The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-12-26
MISCELLANY.
A GHOST.

Our first glimpse of Mrs. Parnell was at
the cross roads on the hill. She was a tall
thin woman, who resembled guide post
rather than human being as she stood in
her straight skirts, little shawl, and long,
well-boarded sun-bonnet, on the top of the
hill, waiting to welcome us, tired citizens
seeking repose and country air at Blue
River but when she took off that bonnet,
and showed us her womanly faee-not pref
ty, not young, long-featured," and too
small in the chin, b=st, OH 90 wemanly a,aa.
kindly I've thought her nicer to look nj
than many a society lady with artificial
smiles, and graces of manner that only
meant, g | wish TO appear well.r Mrs. Par
nell was not thinking how she looked but
only doing what came into her way to do
with her usual zeal
9 came up here to get the rasberries be-
fore the boys got 'em ALL she said City
people, generally, can't hev too much fruit,
and | sort o thought I'd wait until saw the
wagon. How are you?n
She came around the wagon, shook hands
with each one in her own serious way, with.
out smile, and then said
You drive on, William. I'll go cross
pathway, and be there first"
She vos there frat and under tho h;o
naples we found still, cheerful airy rooms,
plentiful supply of clear rain water, and
snowy linen towels. and sucb a tea as neonle
who understand what that meal sbould he
can get IN in the country. We had tried
the regular boarding house before and
knew il well. This was n contrast. indeed.
There seemed to be no one TO helm the brisk
Industrious housewife. but n little bow of
ten or eleven years old but nothing WAS
wanting. and we were as comfortable as
possible for two or three weeks. conpratu-
latine ourselves on our good fortune in bov-
ing heard of Mrs. Parnell.
Other boarders came after awhile.
young French lady and her husband nm old
couple of scientific procliyities. who snent
most of the day wandering about with !" lit
tie geological hammers" and two young
men who went n fishing constantly and
never caught anything. My husband, my
sister Belle and / liked the little French
couple very much, and it was to us that
they were most confidential
Obi but if madame, our hostess, would
give to her hair some little attention, and
not arrange it like potato at the back of
her head, how much more charming she
would be- the little lady would say. 1T
See has an expression 50 amiable, manner
SO frank, why must she resemble in form
the pump, only because of her clothes ~
No one could say, but it evidently did
not occur to Mrs. Parpell that IL mattered
IN the least. She was cleanliness itself and
had black silk dress and lace collar for
Sundays. This sufficed. At least she suf-
fered none of the heart burnings of vanity,
our sadness when our hair would not crimp,
our anxiety not to get too deeply sun-burned
or freckled, our doubts that our bonnets or
dresses did not become us. She was in that
respect little happier than the French
lady, now twenty, would be at fifty, when
the soft, brunette skin had wrinkled and
the black hair was turning gray.
But one morning, as we sat at breakfast,
we saw in those black, long FLASHED eyes of
our neighbor new look Something had
happened what, we did not know. She