St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-24
ROMANCE OF A MINIATURE.

| Wentworth Salvin in April Godey's.
l remember, as children. we used to
stnad in awe of Miss Prudence, and our
awe was perhaps tinged with fear. Our
| elders used to say she was hard, cold
and unsympathetic, and, while we did
not gather the full import of the terms
| applied to the prim little old woman
| who lived alone with her servants in
1.-THE big house on the hill," yet we
| knew she did not smile upon us as did
| the other women of the village, and con-
seduently we disiked her. With the
| frankneSs and OpennesS of childhood we
| looked for and expected kind words and
| smiling faces among those older than
| ourselves; but we never got them from
| Miss Prudence.
For many years, in fact, all through
| my boyhood, until l left my country
home for college, Miss Prudence's pew
| in church was exactly across the aisle
| from the one our family occupied. On
| those Sundays when the sermons were
particularly long and dull-and L am
| afraid they very often seemed so to me
| them used to sit and wonder how old
| Miss Prudence really was, and if she
were ever little girl like my sister.
Then would laugh at myself at the
| possibility of such thing, for even
| chlld's imagination could hardly be suf-
| ficient to picture this wrinkled little
| wiSp of humanity as bright, rosy,
| sunny-haired girl. AS the clergyman
| went on and on with his sermon l would
| pinch myself in order to keep awake.
| and try to decide in my own mind as to
whether Miss Prudence had always
been as old as she then appeared.
| And in those days L used to study
every detail Of this curious Woman's
person and dress, the white threads
| thickly scattered through her soft
brown hair and the stiff knots of gray
ribbon on her bonnet. She wore but
one ornament; l never say her without
it. This was a massive, old-fashioned
| lOcket. The body was in quaint tiligree
design, set in circle of large white
pearls. This was suspended about her
neck by narrow black velvet ribbon.
| Often l used to wonder what the myS-
FERROUS locket contained.
Then had never seen Miss Prudence
| smile. But the time came when /
| thought her face one OF the Sweetet
| had ever known, and when her slender
| little form had for me all the dignity of
| a queens. l had returned flushed with
| the excitement and success resulting
| from college graduation, when. one
bright spring morning, met Miss Pru-
dence face to face in the main street of
my native village. She seemed smaller,
| palmer and whittier than ever, but as we
passed she recognized me and l lifted
my hat. Then it was that Miss Pru-
dence smiled, and it seemed as though
the wand of some magician had been
| passed before the woman'S face.
| That afternoon | received an invita-
| ton, written in the most formal manner,
| in a neat, but cramped, Old-faShioned
hand. to drink tea with Miss Prudence
| at O'Clock. Coming from the president
| of the United States 1t would not have
surprised me more: but by her cOlOred
servant l returned note Of acceptance.
| Never before OR in after life have |
been received with more grace and dig
nifty than was l welcomed by Miss
| Prudence in the small, beautifully fur
nshed hall of her stately mansion.
| Never before had | seen the interior OF
the "big house on the HILL" nor had l
heard it described.
1t was an interior OF a hundred years
ago. All the appointments were rich,
costly and in perfect taste and harmony.
Tea was served in the daintiest of sit
ting rooms, and all the time my hostess
smiled at me over the cups. l had never
before known the music of her voice,
nor that her hand was as slender and
white as girls of twenty. With that
art which belongs to the born entertain
er she at once placed me at my ease
for my position was an awkward one
and led me into conversation upon my
work at college, my past, my present
and my future.
All the time the pearl-encircled locket
hung about Miss Prudence's neck. We
had chatted pleasantly for some time,
when my hostess removed the ornament,
and. opening the case, handed it to Inc
across the table. The impression re-
ceived gave me sudden start. Looking
out from the circle of pearls was face
which, but for the costuming of fifty
years before, was the exact counterpart
of my own.
at is because you are so like the one
who went away" smilingly said Miss
Prudence as she poured me another
cup of tea.