Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-10-21
JENNY WREN.

lew persons that ever looked OH her lnit
turned to look again 1t was such sweet
and dainty face, with eyes of deep. ltls.
trous. golden brown: skin Il trife dusky,
like a sunbrowned Neapolitan, but with a
rudy, pomegranate redness of the cheeks
and lips and great abundance of fine,
brown hair that shone like satin, it was
SO smooth and bright. Her n;:lne was
Etoile North, but nothing could have been
more inappropriate, for she was not in the
least like a star, and of all stars she was
most unlike the North star except perhaps
in certain steady. unchanging attributes
of character but dimly suspected even by
her most intimate friends.
Besides having brown eyes, brown hair
and a brown complexion, she had a great
liking for brown in. color, and nearly all her
costumes, especially in the autumn and
winter time, were made of various shades
of brown, and for that reason somebody
once compared her to jenny wren. The
name chung to her. 1t was one of those
lucky hits that seem q kind of inspiration,
and before the end of the season people
had half forgotten that she was called
Etoile North. Even to strangers she was
often playfully introduced as Jenny Wren,
with few laughing words of explanation
and the addition Of her full name. With
her own sex Jenny Wren was a universal
favorite Among the other she was greatly
liked and young men who had no sisters
often wished for a sister like her. But
when it was one day announced that she
was engaged to marry Clement Thorne
there was almost an cutlery Of astonish-
nent and something like Indignation, the
latter sentiment being occasioned by a
telling of personal interest, almost amount
ing to possession, which nearly every one
.inconsciously experienced in regard to
Jenny Wren.
Clement Thorne was a poet-handsome,
talented, impecunious as poets are apt to
,e, and admired by the girls in Miss
North's set to pitch of enthusiasm sell
ION reached except for men of his stamp
unusual, magnetic, personally beautiful
md therefore for variety of reasons
quite the rage at least for u season or
Two.
"Our Jenny, our charming, sweet, de-
nure, little brown Jenny, that we are all
n love with more or less, carried off by
,his brilliant bird of paradisen' said the
Joung men among themselves. well,
out why not? Since we all admire her who
liz
t, though, and how will it turn out, eh?''
And with few more wondering eXela-
nations this unexpected turn in the little
brown raaiden's affairs was quietly &C
.epted, for though all these young men
-eally cared for Jenny and loved her-as II
ister-not one of them was in the least bit
love with her, and as a rule the most
.ffectionate brothers are quite philosoph-
cal when it is only a sister who prefers
mother man.
But with Jenny's sisters" it was quite
mother thing.
"What in the world can he see in her?"
'She is quite unsuited for the wife of
UGH Il mani"
HE will tire of her in a week!'
'.She will die of neglect and ennui before
he honeymoon is over!'
'sHe will break her heart flirting with
,ther women!'
Such were few of the EXPLANATIONS
.mong those of her own sex that greeted
he announcement of Miss North engage
nent to Mr. Thorne, and when the first ex-
:itement had passed away one out of the
,evy of girls who had been discussing the
Jews was observed to be paler than usual,
nd when she spoke in a low, concentrated
one her words attracted immediate at
enticn, for it was pretty generally under
food that the cold, proud Miss Hammer
on had at last lost her heart while listen
ag to the handsome poet reading his own
passionate love verses, not a few of which
lad been inspired by her beauty and royal
)earing.
''There is NO such need for astonish-
nent,'' she said, with slight touch of
corn. "Mr Thorne's choice only proves
hat he is human after all, though we
ave been accustomed to regard him as a
,eing belonging to Olympus. Like most
men of genius, though he writes 50 beau
fully of poverty and the stings of adver>
ity, he does not pine for personal expert
nee in such matters. He is Il poor man,
trd he is determined to marry money. We
Ill know our dear little Jenny's worth and
,weetness, but she is not u mans beauty,
md her charm for Clement-for Mr..
Hhorne, mean-lies in the fact that she
the sole heir to her uncle's millions"
''Oh, Therese, you are too cynical!' ex-
:laimed Kate O'Hara, warm hearted
:irI in whose veins still flowed the blood
# her farof Celtic ancestry. why
,houldn't Mr.. Thorne love Jenny for her
is cares one pin about her uncle's mil
ionss"
Eyes, we all love her, quite as matter
If course" replied the youthful woman OF
,he world, "because in a way shs belongs
u.s. and she has not one quality of mind
u person calculated to excite our envy or
touse our jealousy, Believe me, my dear
Kate. when a girl is universally beloved
md admired by her own sex it Is but a
fery left handed kind Of a compliment
ind simply means that she can never be
bought of in the light of Il rival"
"Oh! Oh!' and ''Oh, Therese!" were the
sxclamations half laughing, half indig-
lant that greeted this speech, but mas
much az nearly every one present felt it to
contain at least a grain Of truth no one
openly contradicted it, and Miss Hammer
on had the triumph of feeling that she
vas mistress of the situation outwardly,
| whatever the wild tumult OF her feelings
| night be within.
And within there was a wild tumult, for
| Iherese Hammerton was in love with
| clement Thorne, and as she had never
| doubted that the feeling was returned
with equal ardor she had allowed her pas
sion to gather force with every glance she
| met from his dark, glowing eyes till it had
passed quite beyond her control and she
truly believed that in his ardent face and
! in the low deep, imprisoned tones of his
! voice she read the response to the love they
had kindled in her hitherto cold, re-
strained, but intense and concentrated ma
| cure.
The announcement of Thorne's engage
ment to Miss North-which, happily for
| herself, she had just learned in the privacy
| Of her own apartment-had struck her
with the force of physical blow, and al
| though her gaze still remained riveted Oh
| the letter containing the news, she no
| longer saw the written words. Her head
| fell back against her chair Everything
seemed wrapped il darkness, and she was
| so far unconscious that she no longer felt
the keen pain which had rendered her al
most insensible. But that numbness of
sensation soon passed away, and every
| nerve seemed to Jingle with agony She
| started to her feet, fiercely crushing the
letter in her hand till her finger nails
| seemed to pierce her soft palm.
sit is not true! 1t cannot be! won't
| believe it!' she muttered. "He knows that
| love him; every one knows it! I have
taken no pains to conceal it, and every look