Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-11-30
AUNT HANNAH.

"Thcrr's something want you to tell
me. aunt" said Eliza Herbert, girl OF
fourteen, and she drew stool close to
her aun,'s feet, and leaned her head in
her lap, So that the whole cloud of nut
brown curls fell over her black silk
apron.
"Wliat is it," said her aunt, passing
her hand carcssingly over the fair fore
head upraised to hers.
al am almost afraid to ask" said
Eliza, "bnt | want you to tell me why
YOU, who are so good and SO handsome,
and 50 accomplished, were never mar
ricd?"
4 slight flush was, for moment, per
ceWiblc on Aunt lIannah's cheeks,
which might have been orcasioned by
Elias compliment to her beauty and
good qualities, or Il consciousness OF the
ridicule which Il certain class attach to
the appellation OF old maid. 1t might :,
too, have been caused by blending Of
all these, or Of certain memories which
the question called up. She remained
silent for Il few minutes, and then said ::
al will tell you, Eliza-I never had
an offer that exactly suited me-"
GLOW strange said Eliza when you
are 50 easy to please, and are so keen
sighted to evcrybody's virtues, and so
blind To their faults. Now, there is
Aunt Margaret, who is not half as pretty
as YOU are. married to one of the best i,
the handsomcst and the most noble
looking man i'm the world. Come, aunt,
do tell me all about it for | am tired of
NV piano, my worstcd work and my
books"
my life has been a very quiet, un-
eventiul one," said Aunt Hannah, "and
would, | am afraid, make dull story 4;
but will tell you about some dear
friends of mine, if that will do?"
"Oh, yes" said Eliza, ''that will be
the next best thing to hearing about
Yourself. There, hear mother coming
but that need not make any difference. "
"Eliza wants me to tell her Il story,
sister" said Aunt Hannah, as Mrs.
Herbert took her accustomed place at
the ircside, "and have promised to
tell her about some old friends. 1t is
an old story to you, so you can prompt
me il | make any mistakes.
"Ccrtainly," said Mrs. Herbert.
Zone of my friends" said Aunt
Hannah, whom shall call Isabel, was
the youngest of large family of daugh-
ters. Her form was slight, her com
plcxion and features delicate, and she
might have been called interesting
rather than handsome. Her sister,
Kate, two years older, some called bet
ter looking, though"
"Better looking" said Mrs. Herbert,
breaking in upon her, "she was the
most beautiful girl in town, yet beauty
was her least charm"
al helieve you exaggerate u little,
sister" said Aunt Hannah. "When
Isabel was sixteen and Kate eighteen
one Leonard Frankland, Il young mer-
chant, came to reside in the place. He
soon hccamc intimate with their brother,
who used Gften invite him home to take
tea or spend the evening. He was-
that il, most persons thought him. singll-
larlv handsome, and that his manners
were peculiarly attractive. 1t was not
long before it began to he whispered in
the family, and among their more init
mate acquantanrcs, that he was rartla
to Kate. Kate was not so blind rs moi
tn perceive it herself, and but for on,
thing il would have ma,.e her the hap
picSt girl that ever lived. She from tn,
first had seen that Isabel, though un
| conscious of it herself, had given hel
heart to the fascinating Frankland; :,
she made up her mind to sacrifice he
own happiness for the sake OF this dea
sister. II was very hard ior poor Kate
hut she had more confidence i'll her owl
strength, both moral and physical, than
she had in Isabel's; she felt that sl'
would be able tn rise from the blow
and ultimately to have the power of he
ing tranquil and happy. But Isabel, So
frail and 50 delicate, she knew that /
would Kill her to see the chosen OF he
heart forever lost to her
"But il Leonard Frankland like
Kate best" said Eliza, ''thcn thrn
must have been a double sacrifice"
"IIc liked her best at first" sai'
Aunt Hannah, ''yet there was Il gentle
ness, loss oi seli-rcliance in the char
acter Of Isabel that needed only To b
/ discovered by such IL person rs lconir
Frankland Ia excite an interest Wht