Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-03-17

said Cedric, winding up a top and
spinning it on his palm.
1t was a year since then. l nc
longer went out; | was good
nursery maid, cheap governess, an
inexpensive companion. in the fam
lily. In the meantime | could have
married any day, if | had chosen to
accept Rev. Abel Amherst, and
transfer my labors to the pasonage.
To be sure, this would not have
proved the brilliant marriage my
aunt had expected of me, nor the
romantic one | had dreamed of my
self, and it was not till | came into
possession of certain family secret
that | began to revolve the POSSIBLE
ity in my mind. 1t seemed that
when my aunt married her second
husband, Mr.. Browne-Susette and
Ann were both Lowells -they had
subsisted upon the patrimony left to
Cedric by his own mother, and that
after his fathers death, Cedric had
turned in the same yearly income
from the estate, for the family use,
ana that /, Adrienne Lennox. owed
my daily bread to the man whom
had refused, and who had forgotten
me. Earning my own livelihood was
out of the question, drudgery was
my only vocation, and that was too
badly paid to be encouraging. I
looked at Bev. Abel Amherst often
at this period with view to INSTALL
ing him in Cedric's place, if Cedric
would only vacate. Oddly enough
Mr.. Amherst renewed his suit at
this time, and pressed it with the
earnestness of lover, and for the
first time l began to hesitate. "The
woman who hesitates is lost" said
Susette.
had been out on the hills one day
trying to forget Cedric and marry
Mr.. Amherst but whenever / be-
gan thinking Of going to parish
meetings, becoming the president Of
Dakota leagues and sewing circles,
visiting the poor and drinking the
tea opposite Mr.. Amherst, all the
rest of my days, somehow or other
Cedric's face would slip into the pic
ture unlimited and blot out that of
his rivals as strong sunshine fades
a negative photograph.
"There is letter for you," said
aunt Browne, when entered the
house, sin the music room, on the
top of the dado, under Mozart's pic
ture." l went into the music room,
but there was no letter to be seen.
perhaps one of the girls has re-
moved it," she suggested, but no
one had meddled with it.
"Grandmother cooked letter over
the tea KETTLE" said little Teddy,re
flectively.
YES" said grandma, II wrote a
letter to your pa, child. l hadn't
any blotting paper, but the FIRE an
swered the purpose just as WE'LL"
AT that time | had never heard of
opening letters by steam. Well, we
ramsacked the house for the truant
letter in vain.
"Who was it from, aunt 20 l ask
ed.
'How should / know, child ?"
"But the handwriting-the post
mark ?"
"The postmark was blurred"
"Had it foreign stamp ?' asked
l, with subdued eagerness. Cedric
had gone abroad some months be-
fore, and l had not heard of his re-
turn.
GA foreign stamp 4? No. Were
you expecting a foreign letter pn
emo; but it's the unexpected that
always happens, you know"
"It's awful provoking. Perhaps
it was only the receipt Mrs. Clarke
was going to send you," exclaimed
Susette.
Nothing more likely. But what
has become of it ? 1t is a prolonged
game of hunt the thimble.''
"And supposing it is a letter not
flying you Of the existence of first
Mrs. Amherst" put in Ann, "or of
legacy left by your fortieth cousin
in Australia, land then the door
bell rang.
"Well, after that suppose I must