The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-10-15
Select Storg,
LOVES MADNESS
From All the Year Round.
CHAPTER |.

From All the Year Round
CHAPTER I.
Miss Grace Farnham was carefully tend
ing the finest rosebush in her pretty old
world garden. Click-clip click clip wen
her bright scissors with even monotony a.
she robbed the poor bush of half its treas
ures, and ruthlessly deprived it of quaint
ties of leaves and small unnecessary twigs
Miss Grace had been a fresh, prett,
country girl once, the darling of he
mothers heart and the belle and pride o
the whole village; but that was very many
years ago, before the brown eyes-whicl
had wrought such havoc in their time
had grown faded and dim, and were hid
den away behind great pair of spectacles
sunken and wrinkled; before the sunny
chestnut hair had demoralized into six fat
little gray curls-three OH each side of the
faee-and before the pretty, red Tipped
mouth had ceased to laugh mischievously
and disclose the even white teeth and those
enchanting dimples for which she was
famed
Miss Grace never laughed now; some
times vague, patient smile would fit
across her plain, worn old face, lending it
a pathetic beauty which it would otherwise
assuredly have lacked. There is always
something beautiful about an old face, no
matter how homely it may be, and it was
this patient smile alone which saved Miss
tFea Faeff sfrtpm trpm r ReqT qd utterly @ GRnaeMpeav bd
as remarkably ugly old maid.
Her elder sister, Miss Farnham, was a
small, shrivelled, perky little body, who
had never been pretty or in the least de-
gree admired, and who did not cherish the
memory of even one love story of her own.
| No. Stella had always been absolutely
practical and far above such Il foolish
sentiment as love; and on this she prided
herself not little.
She had been an excellent and absolute
" dutiful daughter to her mother, and had
striven to be good, careful sister to Miss
Grace; and if she had a temper of her own
and a sharp tongue, she was like the pro
verbal DOC who, we are taught to believe
Is more TO be feared for his voice than foi
his teeth.
And Miss Grace shipped and tweaked al
her rosebush, pounced upon unsuspeetins
caterpillars, and lent a rather iuattentiv'
ear to her sisters incessant chat, the while
being dreamily occupied by thoughts o.
her own.
Miss Farnham was not idle while sh'
talked. Her nimble fingers were busily
working at huge length of coarse calico
she was always to be seen sewing calico
with what end in view not even the wises
gossip in the village could disclose, but ii
was shrewdly supposed that the mysteri
Gus lengths of stuff were converted int
sheets and sent up to London to SOM
charitable institution.
sStella," said Miss Grace meditatively
as she tenderly clipped off full blow
rose, and half unconsciously interrupted
her sister in the midst of a grave harangu
as to the best and swiftest method of rid
ding garden of slugs; "Stella, | hav
waited patiently for very many years.
Hush, Grace! = whispered Miss Farm
ham reprovingly; "supposing some one il
the neighbOring garden should hear you,
should feel greatly ashamed"
"There is no one in the next garden,
answered Miss Grace mildly; "no one a
all: but | will not mention the matter agai
if you would prefer me not to, although
is great relief to me to speak out all tha
is in my heart to some one who can symp;
thize with me-.
"Grace, Grace = and Miss Farnham lai
her work down in her lap for one brief mC
> ment and regarded her sister with stern di
pleasure; ''we are both too old to troub
ourselves about such matters. 1t is not ;
if you were a silly, fighty, love sick gin
but" with cruel truth, 'we are just
couple of plain, elderly women, you and
and as such should be thinking Of high'
things than the petty troubles and disal
pointments of this world tell you onc
: more, for the nine hundredth time, tn
' Oliver Deane will never come now
o never! Why, you are-let me see-ho
). old are you, Grace ~
y "Never mind y Miss Grace snapped
manner entirely foreign to her gent
nature; then she turned and faced Mi
Farnham suddenly, with flush on her o
withered face and strange, unnatur
9 light in her eyes alt was on a day Ill
"a this, Stella, warm, glorious summer da
: and we were standing together under Il
= lime trees, Oliver and I, and he was bi
! ding me farewell long, long farewe
and he took my hands in his and he
them firmly, and smiled down into my ia
:. with his kind, true eyes, saying"
eyes, Oracle, yes interrupted Nj