Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-07-24
OLD MR.. BINNEY.'

Mrs. Binney, died, Now, what gooc
thing it would Do IL old Mr.. Binne,
would but marry Miss BrightP
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 q smiling
face, and had thankful spirit within
her, striving always TO remember her
blessings, and how much they outnum.
bered 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 the kindest of friends,
the most comfortable of situations, and
the girls she had taught were endowed
with an amiability of disposition which
made it positive pleasure to be with
them. The only accusation she would
bring against them was that they were
all in such terrible hurry to grow up
and get married, and then Miss Bright's
occupation was now gone, and she had
to step out into the would and find a
fresh field for her labors.
As years rolled on, each one adding
to the score Of Miss Bright's age. these
hunting grounds o. instruction became
more and more narrowed. Children
OF eight began now where girls of
eighteen used to leave off, and history
and geography, to say nothing of the
parts of speech and grammar, were all
so altered that poor little Miss Bright
had to acknowledge that at times she
really did feel quite confused.
every soon | shan't be left with
anything to teach" she would say
pathetically, and then Mr.. Binney's
nephew, Joe, or some other good fel-
low who heard her. would declare that
she should set up a 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 has had other situations, at holi-
day time,or whenever she was seeking
employment, she always returned to
to the house of DR.. Brendon, their,
father.
When Mr.. Binney dropped in. as he
frequently dld,to inquire of his friends
the Brendons, he from time to time
found Miss Bright there and happening
on the occasion of one of her visits to
bring the news that Mrs. Binney was i'll
with no one at all whose business 1t
seemed to be to look after her, nothing
was more natural than that Miss
Bright should volunteer, and great
comfort they found her
So sprightly yet unobtrusive was
the CHEEKY little woman In her favor,
until, with an eye to their mutual
comfort, Mr.. Binney proposed Miss
Bright staying with them altogether.
"Why not?" he said. I'VE could well
afford to pay her a salary. But this
word salary, acting like magic on Mrs.
Blnney, 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. 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
wore 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
has been made for me, and so am
not going to despair now
And she said this all the more en-
phatically because, in spite of the con-
idence, she could not help feeling that
} voice which she could not still
kepS repeating: "What will you
10 when you grow older? Teach
ng will get much harder than ever
And that was true enough, but what
Use 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 .
dlss Bright's going to Mr., Binney as
lousekeeper, but this proposition had I
'een made without the knowledge or |
onsent of the principal person con- {
erned, who, just as soon as the hint
vas given, negatived it. I
Old Mr.. Binney thoroughly appre.
lated Miss Bright, but he had lost his $
aste for matrimony. He remembered
hat he had spent forty excellent years f
'ithout a wife, and Notwithstanding t
lat he was now widower, he could
OF conscientiously say that he felt his O
'ate to be so very unhappy.
Susan, the cook, respectable and v
aid, would, he felt sure, manage his S
ousehold properly, and if it proved h
lat she should give way to extrava- v
ance, as the people seemed to say she
ould, Mr.. Binney fancied he could y
etter put up with that evil than with
70 much OF the economy from which "
. had suffered already
So all the hopes that on the death "
Mrs. Binney, Joe and Sally and the y
rendons had cherished for Miss il
right were ruthlessly dashed to the c,
'ound. Evidently Aunt B. was not tt
have a successor. O.
III we could have but got her there m
housekeeper, said two of those arch ri