Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-12-13
A FATEFUL SLEIGH-RlDE
BY uELrN FORREST GRAVES.

N.Y. tunity of my lifei
ESRAa If Provide C,
hadn't intended III,
to take Aggy's place, do yon think tht
emergency would have been created7"
Laura ,Woodbine danced about tn,
room like a wild creature. Her eye
spnrklod; she wrung her slim, brown
hands; the very accents of her voic'
were full of entrcaty.
She was dark aud brilliant, will
peach.red cheeks, little scarlet velvet
mouth, aud hair which was neither
brown nor black, but sheeny admixture
OF both.
Mrs. Woodbine sat by the window
darning a welI-worn table-cloth which
had come to grief in the family wash and
regarding Laura with blue specialized
eyes OF perplexity.
- This, to condense meters, was tn,
situation.
Mrs. Ralph Woodbine was q widow
in reduced circumstances, and Agneta,
her eldest daughter, had engaged herself
to Mrs. Blair Belmont, of Belmont Ab.
hey, Newport, and Fifth avenue, New
York, as gOverness to two Lord Fauutle.
soylsh lads in long yellow curls and black
velvet suits.
Mrs. Blair Belfont required a grea,
many qualifications, but Agneta Wood
bine had been judiciousIy trained, an
passed this species of competitive ex-
animation with flying colors, and she
was to enter upon her situation on the
first Of February, when Mrs. Beifont re-
turned from the Abbey at Newport to
the big DrOwnstOne house on the avenue
In the meantime, she had accepted
the invitation of an old schoolmate to
visit her in Texas, and was there re-
cuperating little in preparation for the
Blair Belmont duties.
Aud all Of sudden some great defect
in the Abbey drainage developed itself
an army Of plumbers had come down
upon the premises, and the Bclfonts
had fled precipitately down TO New
York, te'egraphing to the Woodbine
domicile for the new governess to join
them at once.
"Agneta could be here in a week."
said bIrs. Woodbine, thoughtfully.
"But in the mesnwhilei And It would
spoil Aggy's visit to come straigh.
home" pleaded Laura. 'sFm sure 1
could teach two boys. WHAT good
would all my training at the Normal
College do me else1 Oh, man as. don't
write to Agneta-please don't! Let IN,
tryl'
At that moment a telegraph boy
knocscd at the door.
Mrs. Woodbine dropped her work.
" Something has happenedI" she
gasPed. 81 know something has hap
penei'
Agueta had spr3ined her ankle in the
sweet southern woods. She could not
be moved under six weeks a. least, and
had te'egrsphel to her mother to write
Mrs. B.air Bcliout to get new govern
ess in her place.
"Ihcre!" cried Laura, her gray eve.
larger and brighter than ever, her cheeks
reidcr; "didn't I tell you go? Isn't il
fairly pr5vidcntiali'
Mrs WoOdviue gave little gasp.
No one would ever know of all tn.
calculations she had made on Agneta's
prospective salary. Could it be that
she was destined to disappointment aftel
RI}
"Do-you-beI:eve-you could1" sh,
fal.ered, dubIously.
~ know l could" protested Laura
"DOn't you remember, mamma, Mrs.
Bolfout never saw Aggyl All the arl
rA2gcmeuts were conducted by letter
Rni l am Miss Wood6ine, am l not2"
M anI cI,a
Mrs. Blair Belfont. a commanding
person, with bristly beard like gren-
adler, aud fue Roman nose, surveyed
her obviously.
Il expected to see an older person.
said she, fourishing a gold lorgnette.
However, I'll give you trial"
" Thank you, ma'am!" murmured
Laura, her guilty little heart giving
great leap of JOY.
But" added Mrs. Blair Belfront,
"the dear boys don't come down from
their urc es at Palace Hail until Mon
day. They ars enjoying the duck shoot
ing so much; but of course your engage
meat is to begin from to-day, and you
can spend your time-it will only be a
few deys-in getting the books and
things ready 10 the school room. l an
,oing back to Palace Hall tomorrow,
but aIrs. Cargil, my housekeeper, is
here, and I'm sure you will be very com
iortablc.'
So Laura WOodbine was left all alone
IN tie big house, tor Mrs. Car ill didn't
SEQ why she should spend her time in an
empty house, when there was nothing
.-; alt tue cook, a purple faced oir
Uria.1 IN p crum Jlel blacl satteel
.".rl, pn '"t tlaJ .sosl, the new kitc1e
maid, could cook for the governess well
cuough.
"Governesscs amt real ladies', nohow,"
said cook, "an' they amt no business to
be pa'tickler. And the new footman
an missus' maid won't come down till
Siondsy, SO may as well take bit of
2of day myselil'
So, between one and another of Mrs.
BelfOnt's superior staff of servants, ONLY
little Rosa was lcft-a plumb German
maid, with cheeks like glossy red ap-
pies, and hair braided down her back In
two faren tails--who sat aud knitted By ,
the kitchen iIe, while Laura Woodbine |
lssued her elbows on the windows
sill Of the desoIate school-room, anG !
looked sorrowfully across the snow
capped roofs toward the reddeniua !
west, with an uucoGquerabls ssusation
u homes!Ckuess creeping over hsr.
81 wish l could 90 for walk and |
look into the store Window" she mur-
INJURED to herself. "I wish could 90
How the u:ry bells
iinglel How tho hor.c.' feet f'ng up
the suowl l never had sleigh ride in
"a lFaf IL i. |