St. Landry democrat., 1888-01-07

Let me conduct you to your room.
You'll have time to rest a little before
tea. Your cousin Lucy will be here
shortly"
sIndeedH' calculated Rachel, with
the least perceptible curl of the lip.
"You mean our country cousin, | sup
pose? / never have seen her.
"And I was not aware that you ex-
pected her amt" said Celia. ''Is she
dowdy? Most country girls are! I
beg your pardon" as Aunt Meheta-
bells eyes flashed ominously. II mean
when brought up in a wilderness, as
Lucy has been. They say her home is
encompassed by woods. Oh-h!' pro-
longing the exclamation to its utmost,
as, after toiling up a single flight of
stair, they were ushered into a dainty
apartment and left alone. 81 am so
tired! And what homely, old-fashion-
ed room this is. Goodness! what1a
high-post bedstead this is. How'll we
ever get into it tonight? And look at
those scraggy green leaves in the vase
where flowers should be. Im sure
they're alive with worms. Tn tempt
ed to toss them out, Mercy! how will
we eyer manage to exist here? If aunt
wasn't so rich, and l afraid she'd leave
me out of her will, I'd start for home in
the morning.
Rachel complacently made answer:
'Tm satisfied with the prospect. It's
horrid old place, and aunt is penu-
rious old thing, else she wouldn't stay
here, with all the money she's got. [
have an object in view, so shan mind
the dullness of Blackberryville for
awhile. Have you forgotten? Aunt
intimated to us that the one who was
so fortunate as to win the affections of
Guy Winters, son of the man she was
engaged to marry, but for some unac-
countable reason did not, should have
her property. Now, I happen to know
that this Guy Winters is worth win
ming. I've seen his photograph, and
I've heard Eta Bayne speak of him.
He is as handsome as that NEUROLOGICAL
parsonage Apollo was said to be-is a
rising young lawyer in Buffalo-and |
mean to marry him. Don't sneer. l
am prettier than you, and have more
tact. You are lamentably wanting in
it, Celia. as you must acknowledge.
But bark! | hear wheels. Who's
coming? 1t must be Guy Winters or
Lucy. I wonder how she looks? I've
nothing to fear, though, from coun-
try girl. They're invariably awkward,
and-yes, it must be Lucy" as the
driver reined in his steeds before the
gates, and a wee figure got out and
stood there as tiny trunk was depos-
tied ON the ground. 81 can't catch a
glimpse of her face, but she is short,
and short women are never graceful,
and not enough pretty things could be
packed in that trunk to captivate any
man. :"
Meanwhile, Lucy Hunt had met her
aunt with an affectionate kiss and hug,
and followed her to the room made
ready for her.
Alithe, willoWy figure, dark, spark
ling face, winning smile and ayiva-
cious manner.
Mehetabel Bentley's heart went out
to her sister s child at once. How much
she resembled Maggie! The tears came
into her eyes as she left the room and
went down stairs to prepare some thing
nice and palatable for supper.
Thus domiciled, Lucy glanced care
1essly about the room. How neat! How
pretty it was! with its dainty curtains
at the window, its looking-glass gar
nished with branches of apple bloom;
a claw-footed table against the wall,
with high, antique vase thereon. in
which a handful or two of green leaves
were artistically arranged, and in one
dim corner bed, fragrant with laven-
der and mint, which the girl at first
mistook for snow-drift, so pure, so
spotlessly white was it.
"What a cool, inviting spot" she
murmured, ''it puts me in mind Of the
dear old home. Aunt is SO kind do
not think shall be bit homesick.a y
When the cleaning fell they were all
gathered together in the cozy little sit
ting-room-Aunt Mehetabel and her
three nieces.
The girls were totally dissinilar in
looks. Rachel was tall and naughty.
She had complexion OF lilies and
roses, turquoise-blue eyes and red-gold
hair, which was frizzled and tortured
in the prevailing fashion. As Guy
Winters was expected, she had made
herself as beautiful as possible. A blue
silk dress draped her stylish figure;
a jeweled butterfly sat perched in her
hair; at her throat and in her ears were
silver ornaments.
Celia, too, was tail, but her figure
was too much inclined to enabonpoiat
for gracefulness. She was dark as an
Egyptian, not in the least pretty. and
her manner was affected and disagree
able. She was attired in garnet silk,
with plenty of lace yellowed by age,
for she was vain enough to think she
might enslave Guy Winters.
Lucy, on the contrary, was as fatur-
al and as simple as her name. She had