The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-26
UNDER THE STARS.

| Miss Bessie Barclay. coming down t,
breakfast one morning in the neatest O
| violet cambria robes, with little sauar
OF point lace pinned to her abundan
pale brown braids as 'mornino-cap.
touched the bell for her maid Priscilla
who instantly appeared with the TIM
| teapot on 4 tray, arranged for one Sht
placed everything neatly, pulled abline
hall an inch lower, and linmered-a.
MISS Bessie knew-to be questioned
Miss Bessie was obliging
well, what is it, Priscilla p she ask.
ed
The milkman, please. miss, sale
Priscilla.
/ ..He have seen the eomik, and he dt
say he is that frightened of him that he
scarcely daresn't leave the milk .
What timid milkman, said Miss
Bessie
Yes. miss, replied Priscilla. But
the baker likewise saw him rs he was
sitting outside al four last night to cool
hisself; and he says he S actually CASH
! y, and has a tail wards long; and if il
weren / FOR a class OF beer he don know
as he d have lived over it ="
''ludeed. said Miss Bessie.
Yes, miss. said Priscilla. And
Jane Maria, that is cook OF the house OF
the scientificai gentleman over the way,
SAYS her master thinks the comik viii
surely run into us and smash the world
to pieces. -
I'm not in the least alarmed. Priscil-
la, said Miss Bessie
well, miss. that makes me feel bet
ter said Priscilla; --for YOU know
French and music, and lots of things.
yourself
but really said Miss Bessie, I'VE
ought to see the famous comet | be-
lieve ii is visible about four o clock. I'll
wake you up at that time, Priscilla and
we'll go on the roof together.
Priscilla healthy brick-dhat colored
cheeks turned pale
'-Oh, thank you kindly, miss, she
said; ''but please miss. l wouldn't see
spaszums, miss, or die. or something.
''Ah. well, l ship't force you to look
at the comet. said Bessie You may
90. Priscilla, and don't allow either
baker or HIilknan 10 fr,ghten you. Com
cts have often been seen and they We
never done anY harm yet
s-Ber pardon, miss. NJ grandfather
saw one hisself+ and il had a influence
and brought blight, and frost, and all
sorts OF misfortune, and made my uncle
Peter hang Eisself behind the scullery
door And ii that had a influence, why
shouldn't this one, miss?"
Il III sorry. Wit. ali uy taa0hing- YOU
should be SO suPacsfiiious Priscilla,
said Hiss BARCLAY .'Raast year prayer
book and see what that says With
which vague admonitinn Miss Barclay
dismissed her maid, lnd%urned to her
breakfast-table.
Bessie Barclay had been very pretty,
and was stilluncommOnly nice looking.
She was not old either; but 80 much had
come and gone IN her life 10 cut her OIL
from al the hopes and aspirations other
early youth, that she considered hefseh
an oil maid. and was so considered by
most OF her new acquaintance. She
had no other The old friends the peo-
pie who called her Bessie and who knew
her in her childhood. and 10 whom she
would always be. more or less young
were far away in her native country;
and absence only makes The heart grow
fonder, when it is not prolonged.
letter once i'll three months or SO was
now all that was expected on either
side.
Besides, Miss Barclay said. with a
SIGH. they were all offended with my
STAYING away; but | could not go back
there
You see there was story in Bessie 5
life In those early days when her dim
pied checks were like two perfectp peach
es, and her eyes bluer than the skies,
Young Robert Leslie had fallen in love
with her, and she with him. There was
no reason why the old people should not
have said, 'sBless You, my children,
and married them in the old brown
church standing there all ready, not a
stone ) throw from Bessie's home, but
they did not There was am old-time
quarrel between the families about a
strip Of land, not twenty feet long, and
a RIGHT OF way of no use to anyonei and
(ffandmamma Barclay 'sset her foot
down. = and the Les1ies declared it new
CT should be; and the old romance OF
the Capulets and Montagues was enact
ed in the quiet English way And, IN
decd, the young people went farther,
and would have been married whether
or no, but that they were discovered on
the verge of ain elopement Then stern
measures were taken and Grandmamma
Barclay fairly carried Bessie away with
her. to travel for her health
She crossed the channel with her lit
tie victim, and spent the winter travel
limo from place to place on the CONT
nent. And while they bore the miseries
of fine. crowded hotels. where the
strange cookery and the foreign walters,
the noise and the high prices, kept the
old lady's nerves qnivering. letter
came, which told them that Robert Les
lie was about to marry Miss Staple, the
rich wool factors daughter, a snowy
Girl. with hard black eyes. After that
Bessie no longer pinned for "home- -
The farther she was from it the better
now. and she had neither parents nor
brothers and sisters The old lady took
a fancy to reside in London, too, instead
of going back TO her quiet country home
so she bought little house in one OF the
and settled down IN 1t as well
as she could settle anywhere, and the
new life grew to be an accustomed
one
But Mrs. Barclay, a hale, heartT wo-
man. took to her bed and died She
had killed herself, for she could no
more bear transplanting than some
hardy-seeming plants can; but she haa
gained her end, and separated hobers
and Bessie.
1--WE left you everything, Bessie
love ), she said. ssAnd I wish you
me never to marry Robert Les
Che had been wandering little. and
BESSIE soothed her with the words