Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1882-07-12
A DUUBLE MISTAKE.

"A letter for you, Aunt THANKFUL
A bright yeung face, like gleam oi
April sunshine, flashed into the room
where Miss Thankful Moore sat knitting
"a pretty, girllsh face, with saucy
dimple in either cheek, and merry
sparkle in her laughing eyes. A
mammoth blue-check apron, much TOO
large for her, quite enveloped her slender
form, and both sleeves we're fastened
up above the elbows, displaying two
plump, snowy white arms, the sight oi
which would have sent thrills OF envy
to the heart OF any ballroom belle.
Lay it on the table, child aud 90
back to your mornings work.
who do you suppose it's from =
questioned the girl, turning The letter
over, and viewing the superscriptlon
curlously.
IN see sOon's ever Pve knit to the
seam-needle. make tit pint never
to lay things aside all in q muddle' no
matter what happens
The girl colored consciously.
oh, that everlasting seam'needle
1 believe sometimes you knit past II
Just to keep me waiting
Harriet !
miss Thankful never used this name
in addressing her niece except when ex-
tremely displeased. Slowly and care'
fslly she folded lher work, sticking the
.eedles firmly and securely into the
ball then wiping her spectacles an un'
necessary length of time on the spotles'
apron, she adjusted them in thell
| proper Ipositiou across her nose' ana
took up the letter.
Meanwhile, Harriet had flown oaci
To the kitchen, where she gave vsn'
! to her impatience by making a grea
clatterlug among the breakfast dishes
She's the dearest old auntie in th'
vorld!' she said, but she does try M
40 with her awful precision. Shed
| like to have me spend the re't OF m!
life in the unvarying routine OF the Oh
family clock on tho mantle yonder
Rut I can't Pm too full Of lie an'
activity. want something new' an'
dearly as 1 love her, I'd like chang
once 10 awhile. Aunt Thankful and th
old clock are exactly alike. The tick
tick. tick of the clock, and the click
click. click Of her knitting needless ar
about the only sounds 1 hear, excep
| the occasional racket / make just b
vay of variation. The clock Is a per
feet model Of accuracy ard promptne's
40 is she. They never make mistak
or 90 wrong.
:. In the next room, Miss Thankfr
Moore had taken the letter from the en-
yelope, and had read it through twic
before commenting upon it. The
dropping it into her lap heHface assume
a thoughtful expression, her eyes too
on a dreamy look; and no WONDER ic
+, abe was gazing far back into the past
full forty years.
7, Strange, strange" she murmure'
meaitatively, that Mehstable sboul
have writ to me after all these year.
She's moved TO Brambleyille, latel
and wants to renew our lacquaintanc
abe saws. Only twenty-five miles froI
here. and the cars run right past b
house, an mine, too. Seems mo
~ like bein' neighbors. She's wido'
or poor thing! an her children are .
dead an gone but Nell. Well, vel
haven't been called upon to pa
through them Affections, an reck'
on the hull, as how Pm contented
most o. women o. my age. Pm rig
Glad that she hasn't any boys. II
s Nell must be quito q girl. Mehetabls
every bit as old rs I Am. an Nellie b
Youngest she said. I wouldn't wond
If she's about Harrie's age. Dear M
=. how that girl does fret. She's 20 lon
|some. don't knows I blame h'
either. / was young an clipper on
rs myself. Mehetable writ an invite I
to come and spend q week or two W
- her. l couldn'. think Of leaving ho'
for so long a time. Things would 90
\ rack am ruin If 1 did. But 1t would
q. a real treat for Harre, an' l could T
be. down an, stay q couple o. days VII
'ss 'sc she's ready to come home. II Me-
sss sss tablets as glib talker as she used to
na we can talk up the past forty years
!. .~ two days an not halftry. It's q blss'
,m.l lAhing that she's only got q daugh
: lIf she had grown-up sons I'd ne
think o. lettin Harrie gs; for sh
= pre,sy, there's no denyin' that. !
J IN answer Mshetable's letter right
!. an ask her If Harris may come 10
q. week or i've. Irubs = change for
IN an, like a not, shs'll be more conteu
~ / -. .ot hcyzao o0ain