The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-25

home, you know" pleaded Chatty.
"And love him, and he loves me"
"Fiddlcsticks almost shouted Aunt
Bagg. "Love, indeed! wonder you're
not ashamed to talk in that way. If
that young man presumss to come here,
he shall be packed off the premises
quicker than lightning"
"Oh!" gasped Chatty, "you wouldn't
be so cruel"
you'll see whether I will or not, !"
said Miss Bagg, ineSorably.
Coraline looked on with pcrturbcd
face.
Did love always make so much trouble
as this2 Chatty was very pretty, and
she had come into Cedar Hall like SUD-
beam, but what terrible commotion she
was creating!
"Then," said Chatty, with an audacity
that turned Coraline's blood to ice,
"you're wicked, cruel old woman! And
I won't stay here any longer!"
"Please yourself about that" grimly
remarked Aunt Bagg.
Chatty's small stock of self-control
could not endure further. She ran out
into the showers of the su2try August
day.
"Oh, aunty, call her back!" cried
Coraline, who had the tenderest of ten
der hearts. "Don't you see how it is
raining2"
cit won't hurt her." said Aunt Bagg.
"She has got her waterproof cloak on
her arm. And she's wise enough to run
into the old ruin, you see!"
"Poor darling!" sighed .Coraline.
"Pert mink" said Aunt Bagg. "Here
comes poor Polly through the rain
there's one good thing. But my grand.
fathers picture is spoiled, and the old
Gothic chair that belonged to my moth
er's ancestors is only fit for the wood-pile.
Yes, let her run away, if that's her no.
ton. never want to see her again"
"But," cried Coraline, "it isn't wicked
to be in love, is it2"
Aunt Bagg turned away with awhisk
of her skirts.
"Come, Polly" said she-"come to
your cage"
But as the time crept on and the storm
grew fierccr, Coraline's heart quailed.
"What will she do for her lunch,
auntie?" said she, piteously.,
"When she gets starved out, she'll
come back, suppose said Miss Bagg:
All at once jagged stream of livid
lightning seemed to descend perpendicu-
larly into the river; thunderbolt, like
an earnest of Jove's wrath, crashed above
them; there was a rumbling echo, cloud
of dry dust rising into the air.
Peter, the man of all work, rushed in
to the room.
81 believe in my soul, ma'am," said
Peter, "the old mill is struck"
Aunt Bagg and Coraline stood looking
at each other, then they both hurried
out into the storm.
"Chatty-my Cousin Chatty!" walled
Coraline.
"The poor, pretty creature!" cried
Miss Bagg. "And to think that I spoke
80 cross to hern"
Peters prediction proved true. The
walls of the old mill still stood, but the
chimney had collapsed into n heap of
ruins, from which the skirt of poor
Chatty's waterproof still fluttered.
$50 young!' cried Miss Bagg, wiring
ing her hands-''so pretty! Oh, if I
could undo the past, she should have her
lover and everything she wanted! Get a
spade, Peter! Call the men! Let us re-
cover thc-the body at once!"
sBlcss US and save US, ma'am," said
Peter, ''if once we began to dig there,
we'd soon have the whole place topping
around usl But I'll go for the coroner,
ma'am, if you please"
"That isn't at all necessary, Peter"
said sweet young voice, and Chatty
herself sprang down from one of the
hollow window castings, and running up
to Miss Bagg, nearly suffocated her by
the warmth of her embrace. "Im not
dead at ALL" cried she, land there's no
use digging for me! When it began to
Tighten so, threw off my hat and cloak,
and climbed up here to see how lovely
the river looked in the blue CLEANS, and
when the crash came, was half-fright-
encd out of my wits. I could neither
speak nor move until I saw you come in.
Did you really mean it, Aunt Bagg' Can
have Erica And may he come here2
Oh, you are the sweetest, dearest, darling
est aunt in all the world2"
After all, what could one refuse to a
girl who, to all intents and purposes,
was just risen from the dead2 Aunt
Bagg felt the difficulties of her position
and surrendered.
Mr.. Eric Townsend arrived the next
day, and luckily chanced to find favor in
Miss Bagg's eyes. She interested herself
at once in getting a good position for
him, as impecuniosity proved to be his
worst failing, and Chatty declared that
she was q guardian angel.
"And now, my DEAR" said Aunt Bagg
to Coraline, "Since your cousin is settled,
it's high time for me to be looking out
fo- you. I don't see why you shouldn't
be married, too"
'I'm sure, aunt, I never thought of
such thing" said Caroline, blushing.
"Then it's high time you should be
thinking" said Miss Bagg. Gone old
maid is enough in the family"
And so contagious was Chatty's cx-
ample that within the year pretty Cora
line was married to the young minister Of
the nearest church.
"Two responsibilities off my hands,"
said Hiss Baor. HBut it does seem