Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-03-02
sTAUNToN, VIRGINIA, FRIDAY, MARCH 2. 1883
that be done for lin. And how quietly,

of or goo Ines, of heart. "T had no idea
such were to ha found on EARTH
Miss Priscilla blushed little when I
told her IF this.
lies little we,k-mnded still. poor
fellow" she said, lightly touching her fore
he'd with her knltting-n needle (she was
knitting him PAIR of socks. having al
ready furnished the rest of his wardrobe).
''By and bv he will find out that angels
don't so about in calico dresses and mus
lin aprnns''
she was afraid that he felt little lone
some. she said. rs he grew we'll. She had
written to Alethia to paw her visit. They
both drew, and they both liked the same
Dnoks, she had discovered. Alethia would
make i. pleasanter for him.
. After \ while noticed that she laft q e
calling herself his mother, and that she
took pains with her dress. al d arranged
her hair in a new and becoming style.
which gave her much more yout' full ap-
p'arance. even discovered the disappear
ance from her temples of few gray hairs
WHICH [ had before observed there. AS
for Mr.. Field, he WAS all tender and re.
sp ctfnl DEVOTION. and evidently did really
consider her as, in goodness at least, some-
thing very near an angel.
''Priscil'a." said one day II was some
what older than she, and we had become
friendly and intimately, lido yon know that
[ think Arthur Field more than half In
love with you ?''
Nonsense - she answered. RuG she
blushed painfully. notwithstanding.
"Hasn't he told you sop Iventured.
On ibis she burst into tears. And then,
in her usual frank and impulsive way, it
all came out.
Il know it's perfectly ridiculous" she
said ian old woman like me, nearly forty
years old. and h,'y such as he, not yet
fivP-and-twenty. But he insists that years
make NO difference where-where true es-
tenn ard-attachment exists"
A sudden thought Il .shed upon me. and
sImke it out at once. in my fear for her
''He is poor, and you have money
enough. Perhaps he is Influenced by that
considerations
| mo" she answered quite calmly, II
old him some days sii CO. when lie vas
talking about le wing ard looking for
work. that he must stay here and take care
Of nv little place. II nj eds looking after,
YOU know. and he'll soon learn; and
promised to provide for him. Aleihia will
lave enough of her own. even if she dnn't
marry. In fact told him that would
look upon him as an adopted son and make
him my heir. so he need not feel anxious
about the future. And then newell,
flushing a good deal and her hands trem-
bling little. ''he proposed that'I should
take him as husband instead of a son.
And he said was still young. that peorle
didn't grow old at tive-and-thiity, and that
for hiIr self. after all the terrible trials he
had gone through and all my goodness to
him, he should never love any woman as
we'll. rs he does me. Its boyish talk you
see -
Despite her attempt to speak lightly,
there was light in The old maids eyes,
softness and tenderness in her voice, which
betrayed that to her this offer of youthful
'nve-the first ever laid ut her feet. proha-
blv-was the dearest to her heart of any
thing on earth.
IF were young," she continued. and
there was positive sharp pain in her
voice and expression, ''if ] were young a, d
pett! rs | once was might think of it.
And il had met i'm the n, 80 exactly like
.hat [ used to think of and dream of as
the sort If man conld love. so refiued
and noble and handsome. SO different from
lie cmrse men Was accustomed tO-why
We might have suited each other and been
happy together. But an old maid like me
why, it's ridiculous. isn't it People
would make no end of fun over it,
Notwi' hist lndlng all this, things began
% assume definite shape. 81 h AS it was
impossible to mistake. and was not at all
surprised when Mss Priscilla at length
admitted to me in confidence that she and
Arthur Field were to be quietly married
IN October. And. eantime. she added
Alethia was coming to stay with her until
The marriage should take place.
Owing to circumstances, it was two
weeks before again saw my friend Miss
Allison. Then riding out to spend an af-
ternoon and take tea with her. came
suddenly upon her in the fields. walking
very fast ann narvonsly. and AZ if with no
special aim. She warmly welcomed me.
hut not in her old bright happy way, and
noticed that she looked badly.
"Wfere is Mr.. Field 2" l inquired.
"Tn the house."
''What, by himself ~
"Oh, no; Alethia is with him. Did you
not know that she had me? Been here
nearly, two weeks.'
had, in fact. forgotten Alethia's ex
p cted visit. bnt presently. approaching
the house. saw Mr. Field bending over the
shoulder of an extremely pretty and deli.
cate looking girl. APP arentlv directing h-l
in a sketch she was making CHANGING
: from there to Priscilla, saw her lips un.
consciously contrac' into an expression oi
repressed pain which at once revealed the
whole story.
1t was wonderful what self-command
she exercised duriDo the evening. an
quite sure that neither Arthur Field nor
Alethia suspected what she was suffering
But, indeed. they appeared to" much alb
, sorbed in themselves to bestow mucf
notice on other people.
repeated my visit on the following
week. 1t was now the young yeople who
we're Il oking miserable. Arthur was seat
ed beside Miss Priscilla dutifully reading
, to her from a newspaper, scarcely glanc
, ing at t. 9 young girl who stood with hel
!, back to him. looking from the window
, By-and by she went out.
A "Take this shawl to her, Arthur" aai(
I Miss llisnn s.sha has gone to walk il