neice's poor pale face, and asked
sharply: whats the matter, child
Do you see anything dreadful in the
sweets
Mo, ma'ma." answered Lefty, with
a pi,iful attempt 1T a smile, when the
spoon struck something harder than
preserved peaches should he.
Let me help you" said Brougham.
and with one turn of his wrist he placed
upon the dainty china shell before her
"a wad of paper.
"And so that is the last of of the cele-
hrated marmaIade, is it?" said Aunt
Emory. II don't want any. I prefer
my sweets unmi4ed with unknown f",
eign substances. Take it away, N"rah. "
But Lefty WAS already slowly unroli
ing the paper (it proved to be the miss
ing part OF the jars original hats
rather difficult thing to accomplish. as
it stuck p-rsisfently to her small fingers,
but accomplished at last. when out roll
ed the little gold pig And on the In
side of the paper was scrawled. In RICK 6
| bold hand, these words:
| My DARLING-Row foolish we are
i mean, am! Here is the charm -
Miss Varlsn had it about ten minutes
last night-oniy hong enough to show it
to you and tell ypu q story about it,
Baby will give it to you. Had no pa
per, SO tore piece off one of your jam
pots. Will see you to. morrow evening
"RICK."
Never did any young lady so sudden
Iy break through all the conventional
ties of society, never did daughter 80
quickly forget the wishes of her moth
er, never did niece so nfiDchingiy
Iraye the d'spleasure of thirty thou
sand dollar aunt, as did Lefty Louns'
berry the instant after she had read this
note.
"Rrougham,n she cried, looking a.
him with beautiful, beseecbiDg eyes. u
must SET Rick. / nlust-I must. Yot
Sryyt - III, l. r1no