Smyrna times., 1890-08-27

! Instructed IN Uhe mysteries OF Madren-
olla's recipe for salad dressing, never
came to pass.
The old house keeper in the Fifth
avenue mansion stared when she open
ed the door to Miss Blessington, who
had driven to the front steps in a cab,
piled high with luggage in the purple
dusk of summer evening.
''Is my uncle at home, Priscilla ?"
"Well, Miss Kate" stammered the
astOnished old lady, "he just amt, and
that's fact"
"Gone to his club ?"
No.
Where is he then ?"
Didn't you git his letter. miss"
questioned the old woman.
''I've got no letter. He isn't sick. !"
mo, miss, but he's married.
Married ?"
Miss Blessington sat down in the big
hall chair.
my uncle? And to whom ?"
"To Miss Nina Gray !"
Nina Grey !" gasped Kate, "Pris-
ella you must be dreaming. She's
younger than am"
81 amt, miss no morn yourself. He
sailed for Europe on Saturday, with
his bride. Dear me, here's the letter
now, in rack. I s'posed it had been
mailed a week ago"
A cold, clear, cutting letter, in which
Mr.. Orlando Blessington expressed his
conviction that in rearing and educa-
ting his niece, he had done all that
possibly could be expected of him. That
he had just been married to pretty,
little Nina Grey, his partners young
est daughter, and that hereafter he
hoped that Kate would find it conven-
lent to shift for herself, as Nina pre-
ferred no divided rule in the Fifth av-
enue mansion.
Poor Kate
Once, twice, she read the letter over
before she found herself able fully to
comprehend its cold, cruel meaning;
and then, with her eyes blinded with
tears she turned to Priscilla.
II may stay here tonight, 1 sup
pose ?" she said, with a quiver in her
voice.
As long as you please, Miss Kate /"
cried the old woman.
mo-" she returned, more firmly;
this is no longer my home. Only
only l have nowhere else to go, just
yet, and all this seems so sudden"
Mrs. Daggett could hardly believe
her eyes, the next week, when Miss
Blessington came back to the old farm
house among the Berkshire Hills.
"YOu are surprised to see me-" said
Kate, with faint smile. "But-but
things have altered with me. My un-
Gle has married girl younger than
myself, and turned me in civil sort of
way, to be sure-out of doors. And
there are so few things, short of gen.
teel starvation, that woman can do
so | CHANGED to remember what you
said about school-teacher being need
ed at the Hadden Cross Roads Public
School, where nobody liked to go, be-
cause, it was such an unhealthful lOca-
ton, and the scholars all so rough and
stupid. But beggars mustn't be choos-
ers, and I thought that perhaps Char
ley-Mr. Daggett--could see the Trus-
tees for me in day or two"
Certainly" said Mrs. Daggett. "And
you're kindly welcome, Miss Blessing.
ton, back to the old farm"
But Kate cried herself to sleep that
first night in the sweet old room, where
the sweetbrier bushes sent up so
subtle fragrance, and the walls were
prepared with blue and white
stripes.
$50 you are back, Miss Blessington?"
said Charley, when he met her, the
next day.
"Yes, 1 am back"
"And you want to go teaching?"
"Yes."
"But I once heard you say that you
detested school teaching"
$50 1 do"
"Then, why do you teach ?"
Because" confessed Kate, crimson
ing, there is no alternative"
"YOu would rather teach school than
to be farmers wife ?"
81 havn't said so!'' said Kate, biting
her lip. "And it is very wicked of you,
Charley-Mr. Daggett ] mean-to
taunt me sop
kate !"
"Well-Charley ?"
"Will you be farmers wife now ?"
"Of course 1 will be-if you ask
me?"
Because there is no other alterna-
tiveP"
"No-because Hove you, Charley l'
So they were married and Kate has
been heard to declare that the kindest
office Uncle Blessington ever did for
her was to send her back to the peace
ful old Daggett homestead.
For" she says, "a farmers is the
most independent life in the world
next to that of farmers wife. ."-NeaO
York Ledger.