Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-02-21

were going to spend the night.
Relieved To find peace, Aunt Bates
snttlcd herself in front Of the fire, in tn,
m.ost comfortable arm chair, and placed
her feet, cascd i'll shabby black satin
shoes, OH the low fender
At this moment Frank, the man scrv.
ant, came in with an arnful of logs. lie
waited for some minutes; but rs Aunt
Bates did not take the hint, and remove
her feet he coolly stepped over them.
Crank, honey" she said, in mild re-
proach, "you oughtn't to step over Aunt
l}ates's feet"
linen she turned to Nelly Harrison, Il
fragile girl with Il delicate hectic bloom
anda Slight stoop; and remarked: "Nclly,
honey, should think you'd try 10 sit
straight"
"Wcll, it seems a, if cant, some
how. sail the girl, good naturally.
"Oh, honey! yon ouglt To scca cousin
of mine, Amanda I.c;narc Such grand
figure oi 81 young lady, honey, Why.
she's as straight It cll, us straigh. rs |
am. She has the department Of Queen.
That's what they used to say ofmc-that
| would grace throne. think, honey,
if you could once See Amanda, you'd
try not 10 be SO stoop shomldcrcd Some
folks might be ill-na;urcd enough 10 saw
you had Il hump. But as for Amanda
"Why, Aunt Bltcs.' cried Cynrh;a, in
opcn-cyed wonder, ''AmanGa is hiah-
stouldercd, and pa used always to say she
walked like our old red COW.
tsDi1 bp bnun,.1f .,s.t-n,, a..
old lady. "Wcll, perhaps I've forgot
ten how she walks. 1t might he her
mother | was thinking of; but, ut any
rate, il runs in our family to walk grace
fully and TO be slender and distinguished
looking. You and Laura favors the
l.emarcs, but You are nothing like what
they were in my young days. It's Il
blessing You didn't take after the Gar
nctis. Your dear ma is painfully stout,
and has about as much expression in her
face ms Il pan of skim milk
please don't make such remarks about
ma, Aunt Bates, " said Laura, Indignantly.
Honey, it isn't back biting your dear
ma To tell the truth about her. Unless
she is pulled up with vanity, she must
know, honey, that she is too fat and has
no waist"
MAS Just right contradictcd
Cynthia.
"Wcll, honey, your saying so doesn't
make it So. You girls of the prcscn
day have no idea what grace or beauty is.
oh, honeys, you should have seen Aunt
Bates i'll the bloom of her girlhuod. They
called me the Mountain Rose, and dhcls
were fought about me by the dozen. |
was as fair as Il lily, with large eyes as
blue as forget mc-nots, and hair like
snnbcams. Besides, every one said |
was as graceful as Il fairy. have had
many romantic adventures"
Here the girls exchanged expressive
glanccs. They knew what was coming.
"one day" Aunt Bates continued, "as
was on my way to school, | met such II
handsome youn" gentleman on horse
back. He looked ut me liXc,lly, and al
Ter hc had passed, lie kept turning
around To get one more GLANCE. After
this, | often met him. and, one day.
when dropped my satchc Of books, he
lcapcd from his noble horse, and handed
il back to me, with courtly bow. This
led To an acquaintance that ripcncd into
IN cngagcment-wiih the full consent of
my parents, honey.
I" lis name was lIarcourt dc Percival.
lie wrote the most beautiful poems, and
he used to bring them 10 me, and we
would read them together But he got II
bran-tcvcr and died. For two years
mourncd him rs II widow but one day,
the servant came and told me Il gentle
man wanted TO see me. As entered the
room, nearly fell in faint for !
thought that lIarcourt de Percival stood
before me. For II moment he stood
transliXcd with admiration of my beauty. "
Here Kate Harrison suppressed Il
gigglc.
And then he said, Madam, any late
friend, llarcoart de Percival, left me in
his will Il manuscript collection of his;
poems, which believe you have in your
possession"
why was he so long in coming for
thcm.' Cynthia asked in an artlcss tone.
" Don't ask such silly questions How
do know! ! was not so bold us YOU
girls are 10 begin cross examining a gem
tlcman. As | was saying, l gave him the
poems AMI Ne became very good friends.
And, honey" concluded Aunt Bates, inn
prcssivcly, " married Uncle Bates be-
cause he looked 50 much like IIarcomrt
dc pcrcival."
Aunt Batcs's visit WAS Il lengthy one.
1t listed until spring set in, and was ell
livcncd by many ecccntricities.
On one occasion some visitors inquired
whether Mrs. I.emarc had had any peas
from her garden.
BEFORE she could answer, Aunt Bates
stuck in: "Pcas, honcy2 Why, we've
had -pcas-peas- we're sick
OF peas"
"Aunt Batcs!'' Sabina demonstrated
1--WE haven't had any peas ut ALL"
"Wcll, Sabina, but we will have" re-
tortcd the imperturbable Aunt Bates.
At last, She left the Lcmarcs, after
having worked up every man. woman
and child on the place into a state of ex-
asperation.
"!lunt Bates is regular torment, -
cried Cynthia.