St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-04-19
GOLD MIR. BINNEY.v

All their friends had said, when Mrs.
Binney died: 'tNow what a good thing
it would be if old Mr.. Binney would but
marry Miss Bright"
Miss Bright had not been without her
troubles, and very hard ones they had
been too, but she bore them with q
brave heart, and carried smiling face.
and had a thankful spirit within her,
striving always to remember her bless
ings, and how much they outnumbered
any evils she was called upon 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 situations, and the
girls she had taught were endowed with
an amiability of disposition which made
1t positive pleasure to be with them.
The only accusation she could bring
against them was that they were all in
such a terrible hurry to grow up and
get married, and then Miss Bright's oc-
cupation was gone, and she had to step
out into the world and find fresh field
for her labors.
As years rolled on, each one adding
to the score of Miss Bright's age, these
hunting grounds of instructions became
more and more narrowed. Children OF
eight began now where girls of eighteen
used to leave off, and history and ge-
ography, to say nothing of the parts of
speech and grammar, were all so al
tered, that poor Miss Bright had to ac-
knowledge that at times She really did
feel quite confused. ssVery soon |
shan'S be left with anything to teach,''
she would say. pathetically, and then
Mr. Binney's nephew, Joe. or. some
other good fellow who heard her, would
declare she should set up school for
wives, for there never were such wives
as the girls whom Miss Bright had
brought up. She had taught joe s wife
Sally and her sister, and though since
then she had had other situations. at
holiday time, or whenever she was seek
ing employment, she always returned to
the house of DIR. Brendon, their father.
When Mr. Binney dropped in, as he
frequently did, to inqur re after his old
friends the Brendons, he from time to
time found Miss Bright there, and hap
pening on the occasion of one of her
visits to bring the news that Mrs. Bin
ney was i'll, with no one whose business
it seemed to be to look after Der, moth
ing was more natural than that Miss
Bright should volunteer, and great
comfort they found her.
So 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 Bright
staying with them altogether. "Why
notp" he said. We could well afford |
to pay her a, 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 visitor as long
as she liked to stay, but as to living |
with. them altogether, "No!n she would /
not give her consent to that; she had al
ways objected to having in her house
third party. 1t was then that Miss
Bright's friends pulled very long faces,
indeed. What would she do? they
asked her.
Oh, something is sure to turn up,
she would say, hopefully. Whenever
have come to my last ebb an opening
ls1S pe6u mduG I0r Wc, so am not
going to despair now. =
And she said this all the more emphat-
cally, because inspite of her confidence
'he could not help feeling that voice
which she could not still kept repeating:
: What viii you do when you grow
'lder? Teaching will get harder than
'yer. ! That was true enough, but
What else was there for her to do?
When Mrs Binney died, which hap
'ened quite suddenly about year be-
ore, there had been some talk as to
Hiss Bright going to Mr.. BinneY as
lousekeeper, but this proposition ]
lad been made without the knowl-
dge or consent of the principal 4
'eTson concerned, who, as soon as the
INT was given, negatiYed it.