Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-03-11

There were curiously cut silk winders of
cardboard with silk of dim and long
forgotten tents wound in fancy patterns,
half-m hair chain, string of am
ber beads pervading all faint sweet
smell of roses.
&c L should like to have it put in my
coffin, my dear old box No one will
care for it, and j cannot have it thrown
away, or kept just to please the children.
/ had better look it over and burn all
these poor little treasures" The yellow
papers dropped one by one steadily into
the fire-old valentines ON huge square
sheets of paper wonderfully embossed
and sealed with tender notices in tinted
wax, school friends epistles crossed and
recrossed in colored inks. One she
kept to the last "Cornelia Clarke !
What dear sweet creature she was
Dead and gone this many year. We
were neighbo-s, and l used to go with
her to dancing parties to practise the
new steps. Why ! here are the very
garnet clasps l lent her the night she
came in early to put up my hair in the
new giraffe bows. We both wanted to
look well that night, remember. How
we loked one another about Mrs.
L0wder's fine London cousins who were
to be at her house for the party, and [
would put on my old purple satinette
gown, just to show how little l cared
for any one noticing me. G knew very
well how it became ma thought After
all, Mr.. Paulett, the rich London mer-
chant, didn't come, only the sailor
cousin, Hugh Lowder. He had been III
the Levant, and we were all wild about
the East and my Lord Byron's new
poem just then, and expected something
so romantic-a hero with a big black
beard, and stories of corsairs and veiled
eauties OF the Harem, and numbering
despots of Pashas.
1t was a disappointment to find only
a big, blue-eyed north-countryman, so
shy and awkward that the girls all
turned up their noses at him for a
partner, till | taught him the figures,
which he picked up in five minutes, and
then he wouldn't ask any one else to
dance with him.
'' He came to call on us next day and
brought mother little Turkish bag and
Sophia some amber beads. She lost
half of them, and | saved the rest. He
had a present for me too, but was so
shy about giving it to me. 1t WASH t
good enough. he said, vet it was worth
all the rest, that dear little crystal and
gold flask of altar of roses. How it has
scented everything %
She bent over the tiny box, tenderly
touching the shabby old odds and ends,
and the rose scent seemed to rise and fill
the room. And Josiah threw it in the
fire said he hated the smell, ard would
Ike TO have thrown my little box after
it. He was angry, all because ne found
me crying over poor fathers waist
bands. had been stitching them The
very day he was taken i'll with the fever
that killed him. 1t was uukipd Of Jo-
slah, and think he felt ashamed OF him
self afterward, for he brought my fine
new workbox home the very next day
II he had known all was crying abont !
Not poor father only. was thinking Of
Hugh Lowder. How handsome he
looked, and how kind. when he came in
to say good-by before he went to sea
again He took my hand, sewing and
all q could sec the marks, years aft, r,
where l had pricked my finger when I
beard him come in, and he said, oh so
tenderly, Bella, have You courage to
marry poor man, OF patience TO wait
till l come back rich one 2 And had
neither, God forgive me, as he has pun
ished me p She held the little box
tightly in her hands, her whole figure
shaking with emotion. "God forgive
ME, she cried again, and sank forward
on the liable sobbing anon. uer dia-
monds
There was timid knock at the door;
she could not hear it-then another
She rose from her chair, looked strange
and bewildered as the door softly opened
and Dora stole in. Her poor little face
was all flushed and swollen out of its
prettiness by hard crying, and her hair
III n Woe -begone tousle
'Auntie, I've come TO say-please for
give me if | was rude to you this even
ing and please don't leave us Cor
cornelius and | are not g-going to be
engaged any more 81
Here came a breakdown and burst
of stormy sobbing.
every one says-Tm S sacrificing
the whole family by my selfishness, so
I've given him up, oh oh oh for
ever =
Lady Paulett made no sign-only
looked with . half-terrified air at her
niece, her old lips working nervously.
I "But | won't marry any one else.
Never p broke ont Dora with sudden
energy. II II do any thing else can 10
piease you, arntie. can wait and wait
AMI perhaps, he says, if some day he
comes back rich enough to please
you"
''1ou little fool - broke in Aunt Ara
bella in her own sharp tone: then sud
denly changing to pteous, skak] little
voice Why are you al SO quick to
take up an old womai.'s hasty words :?
I'm sure I've never been unkind to any
of YOU yet Don't let him go, Dora I!
Can't you trust xour old auntie? Rich
enough TO plea.e me- Child Child :?
to think that some day might have to
answer for two more spoilt lives =
Dora looked in wonderment
"There there Go to bed, and if the
Others want to sacrifice you to their
own interests, never you mind them
Ill let them know tomorrow what |
think of such wicked seifi9hness =
She gently pushed her amazed little
niece out, aud shut the door
Parker are those letters gone ?"
"Yes. my lady
Then let some one take two tele-
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