Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-14
TIE STORY or ALICE LINTON.
CHATTER l.

CHAPTER i.
mo, Keziah, it is not the least use talk
ing about it. She must come here There!
no help for it"
"Then what's the use o grumblin' al
it?n demanded Keziah, with a barely re
pressed air of fury and indignation.
'sNo good" / admitted with sigh, as
glanced round my dainty little drawing
room, and thought how recklessly the ex.
pected visitor would probably treat all my
pet bits of furniture, my rare china, my
numerous knickknacks that it had taken
me nearly forty years to collect.
"Then / wud'nt do it," declared my
elderly handmaiden, with terrible snort,
that filled me with fear and added to my
perplexities, for 1 stood rather in awe of
my grim-looking servant, and, as she had
lived with me for twenty years and more,
and knew my ways thoroughly, l was
afraid of losing her and having to supply
her place with youthful piece of imper-
Thence, in pink cotton and lilac ribbons,
who would turn the house topsv-turvey
and send me into a fever with her Eighty
ways.
NO." she went on, fixing me with her
sharp little black eyes, "if Master Jacks
wife's got to come here, and there amt no
cure fur it, why, let her come, and don't
you bother yerself about it. What can't
be cured must be endured We know"
eyes, that is all very we'll" began; but
/ was talking to the chairs, and the tables,
and the knickknacks. Keziah had van
ished; was left alone in my glory and with
my perplexities.
/ tried to amuse myself by settling some
of the spring blooms floating around in the
big family punch bowl, in vases, and jars;
usual in my occupation, and l found my
self signing irritably every now and then.
The fact was, my nephew-my only
nephew, and the apple of my eye-had
written, some weeks before, to asked me to
receive his wife, whose health he said had
suffered from the rigors of the Canadian
winters, into my house, until his regiment,
which was expecting orders daily, should
arrive in England, and he be able to give
her home of her own.
OF course wrote back at once and said
eyes" had never refused Jack ANYTHING
in his life, and l was not going to begin
now, when he was in such a fdget about
his dear Alice's health. Nevertheless, 1
was not very well pleased at the prospect
of receiving a fashionable young woman
into my house, who would probably laugh
at my ways and ridicule my old-maidish
habits. For an old maid l was, Of fifty
/ am not going to deny it. Indeed, why
should 1?
Still, though no one ever asked me to
change my state of single blessedness for
one Of double misery, and though / there
fore had no chick or child of my own, I
had brought up my only sisters boy, Jack
Lynton, and loved him just as well as
though he was my own, which is saying
good deal; yet / know no one could have
been more to me than dear Jack When
he grew up gave him his choice of pro-
fession, and he chose the army. He had
plenty of money, so made no objections,
and it was all very well while the regi-
ment remained in England, but when it
was ordered to Canada | thought my
heart must break. However, it did not
Hearts are made of stern stuff nowadays,
and it takes a marvellous lot to damage
them. l continued to live and thrive, and
even sustained the shock of the announce
ment of his approaching marriage six
months later with certain amount of
equanimity OF course he asked my con-
sent to it, and equally of course gave it,
for where would have been the use of
Withholding it? He was of age and his
own master in every way, and he could do
as he liked, and he did. He married this
French Canadian, and declared himself
the happiest man in the world.
l was mildly jealous, and almost hated
the mere thought of her. / had had the
monopoly of darning his socks and putting
buttons on his shirts all his life, and /
ardently desired to retain it. No giddy
girl could or would knit him such blue and
red silk socks as / manufactured for him,
or turn out such faultless shirts, for /
never let him don one unless manufactured
by my hands, and sent a parcel out to
him regularly twice year, which he duly
acknowledged with grateful thanks.
He sent me half dozen different photos
of his wife. He was evidently proud of
her, and she was pretty, incidentally and
uncommonly pretty. Only, gazing at her
fair pictured face with eyes sharpened by
love, l thought it trife insincere-look-
ing, and that the heavy-lidded, languid
eyes could hide more than they revealed.
Still, she was lady, though absolutely
penniless, this Alice du Prye, and
thanked heaven that he had not made one
of those terrible mesalliances that young
men perpetuate with such utter disregard
for the feelings and wishes of their friends,
and / considered myself bound to receive
her in my house, give her a home and
play the part of mother to her, until her
husband arrived to look after her and take
the rather unwelcome responsibilities off
my shoulders. did not feel altogether
happy or comfortable as ! sat there ar
ranging my daffodils and violets. and try
ing to make the sprays of hyacinth look as
little pokerish as possible.
She was evidently, from the style of her
dress, one of those women who keep in
the front rank of the fashions and always
have the last new thing, whereas / con-
slider it better and more economical for a
woman to get a thorough good dress once
in three years, and make it do with the
help of two or three new everyday ones.
Moreover liked to have forty winks after
dinner uadisturbed, was fond of game of
cribbage with my neighbor, Lawyer Smiles,
three or four times week, liked cut
out Of plain joint, detested made dishes
and kickshaws, and adored Fido, my little
King Charles spaniel, who was, ! must
admit, rather fat--so fat indeed, that it
was difficult to tell which was his head
and which was his tail, for he resembled
an animated ball of long hair.
Now the coming of Alice Lynton might
upset and disturb all of my ways and
habits; and when one is fifty, one objects
strongly to being disturbed. The greater
part of those fifty years | had spent alone
and certain things occurred at certain hour:
in my establishment with clockworS- like
regularity. | felt like it would be a
grieyous thing If new habits and new way:
were introduced.
Eawavar I ,aea1 not have tra,,hlaS NV