The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-06-12


not hard anywhere to observe Priscilla's
snow-drop face in her little black bonnet,
with her eager, beseeching eyes. After a
while Mr.. Thorburn began to feel their mes
meric influence, as DR.. Sunbury had done
ever since she was fifteen. He began to-
watch for her, to preach at her, to feel that
she understood him-a very comforta-
BILE thing for public speaker. OF course
he knew who Miss Priscilla Mildmay was
-''very nice but not the equal of the
elder Misses Mildmay," he usually
heard-and sometimes they had met
at DIR. Sunbury's. As Mr.. Thorburn
was naturally a silent man, and Priscilla
lacked courage in a drawingroom, they
scarcely exchanged half dozen words. 1t
came about, though, as these things will,
that in the course of his parish work he
came upon Priscilla-Priscilla teaching a
class of ragged boys their lessons, after
having taught the most stylish young ladies
in West Harrowby the most elegant
branches of a polite education. Some way,
all the restraint they had felt in DR.. Sun
bury's drawing-room melted away in the
little bare school-room. There Priscilla
reigned supreme, calmly confident under
Mr. Thorburn's searching gaze. She had "a
peculiar knack of teaching. Her gentle,
Now. please boys,n had the same effect as
Mr. Thorburn's stern "See, you fellows,
behave yourselves" Mr.. Thorburn watched
with admiration the tact with which she
IudUdS6u D6r SOU1eW0db unTuly crown. vi
course all this teaching did not go on with
the unqualified appreciation of the Misses
Mildmay. Priscilla showed phenomenal
determination about it, and being upheld
by DR.. Sunbury, who in some way always
encouraged her vagaries, the Misses Mild
may, although they might look coldly ON
it, could not forbid it.
1t did not take much to violently excite
West narrowly; and therefore when the
narrowly UttOn- Palladium published one
morning, with a big display head that Gov
cred half the first page of the paper, the
burning of the Northern Lunatic Asylum,
a certain circumstance connected there.
with gave West Harrowby something to
talk about for week. Five inmates of
the female ward were missing. When the
roll was called among them, Mrs. Eleanor
Thorburn and five bodies charred beyond
recognition were found in the ruins of the
building Some days after that notice APP
peared in the obituary column of the O1eiOn
Palladium: Suddenly, on the 18TH of
February, Mrs. Eleanor Thorburn, wife of
the Reverend Edmund Thorburn, of East
Harrowty.2 That was all. Nobody-not
the most censorious-coulda accuse Mr.. Thor
burn of not paying scrupulous respect to
his wife's memory. Y ct it made but little
outward difference in his life. For two or
three Sundays he was absent from his pull
pit, and when he reappeared he wore a
bend of Grape upon his hat.
SO things went on until nearly two years
slipped past. One spring afternoon DR..
Sunbury, with his particular chum and
crony Dr. Forman, the great light of the
medical profession in and about Har$owby,
was enjoying quiet saunter through the
familiar shady street. They had wrestled
in argument so often and practiced in COM
pany so much that DR.. Sunbury had be-
come pretty good doctor of medicine,
and DR.. Forman was no mean proficient in
theology. Right in the midst of friendly
fierce wrange on the subject of ecclesiasti-
cal history, DR. Forman suddenly remarked:
''That's going to be match"
As DR.. Sunbury glanced up he saw Mr..
Thorbdrn, as he met Priscilla .Mildmay,
stop, smile, speak few words, and lifting
his hat go upon his way.
''Bless my soul!'' almost shouted DR..
Sunbury, stopping short and gazing at DR..
Forman's immovable face.
"Why not!" said the physician, testify.
81 see them together half dozen times
week.
DR.. Sunbury was at heart an inveterate
matchmaker, as all truly benevolent old
persons are apt to be, and as soon as he al
lowed his Imagination to feast upon the
idea of a match between Thorburn and
Priscilla its manifest fitness pressed itself
SO upon him that he would fain have got
out a license, gone to them, and command
ed them to stand up and be married imme
v.
to give Thorburn hint but giving Thor
burn hints was always a matter. of more
or less difficulty with everybody. At last,
however, the opportunity came, and DR..
Sunbury seized. it courageously. He had
been spending the evening with MI. Thor
burn at his lodgings, and the other clergy
man happening to mention, as DIR. Sun
bury was taking his leave, that he thought
of getting lodgings elsewhere, DR.. Sunbury
remarked quite naturally that he chad
heard something regarding Mr.. Thorburn
and Miss Priscilla Mildmay which perhaps
accounted for the proposed change" They
were standing at Mr.. Thorburn's door, and
by the bright moonlight DR.. Sunbury saw
the dark flush which overspread Mr.. Thor
burns somewhat saturnine face.
IL assure you he began; and then,
after pause, 81 am too old"
Nonsense! p replied DR.. Sunbury. "Pris-
ella is nearly twenty -four" (ah! doctor,
before last,) and you are-let me see
thirty-seven.n
''Thirty -nine," conscientiously said Mr..
Thorburn.
'Well, thirty-nine. You are enough man
of the world to see that age interposes no
obstacle in the case. However, l shall say
no more. Goodnight"
''If l hadn't been going just then, l don't
think could have said it, confidentially
remarked DR.. Sunbury to Dr. Forman.
The little seed that Dr. Sunbury had
planted in Mr. Thorburn's mind grew, and
waXed to be great tree But all the time
he looked upon it as impossible. Priscilla
was but child, and he was man grown
old in sorrow, in suffering, and labor No,
it could never be. And having come to the
conclusion that he was in no danger what
ever, Mr. Thorburn Jared just as such pre-
sumptuous Samsons always do-met Pris-
ella under the most adverse circumstances,
running home from shower, and in
manner the most unexpected to himself
proposed to her just as they came in front
of the West Harrowby savings bank, which
was also the post-oftice and the principal
apothecaT's shop. Priscilla's behavior
was of piece with his own. The idea had
never been presented to her mind before,
and it was matter that required the
utmost circumspection in deciding and yet
by the time she reached her own door she
had accepted Mr. Thorburn, the rain mean
while from his umbrella trickling in little
rivers down her back. There was neither
TIME nor opportunity for love-making in
the midst of pouring shower upon the
pavement in 'front.' of the Mildmay man
sion, so Mr.. Thorburn could only take her
little cold hand and say "God bless you,
God bless you, my Priscillap'
In due course of time the wedding-a
very quiet one-came off, and Mr.. and Mrs.
Thorburn were settled in a modest rectory
in East Harrowby. The Misses Mildmay
had suggested indeed, urged-that Mr..
Thorburn should establish his rectory in
the more fashionable precinct of West
narrowly, but Mr.. Thorburn demurred, on
the ground of its being a clergyman's duty
to live in his parish. They,were as happy
b. the day was long. Priscilla, under the
new influence of happiness and good roast
beef and daily pint of porter, grew rosy,