The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-04-05

aS -
SIC ,ronii hare fallen heartily Il Hector'l
shoulder had not been III the rfqht place.
Hers was the autumn Of equinoctial dis
turbances, rather than the loneliness Of
Indian summer.
Without being clever woman. or 4
deep thinker or a student Of philosophy,
Miss Beverley had arrived BY sheer In.
stinct at scheme Of life that. for pure
materialism and unconscious exaltation
Of the eternal selfhoed, beggared all phi.
losophy. The earth was hers. and the
inhabitants thereof-created for her
benefit. to minister to her whims and
wants in the ways she deemed betting.
Having been born into world incom-
plete until her coming, she had accom-
plished all that could reasonably be ex-
pected Of her. She had given creation q
center-herself; that was her merit, for
which she must be rewarded; IL creation
failed TO avail itself Of the privilege Of
going around her, that was its sin. for
which it must be punished.
In short, Miss Cornelia Beverley was q
silly and selfish woman, who, without
having ever read line of Emerson In
her life, made one OF his maxims her
daily rule Of conduct--the one which re-
fers to the soft side Of existence being
the special perquisite Of the cantanker-
ous and foolish.
It must not be understood that Miss
Cornelia was an anomaly, unlike other
human beings and utterly intolerable
and destitute of redeeming qualities, for
such was far from being the case. She
was extremely good natured when her
wants were properly attended to and she
was given the best Of everything. and
.lba...I ~ way-that Is, she
oald l..yis.hly bestow snch fayors as
were in her gift on the person who
happened to please her, and she never
said i'll natured things Of people behind
their backs unless she were unusually
angry. She possessed the negative viz
the of being spiteful to their faces. II
was a common saying among her kindred
that the worst thing Cornelia ever says
spni y'n she says to your face"
=, ~ those whose daily life and
.sNty ts.stiea were tinctured with her
presence III times deplored this excel
lenre, and would have cheerfully sub
initssd TO any amount of backbiting
could they have thereby escaped the
many trials in which they were both
criminal and counsel for the defense.
Still, 50 elastic is human nature, and 50
noble In the main, even the people who
lived with Miss Cornelia found many
excuses for her. She had had q great
deal Of trouble in her youth, and some
very stern affection, and in compassion
for her sorrow her family had gradually
learned to throw mantle Of charity
over her selfishness. Trouble like hers,
even when self caused, carries with it
an atmosphere that touches sympathy
so keenly as not unfrequent1y to disarln
Judgment.
In her youth Miss Cornelia had been
handsome. high spirited girl. maynard
and passionate, but attractive enough to
have many admirers. At eighteen she
became. with the consent and blessing
Of both families, engaged to young
man Of the neighborhood, . Mr.. Spots
wood Darlington. The conrtship was
stormy one, the engagement stormier
and the end total wreck The lady in
sisted upon carrying on a foolish, willful
Irritation with another man for whom
she cared nothing, simply to demonstrate
to her lover that she would submit to no
interference or dictation. The gentle
man was violent in temper and Jealous
in disposition, and the termination Of the
miserable affair was fierce quarrel be-
tween the two men and duel, which re-
suited in the death Of one and the MAIN
ing for life Of the other.
After the death of her lover Miss Bev-
erley fell into deep melancholy, alter
mated with wild gusts Of remorseful
passion, which unsettled her brain to
such an extent that for years she re-
quired strict attention and most careful
nursing. The horror OF publicity which
distinguished the old time gentry pre-
vented her family from sending her to
an asylum. even when she was at the
worst. Tender care and years Of tran
quility finally restored her mind to its
balance, but by the time she resumed
her place in the family her natural sell
fshness had been fostered by unlimited
indulgence and developed by the consid-
Grafton which had become the habit Of
the house.
She had some trifing property, derived
from her mother, sufficient for her sup
port in other peoples houses, but not
enough to enable her to have one Of her
own It was q standing grievance with |
her that her brother, Hector, her guardian
and trustee. had sold her Land and invest
ed the proceeds in such way that the |
principal was beyond her control Her
nephew Hector had been equally faith
full to her interests, 50 she drew her lit |
tie income regularly, unvexed by the |
storms that beset and finally stranded |
the family property. Her home she
made principally with her nephew's |
widow. to whom she was kind in fitful |
way, and spasnodically attached
She preferred, her old home and her
old rooms and familiar surroundings,
k-,,<l, 800 <1,ok -. ,.xf. -. L