The Hazlehurst signal., 1884-04-10
"OLD MIR. BINNEY.,

All their friends had said. when Mrs.
Binney died: "Now what n good thing
Z, would be II 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 a
brave heart, and carried smiling face,
and had thankful spirit within her.
striving always 10 remember her bless
inss, anu how much they cutnumbcred
any evils she was called upon to bear.
Indeed. In listen 10 Miss Bright
showing YOU would have counted her rs
one of the luckicst persons ever born.
She had had the kindc,t Of friends, the
most comfortable OF situations, and the
girls she had taught were endowed with
IN amiabil.ty of disposition which made
u apositiye pleasure 10 be with them
The only accusation she could bring
against them was that they were all in
such terrible hurry To grow up and
get married, and then Miss Bright's oc-
cupation was gone. and she had To step
ont into the world anu find fresh field
for her labors.
As years rolled On. each ono adding
10 the score OF Miss Rights age. these
hunting grounds OF Instructions became
more AMI more narrowed. Children OF
eight began now where girls of eighteen
ufed 10 leave OIL. and history and &c
ography, TO say nothing of the parts of
speech and grammar. wcye all so al
tered. that poor Miss Bright had to ac-
knowledge that at times she really did
feel quite confused. Every soon |
shan: be left with anything To teach. "
she would say, pathetically, and then
Mr.. Binncy'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
n the girls whom Miss Bright had
brought up. She had taught JOc's wife
Sally and her sister. aud though since
then she had had other situations, st
holiday time. or whenever she was seek
ing employment, she always returned To
the house of DIR. Brendou. their father
When Mr.. hinncy dropped In. rs he
frequently did, to inquire after his old
4 lends the Brendons. he from time To
time found Miss Bright there. and hap
pening ON tho occasion OF one OF her
visits to bring the news that Mrs. Bin
ney was III, with no one whose business
" seemed To be to look after her. moth.
ing WAS more natural than that Miss
Bright should volunteer. aud n great
comfor, they found her.
So sprightly vet uuobtrusiye 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
not?" he said. 1--WE 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
10 have Miss Bright n a visitor rs long
rs she liked To stay. but as to living
with them altogether. "No." she would
not give her consent 10 that, she had al
ways objected To having In her house a
third party. IL was then that Miss
Brigh,'s friends pulled very long faces.
indeed. What would she do? they
asked her.
"Oh. something Is sure TO turn up. T"
she would say. hopefully. Whenever
has been made for me. so | am not
going TO despair now
And she said this all the more emphat-
ically, because in spite Of her confidence
she could not help feeling thrt voice
which she could not still kept repeating;
What will YOU do when you grow
older? Teaching will get harder than
ever" That was true enough. but
what else was there for her to do'
When Mrs. Binney died, which hap
pened quite suddenly about year be-
fore, there had been some talk as 10
Miss Bright going 10 Mr.. Binney rs
housekeeper, but this proposition
had been made without the knowl-
edge or consent OF the principal
person concerned. who. rs soon rs the
hint was given. negstiyed IL.
Mr.. Binney thoroughly appreciated
Miss Bright. but ho had lost his taste
for matrimony; he remembered that he
had spent forty excellent years with
out wife, and. notwithstanding that
he was now widower. he could not
conscientiously say that he felt his state
20 be so very unhappy.
Susan the cook. respectable and staid,
would, he felt sure. manage his house.
hold properly. and II II proved that she
should give way TO eytravagance. rs
people seemed TO say. MIR. Binney fan
cied he could better put up with that
evil than with too much of the econo-
INV from which he had suffered already.
SO all the hopes that on the death OF
Mrs. Binney. Joe and Sally and the
Brendons had cherished for Miss Bright
were ruthlessiy dashed TO the ground.
Evidently Aunt b. was not TO have n
successor.
..If we could but have got her there
rs housckeeper," said two OF these
arch-conspirators "thc rest would have
been easy. ;" But though they returned
TO the attack several times. no good
came Of IL. Mr.. Binney shared In their
regret at the loss of Miss Brights pu-
pills. wondered rs they did what would
become her. and. his visitors gone, to
make his sympathy apparent, he sat
down and wrote kind little note with
q check for EiO folded within IL.
Hes an old stupid." said Sally, "and
now she Is going away altogether. ever
90 far"-for Miss Bright had had an
other piece of news 10 tell. An old pu-
oil of early days had been recently left
.awidow; her health was rs delicate rs
her heart was kind. and when she made
the proposition that Miss Bright should
come and spend the remainder Of her
days with her IL was not entirely OF her
own comfort she had Lcen thinking.
Miss Bright had readily accepted her
Oder. and she had written to tell Sally
that tho next week she should como up
and see them.
She could only stay few hours with
them when she came. The farewell