The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1894-08-07
AN 1NTERCEPTEDLETTER
BY AMY

| VIC w uOWI
The dreary e~qulnoctial rain was
over; the oblique autumn sun glinted
on matted drifts of wet leaves and
pools Of water in the road; a solitary
red chrysanthemum lifted it's tufts
of flowers under the window. They
had opened the window wide to let
in the air and light after Grandaunt
Miriam's funeral. There we're the
wheel marks and deep ground ruts
yet in the road where the hearse had
been driven up to the gate; but the
yellow hickory leaves, f~uttering
down like golden rain at every gust
Of wind, were fast obliterating
them.
Grandaunt Miriam was dead and
laid to rest in the sunny corner of
the village churchyard, and Adeline
and Aurora were left alone in the
world.
I'm sure" said the widow Ais
ton, who lived in the next house, Il
don't know what's to become O.
them gals: They amt been brought
up to do nothin'. And they're
dreadful ordinary-lookin' gals. They
wasn't pretty when they was young,
and the youngest on 'em is turned
forty now"
"What can we do?" said Adeline,
who was the mceker and less en-
terprising spirit Of the two.
We've got to live" declared Au-
rOra.
ooh, of course-we've got to
live"
"And we've got nothing to live
upon but this old house and thirty
acres of rocky, uphill ground!" said
Aurora. "Grandaunt Miriam's pen
sion died with her, and she never
saved a penny out of it-though, in
deed, how could she, poor old thing?
And I don't see that there's any
thing left for us but to keep board
ers."
But, who will board with us?"
said Adeline, in herfeeble, inefficient
way.
Aurora shrugged her shoulders
impatiently.
You never had any faculty, Ad-
die" said she, land I s'pose it's too
late for you to begin to reform now.
But I should think you might have
had the common n to put two
and two together. Amt there that
big red brick factory a-buildin' by
Jennings falls, and won't it be full
O. girls in two months time? And
won't they be glad to have a handy
place to board? I've been counting
up-thcre are four, five, six rooms
we could spare, as we'll as not. And
I'm a pretty decent cook if | could
get the materials to cook with, and
| s'pose you could, at least, look
after the rest of the hOuse?'
YES, I could do that, ] thinkl'
said meek Adelinc, who always had
o Of inferiority in her sisters
presence. at least, I would try!'
"Thcn," said Aurora, ''let's 90
right to work and get the house
thoroughly cleaned the very first
thing"
''NOw?' gasped Adeline.
"Of course, now! Do you suppose
l meant next year?' retorted her
sister, irately. THE house is full Of
old truck and furniture, and will
have to have half a dozen bOnfires,
at least, before things II be decent
" cleared out. And we've got to do
it ourselves, AdeIine! We can't af-
: ford to hire anyone to help US. And
so the sooner We begin the better"
yes, suppose SOL assentcd Ad-
cline.
So, the next morning the Field
girls set themselves diligently to
work. Aurora had a certain hard,
headed energy of purpose that rather
enjoyed toll and hustle, but poor Ad-
cline's heart failed within her at the
prospect. The tears came into her
eyes, as she took G]randaunt Mir
ANS old faded clothes and books and
papers out of the musty-smelling
drawers.
where am l to put these?' she
| asked.
Burn 'em!" was her sisters curt
reply.
y Adeline looked aghast. Grand
aunt Miriam had been a stern ole
tvrant to her, it a true-a domi,
neering mistress who eXacted every
. thing from her, and gave her, in re-
turn, nothing but the merest sub,
~sistence. Grandaunt Miriam haC
r~uthlessly crushed in the bud that
one little love affair which she had
ever known. Not, she thought, that
she had any right to call it a love at
: fair at all. DR.. Hunt-he was
only a Young medical student then,
49,. r,1r, tho bTS+n~iRa