The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1885-12-19
A DOUBLE LOSS.
Cornelia's Mistake in Whiting
Down the Record"

Miss Cornelia Lunt was the only
child of two good people who had not
married until they reached the years
which find most welded pairs with
their children grown up around them.
They had been very happy, however,
and when they died, left their daughter
a little income. which, by close pinch
ing, she could manage to live upon,
Cornelia was not a pretty girl old
peoples children never are; but thou
sands of palmer girls had married and
settled while she remained a spin>tpr.
Perhaps the fact that she was by no
means a goOd-natured person had
something to do with it. Certainly,
she QuarTeled with her friends and fell
out with her beauX, had fcuds with her
relatives and was fond of saying un-
pleasant things to people generally,
and the other half of her soul was a
lucky creature in having missed her in
this world.
In her youth she had also comported
herself scornfully to well-diSpoSel
young men who belonged to the me-
chanic classes, and declared that She
would only give her hand and heart to
a merchant, 4 physician or a clergy
man, Merchants were rare in Bottom
hole, the only specimens Of that order
being two very old bachelors. still con-
nected with a New York firm, who
were always to be seen asleep on either
side of their wide hall door in pleasant
summer weather, and who only awoke
at the instance of their housekccper
long enough to take their meals. The
two doctors were both married. and
the clergymen always had large fami-
lies. Miss Cornelia's ambitious hopes
were never realized, and her fathers
apprentice, Tim Cornell. who had adj
mired her, and had been quite a be-
lever in her as a every elegant and
genteel person." finally pronounced
her "mighty proud and naughty" and
abandoned his suit. The other young
mechanics married or left the village,
and Miss Cornelia at last awoke to the
knowledge that she was getting on in
life, and that if she was not careful,
people would find it out.
Cornolia looked in the glass care
fully every morning, and very often
through the day. She did not age rap
idly, having always looked as old as it
was possible to look. But for the
dreadful family Bible in which the rec
ord of her birth was written down, she
would have felt safe in slicing off ten
years of her life-a proceeding which
she fancied would increase her value in
the eyes of a certain Mr.. Dumsday,
who had recently paid a few solemn
calls, He was really an old mar him
self, but the older the man. the young
er, generally, one finds the choice Of
his wife to be. And, really, when all
ones lady friends enjoy nothing so
much as adding to ones age, why
should not their efforts be thwarted by
a reduction on ones own part Of the
one thing nobody ever wants more of.
Poor Miss Cornelia! She did not
know that the one who never thinks
about age is the slowest to grow old.
She eyed that well-thumbed Bible
which her companion and assistant,
Cousin Betsy Baker, always would
have upon a stand in the parlor, with
absolute horror. She did not dare to
object to its presence. She was a
church member, and thought herself
pious; but she did wish Cousin Betsy
in Greenland when she called her WIS.,
itor's attention to the illustrations it
contained. Suppose any one should
turn to the fy-leaf and read there;
''Born December, 49,, Cornclia. first
daughter of Matthew and Abigail
Lunt" The thought was horror!
She sat over her grate-tire late one
night, thinking over the matter.
Who knew her exact agep Cousin
Betsy. But Cousin Betsy would not
wish to quarrel with her, and was too
old a woman to think her anything but
young. The clergyman who baptized
her. But he was su%perannuated and
lived with his son-in-law in another
State. The family doctor was dead,
and the dear old gentleman who had
with them from her b~abyhood,