New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-12
A SIMPLE MAIDEN.
A simple maiden in her flower
. Is worth a hundred conts-oi.


iii in good time, my dear. You ought to
know Of old that I'm impcr'i ous 70 tic we",ncr,
and that not all the rain IN Dorbyshrne eyer
caused me as much single snechc; by-,nc.
way, when the butchers man Calls YOU heu oSetV o
order q leg lamb for tomorrow, anu IA YOU n.y.
time. Won might drive into Marley tins eNcnln.
and see whether You can't forage OUT u 1''c
asparagus and peck or 50 OF harroN ;d so,ro-
:" All which means that you nave lHNi'e'' so"io-
one Ia dinner" . hr,
encountered in the Dale, aG WI" ,boT W in COM
pany But I'll tell you more about MN WHICH
I've changed my toggery. Do. n,,o Former rec
TOR # Whitoapplc il the county OF Derby ana
his eldest daughter, Margciy. Inc rector W"o
q wcll-built bun-looliins man, IN age S9mcWh1cIG
between hftv and sixty lie had STRONGLY ir!'ed
features dark piercing eyes Uluer nu>lS pVirT ~
house brows. somewhat aggressive oNp!v',ir"a
of counienancc and altogether more the ar o! Il
ron.Ic,oau farmer than that of clergy MAI
Nargcry Fermor had turncd the corner 9l nct
twcnty-iirst birthday mon.n DS'oiT o ei@htnrSS
look her age by coaplc OF years. nc S.isn'ny I
of her figure caused her to seem lAlleE In%t ~ ~
really was, as well as serving 10 au3niJg"iI .ne
yonthfu,ness of her appearance; She hau latst'
dorl, notwithstanding eyes, WIN SOL OF WIS.,
ful far-aSay expression IN them, Whcn many
pcope-chiely of the opposite scA-'Guiu ,cd
iart, attractive IIcr features were delcale ana
iLcly cut: her hair was mass oil shQfi' p.HCH H
glossy cars, arranged in WY when wiile
20 oIl nnpcarance the acme OF carer sshcSS III
reality owed not little 20 the tolch OF arr LIZ
COMMISSION was designated BY her sister Jesse
sS Icing Of The stfawbery-;,nd-cIeam KIND
description which. crude thon2h ~ De- III l"Cn u
mos Elaborate one, may be allowed 10 lS'ss,
Tho visits of strangers to Whitteappc Kectory
wore so few ard far between that MarScry ierlHor
,niabt we'll be excused fcc feeling some CURIOSITY
ns TO the ono whom her father had invited TO
dine there On the morrow. ', :, ,o,. ,-our
Now, papa, you must tel nc az "uouO SU',
rora avis before YOU sit down to your newspaper,
sLn said as the rcctO= reentcred the ROOM Iooi>-
inc ROSY and ccm Portable, " because il you oncc
Get buried in the Times, there viii he no coaA-
If
has been read and dlgcsted. IL .os
1anob such as one would hardly have eNpccNu
from so hard featured man. am h4o "m wa
that much as hinted at haNihg S"SI ouvc Un
and when tell you that he is stayIuS AZ Ilc
Anglcr's Rest at Marley, bent, as nc hlmsell eA-
messed it, on idling away few weeks III SKeucI-
ing and fishing, your knowieose Oh HI" % ""'"'
"" Marrrcry took the card and read Mr. James
GasG %a Information to be got from that re-
roarlcd thc rector 1t may he tie name OF
great swcll-therc are Gascoicncs IN the pecrasc,
bclcvc--or il may be that OF a mere paeiAdh ouV
But what is he like, papa? Is he gentle
man? Is he young? Is he good-looInS
~" To tyo ut least of your queries | can answer
.r,s, With clear conscience He is certainly gen.
tlcman on that point cannot nc mistafcn In age
should take him to he about lnftIi any ni 80
for bS looks Won will he able 10 DECIDE tnat poiV
for yourself, bat certainly should call INN
fairlv handsome man.
Whatever Mr. Gascolgnc may turn out 10 pc
Won are a darling old ogre for asking lim 10 am
nor We have not had stranser TO dlne at tlc
Iccory since you brought Mr.. Midway, now nearly
half year ago
forgotten hole in which you are condemned 10
pass your days" said the rector with SIN
which but the echo OF very gncie ht NJ
Cascoicnc~ nc went presently, Nilch III may
be MS well You should be made acquainted WIN
beforehand. 1t is a point as 30 which can
i,,a0 iD IN
so much so that even a too conscious look, or
thoughtlesS smile, on the part OF others, hislt
I've enough TO cause hlm pun or ANNOYANCE.
Nature when She sent Mr. Gascoignc into the
world. was evidently in one OF her spOflNe nl09"s.
She conferred upon him the torso o. ~ hIlncHe
with the lower eXtremitics OF man whose growth
has been prcmaturcly arrested. When MI Gas
coignc is seated, ne appears as other men are, gre;
except that he looks finer specimen OF ms lnnd
liam ordinary: when Mr.. Gascoigne is standing
upright, the crown of his head IS about on lever
with my shoulder m - - L..
Not a bit of it, All his limbs appear TO be
as straight and well formed asIwcll, let US say
as mine. There is no deforrnty but simply an m
congruity. one halt of his body beng so utterly
disproportionate TO the other half And now
may, perhaps, be allowed 10 read my LINUS
fhe Rev. Dyke Fcrmor might have said, in his
own case, that nature had never INTENDED MN LOT
country mrscn, nor, indeed, for churchman
of any kind and certainly inclination had nothing
10 do with the fact Of his being one. lie had all
The instincts of soldier. ana MS nome OuGnt ~
have been on the tented feld7 rather than with
in the four walls of rectory. lie got through
his duties pcrfunct0rily his heart had never been
in them from the first and with each srccecdlns
wear they became more dlStastefuI 10 nm: lie
hated sermon-writing, and he conVeyed rs
much from the old divIneS as ms conscience Woui n
and he kept away from them as much as possible
He had no patron and no rich friends. lis hylne
was worth bare q four hundred year, ana he
had no hope whatever OF being able to exchange
il for more lucrative one lie was doomed, OF
so it seemed TO lingcr out nc remainder o. H i
days at Whtcapple and find ms last home III 1i1
churchvard He had been twice married. lbs
first wife had died after a few years, leaving hm
with one child, Margery. -,
time he had been enabled TO give really good
education But some years later, while Margery
was still at schooI ne d Iarileu "g"1 ,,bf
her husband a dOwry OF six thousand pounds,
which in the course of as many years vanished
into thin air. the result Of certain unfortunate
sDcculations i'm which tie ONcr.anguluc rector
had been induced to embark, fascinated by INC
golden lures which had been dangied before hlS
Impractical eyes.
Meanwhile he found himself the father OF three
small daughters and the husband of wlfe VINO
had settled down into the condition OF chrome
invalid. The poor rector would have gone as
tracted at this period had not his daughter Mar
gerry come TO his rescue. Girl though
She. was, she deycloIcd capabilities which
might have done credit TO woman
twice her age The rcins of management
were quietly withdrawn from the rcrvcless grasp
Of Mrs. Fcrnor, and all concerned fit the benefit
Of the change. Mrs. FcrmOr herself had never
been made comfortable. never had her littl
whns and fanciCs been So carcluiy considered
the children had never been looked after as
they were now; reign of economy in household
matters succeeded one Of waste and extravaganza
while TO the rector home had never seemed so
attractive since the death Of Margcry's mother
rs il did now. Yet they all had consciousness
that there was 'whp-hand over them which
would brook no nonsense There must be no
iibbing no rearing. no kicking over the traces
otherwise would the lash descend AND no mercy
be shown Even the Rev. Dyke himself stood
somewhat in Of his curly-hcadcd
g,lish-oolIing daughter whose wishes and opn-
ions he treated with degree Of Difference he
had never accorded to those OF either Of his
wives.
And so the SLOW months waXcd into years
and still Margcry FcrnlOr b0omcd like solitary
rose in the garden of tie old rectcry deep hidden