The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-03-21
SELECT STORY.
"0LD MR.. BINNEY,p

| ~ Wouiu Ue ii Olu MT'DlnneY WOulu Dul
marry Miss Bright /"
Miss Bright had Lot been without
her troubles, and very hard ones they
had been, too, but she bore them with
a brave heart, and carried smiling
face, and had thankful spirit within
her, striving always to remember hel
blessings, and how much they out
numbered any evils she vas called up.
on to bear,
Indeed, to listen to Miss Bright's
showing you would have counted her
as one of the luckiest persons ever
born. She had had the kindest OF
friends, the most comfortable of situa-
tions, and the girls she had taught
were endowed with an amiabilty of
disposition which made it a positive
pleasure to be with them. The only
accusation she could bring against
them was that they were all in such q
terrible hurry to grow up and get mar.
ried, and then Miss Bright's occupation
was gone, aud she had to step out in
the world and find fresh field for hel
labors.
As years rolled on, each one adding
co the score of Miss Bright's age, these
hunting groun Is of instruction became
more and more narrowed. Children OF
6 began now where girls of 1S used tc
leave off, and history and geography,
to say nothing OF the parts of speech
and grammar, were all so altered tha,
poor little Miss Bright had to acknow
ledge that at times she really did fee
quite confused. every soon / shan'l
be left with anything to teach," she
would say, pathetically, and then Mr.
Binneys nephew, Joe, or some Other
good fellow who heard her, would de
clare she should set up school fol
wives, for there never were such wives
as the girls whom Bright had brought
up. She had taught Joe's wife Sally
and her sister, and though since ther
she had other situations, at holiday
time, or whenever she was seeking EN-
ployment, she always returned to the
house of DR.. Crendon, their father.
When Mr.. Binney dropped in, as he
frequently did, to inquire after his ole
friends, the Brendons, he from time tc
time found Miss Bright there, and
happening, on the occasion of one oil
her visits, to bring the news that Mrs.
Binney was i'll, with no one whose bus.
iness 1t seemed to be to look after her
nothing was more natural than that
Miss Bright should volunteer and a
great comfort they found her.
Sprightly, yet unobtrusive, was the
CHEEKY little woman that Mrs. Binney
herself was influenced in her favor
until, with an eye to their mutual com
fort, Mr.. Binney proposed Miss Brigh,
staying with them altogether. "Why
nor he said. "NVe could well afford
to pay her salary" But this word
salary, acting like magic on Mrs. Bin.
ney, seemed to bring her to her senses
Immediately. She would be very glad
to have Miss Bright as a visitor as long
as she liked to stay, but as to living
with them altogether, "No!' she
would not give her consent to that
she had always objected to having in
her house third party. 1t was then
that Miss Bright's friends pulled very
long faces indeed. What would she
do7 they asked her.
"Oh, something is sure to turn up,
she would say hopefully. "Whenever
l have come to my last ebb an opening
has been made for me, so | am moi
going to despair now"
And she said this all the more EN-.
phatically, because in spite of her con
tidence she could not help feeling that
a voice which she could not keep still
kept repeating: "What will you dc
when you grow older7 Teaching will
get harder than ever" That was true
enough, but what else was there fol
her to do?
| When Mrs. Binney died, which hap
pened quite suddenly about year be
fore, there had been some talk as tc
Miss Bright going to Mr.. Binney a,
housekeeper, but this proposition haC
been made without the knowledge OF
consent of the principal person con
cerned, who, as soon as the hint wa,
given, heSatl'tu IL.
Mr.. Binney thoroughly appreciated
Miss Bright, but he had lost his taste
for matrimony; he remembered thai
he had spent forty excellent year,
without wife, and, notwithstanding
that he was now widower, he coult
not conscientiously say that he felt hi,
state to be very unhappy.
Susan, the cook, respectable and
staid, would, he felt sure, manage hi,
household properly, and if it PROVED
that she should give way to extrava
gance, as people seemed to say, Mr.
Binney fancied he could better put up
with that evil than from too much Of
the economy from which he had suf
fered already,
| So all the hopes that on the death O
Mrs. Binney, Joe aud Sally and tn,
Brendons had cherished for Mis-
Bright, were ruthlessly dashed to tn,
ground. Evidently Aunt b. was no
to have successor.
"lf we could but have got her ther,
as housekeeper," said one of thos,
| PiatoIs, 'tHe rest WOulu naV'
been easy" But though they returned
to the attack several times, no gooc
came of it. Mr.. Bnney shared in thei
regret at the loss of Miss Bright's pu
lpils; wondered, as they did, wha
would become of her, and-his visitor,
gone-to make his sympathy apparent
he sat down and wrote a kind little
note, with check for flO folded with
| in it.
"Iie's an old stupid" said Sally
sand now she is going away altogether
ever so far'-for Miss Bright had ha,
another piece of news to tell. An oil,
pupil of early days had been recentl
lett widow; her health was as deli
cate as her heart was kind, and whel
she made the proposition that Mis-
Bright should come and spend the re
mainder of her days with her, it wa
not entirely of her own comfort sh
had been thinking. Miss Blight ha,
readily accepted her offer, and she ha,
written to tell Sally that the next wee
she should come up and see them.
She could only stay a few hour