Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-02-17

.
moment, and gave me a small smile, 1
could see that my elderly anecdotes
had no interest for the little girl. Her
eyes strayed after every new pair ap-
pesring in the street, with a special
interest in stout persons, which
revealed to me the vision OF portly
mamma. And what a state of mind
that portIy mamma must be in, il she
were an ordinary English mother, and
was now figuring to herself her dnugh
ter's arrival in the midst of a popula-
tion composed chiefly of Italian brig
ands ready to pounce upon her and
her goods, as the ordinary British
mstron is accustomed to suppose, !
shuddered to imagine.
In the meantime L may as well men,
ton who l myself am, and how it was
that | was specially adapted to take
this little stray in hand. i am Miss
Stanley -Drummond, of family not
unknown on either side of the House,
middle-aged, or little more people
draw that line so differently, according
to their own ideas or shall / say their
own years?), one of the many unmar-
ried English ladies who are to be found
in all the hotels upon every highway IN
Europe, and even, L believe beyond
Europe. | am obliged to say that L
think there are far too many of US
about the world. / am not one who
despises my own kind, or pretends to
prefer mems society, or any of those
affectatlons which are current; but L
confess that / like little variety and
that to be surrounded solely by persons
| of my own sex, in pretty much the
same condition of life, about my own
age, and, in short, reproductions of me
| with little local differences, is thing
/ find tlresome. At Bordighera, for
instance, and various other such places.
! there were about twenty of us round
the modest table d'hOte to about three
menl And such menl A mild old
parson, of whom one could never GER
tainly say which was he and which was
| his wife; a delicate youth, taking care
of himself; and some other nondescript.
| This was too much of a good thing.
The spinster ladies of England are a
very good thing: my dearest friends
are among them: but touJo1rs perdrir
the proverb is somewhat musty.
Apparently men don't feel the same
objection to herd continually with their
like, or else clubs and smoking rooms
would not be so attractive to them.
But perhaps this is because they
have been more widely scattered
about the world, and have more
varied experiences with which to
edify each other. 1, for my
part, should like little more variety
among my daily associates; though /
confess L do not see how it is to
be mended. For it would be as
impossible to interfere with the liberty
of the British subject and forbid the
elderly single woman to travel, as it
would be to attempt to make them IN
like each other, which is beyond the
power of man. 1t is true that there Is
sometimes among us a married woman
in proud possession of a young daugh-
ter, who makes little variety; but as
she has generally been a widow for
years, and relspsed into our habits and
ways, without the independence on
which we pique ourselves, the differ
ence is often iufinitesimal. The young
daughters, indeed;- but then it is hard
upon the poor girls to be brought out
of their opening day into our robust,
hut often cynical, afternoon, and harms
their natural development. One says
to them instinctively, "Ah, in my
timel" as L could not refrain from do,
ing even to my little friend In the ON
nibus; and our time was much gayel
than theirs. with SO much more fun,
and dancing and laughing in 1t, and 81
many more of the other individuals tC
dance and laugh withl-or SO, at least,
it appears now.
This would be hopeless depression,
however, il it we're not necessary to
show how suitable l was to take up the
lost stranger. If there had been a man
of nv party he would have certainly sug,
gested that / knew nothing whatever
about the girl, and that probably she
was an impostor with designs upon my
jewel box. IN. B.-My jewel box is
not very richly provided, and L never
take it about with me when l travel.
/ may be told that men are more, mo-
less, charitable than ladies to feminine
wanderers who are young and pretty
but this do not believe. There may
be cases in which sentiments othel
than charitable come in; but have al
ways found them very suspicious OF
what they call sdventuresses-perh
because they know more of that kind
than we do. Having no men OF my
party, johnson, who possesses certain
of their qualities, assumed the part
and looked very severely at my pool
little girl; though how anyone with hal
an eye should not have seen the perfect
simple fact of that little parsonage
cannot understand. However, wher
we arrived at the hotel, 1 left the child
to give her own instructions as to tele
grams, and explain the search for the
missing parents upon which she de
sired the porter-that guide, philos
Af oil
travellers-at once to be sent: which
she did with the distinctness of a per
son uuite accustomed to give orders
and not afraid to explain the dilemma
in which she found herself. 1t wal
only then that / heard her name, and
l confess that it startled Ee little tC
hear her give, not one, but two, name!
of tho persons to be inquired after
whom she had, notwithstanding, de
scribed to me as her mother and father
with a curious transposition of the
usual order. HE had better go to al
the best hotels. and ask if there is any
one of the name of Hall-or Robertson
Mrs. Robertson-or Hall, or if there Ii
any telegram for me; Il am Miss Robert
son." she said. 1t was all very prettily
said, with the perfect simplicity of {
child who has nothing to conceal; bu
1 confess that it is startled me for {
moment, and johnson gave me look
Decidedly, besides being as tall ant
strong, and usually sort of protector
in any trouble-for her heart is as biz
as her body-Johnson is as suspiciou
as a man. However, 1 need not sa,
this made no difference to me, anC
when we were seated together upstair
in the rooms which had been engaged
for me beforchand-Q like to trave
comfortably)-beside nice little fire
with our closks and wraps thrown off
and johnson already in the room be
| yond with her Etna making pleasan
fragrance of tea, the mystery was very
, speedily and very simply unfolded.
need not gay that was full of curios
ity; but am not sure that it was thi