The Washington critic., 1886-10-23
CYRIlLA AIMS ROMANCE.
"Cyrilla Ann"
siNno ,,.,'a.x ~

"Them windows must be cleaned to-
day, and this mornin, too; I'm fairly
asbi md of 'em; they're so dirty / kin
scarcely see through 'em. They had
orter been done last week"
Cyrilla Anna sighed when she
thought of all that had been done "last
week." and the greater, much the
greater part, by her own poor little
hands, which still bore the marks Of
many cuts, burns, scratches and
bruises In testimony thereof. The car
pets had been taken up, shaken and
laid again; the dining room and parlor
stoves taken down aud carried to the
garrct, walls washed furniture pol
ished, clothes closets rid of everything
pertaining to cold weather and filled
with things pertaining to warm, and
with all the rest the regular work of
the house had gone on much the same
as usual-cooking, washing. ironing,
sweeping, dusting, scrubbing, ETC.,
ETC., etc.
Why, Cyrilla Ann had not laid her
head on her pillow single night Of the
six before eleven or twelve o'clock, al
though that same head had to be off
the pillow at half-past five sharp every
morning.
The parlor windows couldn't have
been squeezed into last weeks doings,
no matter what Mrs. Feeze choose to
think and say about it. And now the
weather had turned so very cold. An
icy wave, maliciously left behind by
gruf old winter to veX his successor,
and which had been prophesied for
several days, had come at last In earnest,
and Cyrilla Ann dreaded those win
dows. They were long and wide, and
she would bo obliged to stand on the
oldfashioned balcony-the house was
corner one and fully exposed to the
extremely windy spring winds-to do
Il G outside of them
Poor girl l can't imagine how she
got through all the work of the Feezc
hOusehold-which was one of those
eXacting ones which demand more
labor than many twice their size--for
she was a small body, and did not look
very strong. But it was easy to tell by
= the expression of her mouth when she
closed it firmly, as she often did, that
what Cyrilla Ann lacked in strength
she made up in grit, and when she had
determined to do thing she'd do. 1t or
die In the attempt. Besides this firm
mouth, Cyrllla Ann had a pair of soft,
gray eyes, with long, dark eyelashes,
and heavy, dark, arched eyebrows.
nose-well, somewhat puggy, but not
at all unattractively so, and dimple
in her round chin for which many
millionairess would have parted with
untold gold. This dimple was the
source of the greatest veXation to her
mistress, Mrs. Feeze. That estimable
woman mad no dimples, nor soft, gray
eyes, nor long, silken lashes, nor
arched eyebrows, nor funny little pug
nose. Her eyes were cold, light blue.
Her lashes were short and scanty, and
when she forgot to make them
and thin. SO was her chin. And her
mouth was one of those straight, lip.
less ones that seldom, If ever, open to
say anything pleasant. Cyrilla AIMS
, dimple was the last straw that broke
The camcl's back with Mrs. Feeze. She
could, by trying hard, endure in silence
whatever other claims the girl had to
prettiness, but the dimple was too
much. "lf l was a gal and had stitch
ridiculous hole as that in my chin, I'd
fill it up with putty if couldn't get
rid of it no other way" she'd say,
when she couldn't find anything to
sco!d about. And then CyrilIa Ann for
the life of her couldn't help smiling,
and the dimple would grow deeper
than ever, and Mrs. Feeze would turn
tway with toss of the head aud con-
tlmi tuous sniff
Cyrilla Ann was an orphan. Mrs.
Feeze had taken her from the asylum
when she was only 10 years old. Her
own daughter having married anl left
her-and they do say she was very
glad to go-she took Cyrilla Ann "to
fill the place left vacant in her heart
and home" That is what she said.
But Heaven save the mark! If all
orphan girls taken to fill hearts and
homes have to work as hard and get as
little for it as Cyrilla Ann, they'd
much prefer, am certain, to be hired
as servants at regular wages.
"Well, to go back to the parlor win
dows. "Have em done by the time |
git home from marklt. You've nothing
else to do but scour the knives, and
bring up coal, and sift the ashes, aud
scrub the kitchen, and bake pan of
biscuit" said Mrs. FceZe. And having
already donned cloak and bonnet, she
drew on her wooden mlttens and de-
Parted.
"I'll go at them right away, and thea
they'll be off my mind" declare |
Cyrilla Ann, as she heard the street.
door close And in moment more
upstairs she went, carrying pail of
water, some soft, white cloths and an
old newspaper, and, going into the
gloomy parlor, began briskly at the
window nearest the stoop.
Now it happened that the young man
who had set up for himself in the shoe
business across the way, about n month
before, was at this very moment pol
ishing the outside of his shop window,
and, CHANGING to look in the direction
of the opposite corner, lie Immediately
spied Cyiila Ann. 1t seems he could
scc.through Mrs FeeZe parlOr win.
dows if Mrs. Feeze couldn't, And
what does that young man do but turn
the key in the shop door, pull it out OF
the lock, drop ii into his pocket rush
across the street and up on that bal
cony, carrying with him a big, wet
sponge and big, dry ohamOis, Its
loo cold for you to come out here" he
called through the glass, putting his
face so close to II that If there had
been no pane there you would have
sworn he was kissing the grayey eyed
maid. "I'll do the outside. | won't
he minute"
Cyrilla Ann hushed She blushed
IA leauti1ully ooh no - sbo hogan.