Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-02-20

Aunt Deborah.
what can you doV said Grace.
Il don't know as am good for
anything, SAID the old lady with
quiet tear or two, except to help
around the house, and amt strong
enough ior regular help. Your un-
Gle always used to say 1 was a mas
ter hand at making bread.
Then make it, brightly inter
rupted Grace.
'Eh 2 said Aunt Dolby.
sThere nice little store to let
on Bay street, went on Grace, 8 for
ten dollars a month";
'But / haven't got ten dollars a
month"; feebly interrupted Aunt
Deborah.
sPn lend it to you,' said Grace,
'out of the wages have saved.
And there's a pretty bedroom at
the be TX OF the shop, and a clean
dry basement under it, where You
could bake your bread. | know,
for the sister Of the lady where |
board is looking f)r dress-making
rooms. and | heard her speaking
about it,
do you mean to open a bakery 2
said bewildered Aunt Debby.
'Not exactly that explained
Grace. But if Mrs. Hewitt, or
Mrs. Taylor, or any other of the Ia
dies around her could get real home
made bread, such as you make, do
you suppose they would put up
with the sour stuff they get at the
bakers shops1 And you could
easily get up reputation on your
raisin cakes, and fried crullers, and
New England pumpkin pies. Now
couldn't your
The old lady frightened up a
little.
L used to be pretty good at
cooking said she. 'And if you
think could support myself So
Il am sure of it, cried cheerful
Grace. And I'll 90 there with
you this very day to look at the
place, and will engage it for three
months on trial. And | can paint
you a sign to put over your door,
Homemade Bread by Mrs. Debo-
rah May And I'll hem you some
curtains and arrange the shelves IN
the low window I almost wish
was going to be your shop gil, she
aided merrily. But / can help
you in the evening, yOu know?
Grace Craxall's prophecies proved
correct. Aunt Debby's delicious
homemade bread, whittier than
powdered lilies, sweet as ambrosia,
soon acquired a reputation, and
the old lady could scarcely bake it
fast enough. People came half a
dozen blocks to buy the yellow
pumpkin pies and delicious apple
tarts; children brought their
boarded pennies to invest in choco-
late sweet.meats, vanilla caramels,
a nd cream cakes with puffy shells
and delicious centers Of sweetness.
The little money drawer grew fat
with coins, and Aunt Debby's dim
eyes grew bright and hopeful
again.
And one day Mr.. Herbert Va
lance, walking by with Medora
May, stopped and locke d in.
Isn't that your cousin Grace,
said he, 'behind the counter z
Medora turned crimson with vex-
alton.
my cousin Gracep she said.-
NO, indeed We are not-in
tradep
What possessed her to utter this
deliberate falsehood Medora could
not afterwards have told. Partly
the sting Of false shame, partly a
disincl;nation for Mn Herbert va
lance to know that her relations
were not, to use her expression,
ladies and gentlemen
Mr.. Valance looked up at the sign
over the door.
'The name is May he remarked
indifTerently.
'Yes, said Medora, angry at her
self blushing so deeply, 'but we
are no relation
Mr.. Valance thought over the
matter; he afterwards met Miss
May at party given by a friend,
where pretty Grace Oraxall was al
so present; he had taken rather a
fancy to the bright blue eyes and
delicate blonde beauty OF tho form
er. Valance Hall, on the hill Just
out of the city, vas solitary enough,
now that his sisters had all married
and gone away, and perhaps man
might hnd a less attractive and
graceful wife than Medora May.
But he could not be mistaken, he
thought, in Grace Oraxalps identity.
And so the next evening, about
the same time, he sauntered into
the shop.
Grace was behind the daintily
clean little counter, taking some
newly baked maple caramels OF the
pan. She looked up with a smile.
Good evening, Mr.. Valance
said she.
So he thought, q wasn't mis-
taken after all. Aud the little blue.
eyed seraph is mortal enough to tell
n lie i'm snite of her an0slic annear.