Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-09-12
.AUGHT BY A TARTAR,
BY KATE NJ. cLEARY.

"There!' said Chrystal.
With sigh of satisfaction, she poised
the last tart airily on the apex of the
pastry pyramid and stepped back to view
the effect. And, indeed, the effect was
as artistic rs appetizing. The oval dish
OF polished Beleek, creamy with are.
dotted all over with prim little blue for.
get-me.nots and primmer little pink
rosebuds would have delighted the heart
OF a china connoisseur. And the tarts.
round, crisp, tiaky, goldcay brown, each
inciosing crimson lake of strawberry
preserve, and all towering up in regular
and tempting productivity, quite rewarded
the cook for her labor.
'lf these" considered Chrystal. nc she
carefully carried the detachable daintics
. into the buttery aud laid the dish down
on the shelf by the north window. ssif
these do not suit even Clarencc's civ
friends, they are very hard to please
Very-hard- to- please," she repeated, hy
phenating her sentence with n series Of
convinced little mods.
She went back to the kitchen and
looked up ut the clock. "IIalf-past 3.
and everything is done, except to set the
table. | think everything is done. The
nam is sliced, the chicken jellied, the
compete made, the cream whipped ard
the tarts baked, Yes, may go and dress,
and perhaps have time fol a bit of a read
before | must set the table"
She tidicd up the kitchen, closed the
'"heSaery door, drew down the blinds. and
went upstairs.
The homo nF fl,o
oid frame house standing on the outskirts
OF Ashland. Crystals parents were in
inc pleasant circumstances generally des-
iSnated comfortable, and Clarence, her
twin brother, held n confidential position
In city grain firm. Yesterday he had
learned two college friends of his were in
town lie had called Mt their hotel. but
iailed 10 find them in, so lie had left :;
rotc stating he woald cal! again. Oh this
particular evening, and bring them out
to supper ut his fathers house. The
Brnntons happened TO bc without Girl
at the time, but Clarence, with Young
mans thonghtlcssncss, failed to consider.
tEat fact. Perhaps he knew Chrystal
would prove more reliable than a host Of
domestics. Her genius FOR housekeeping
Qor perfect housekeeping does imply &C.
nius) had been proven.
Fresh, breezy and blowy was the after
noon. Delicious drifts of sunshine and
tantallzing shadows followed each other
IN bew.ldering repetition. Within tie
mouse there was no sound. The only iu-
mates were Chrystal and her mother.
The latter was writing letters in her own
room
Zone! two! three! four!'
Chrystai counted the strokes, as she
slipped into her pretty Marguerite gown
OF rust-red China silk.
NOV I'll just glance through those
new magazines before supper" she de-
cided, as she tied and patted the soft sash
OF her dress, dcftly twisted the big bow
back, and then turned her head over her
shoulder to admire the result in the mir
roy, But, alas, for the vanity of human
resEvyesl AT that moment the bell rang.
1Oh, dearl Who can that be?" she
exclaimed, with emphasis more provoked
than flattering. -;.:.e;s;..
Hastily she thrust silver pin through
the deep fall of creamy lisse at her
throat, tucked away couple of rcbellious
curls under the braided coil of her brown
hair, and went out of her room and down
the stairs.
She opened the door to bold Young
breeze, to chilly dazzle of sunshine,
and to Miss Stokes. To Miss Stokes of
all women! Crystals heart sank. A
splnster of an age decidedly beyond that
known as uncertain was Miss Stokes. Her
periodical visits were invariably long, in
yariably gossipy, invariably tiresomc.
The Bruntons had known her for MANY
years. She was one of those formidable
and familiar spccters: "a friend of the
family" and she was, therefore, entitled
to liberation, if not TO exalted regard.
Helf-past fourl Five A quarter past
FIVE!
"Will she never goa" dcjectedly mar
veled poor Chrystal, sitting there smil-
ling, endeavoring to repress indications
of wcariness, and striving 10 appear in
terested in the prosy talk of her visitor.
And meanwhile two young men, both
very hungry, both very tired, returning
to town otter day spent in duck shoot
ling outside the city limits, had taken a
short cut through the Bruntons orchard.
They were obliged to pass quite close to
the house, and one of them, tall, mus
cular young fellow, with pleasant black
eyes. white teeth, and the sunniest of
smiles, paused by window which
great old cherry-trsc shaded, q window
that WINS low and open
"LcoK Tom y he said.