Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-12-26

oaiu " naC lear1ul DllZZard ~
And they seemed to enjoy it,
The girl cousin, Maud Gregory, die
not mind it i'm the least, and woult
take her skates and sail out for ,
little spin on the ice on days when
was wondering whether we had no
better tie the house to the pine tree,
to keep ii from blowing away.
But then, she was accustomed tC
it. She had never been farthe,
south than Toronto, and frequently
spent her winters there on Lake
SimcOe.
She was a beautiful girl, too.
saw that the first time l met her
and 1 saw it more plainly every day
BY the time had grown little
accustomed to the beautiful climate
we were quite good friends, and as
Gregory's carhuncle practically con.
fined him to the smoking room, the
pleasure of escOrting her on her nu.
merous skating trips naturally fel
on me. And l did not shirk my
duty.
She was an only child, and hel
father was clerk in one of the To
ronto banks, the Commerce, and
Maud was verv desirous of helping
him by securing position as stem
ographer somewhere. She had
taken a course in school, and felt
herself well equipped for the posi-.
tion, but so far she had not secured
it.
OF course her aunt laughed at her
so did Gregory, too, for that ma ter,
for she had been quite a society girl
and both predicted she would be
picked up and married off before
she even got a position as stenogra.
pher. thought so myself.
l remember it was the last day of
1913 that / was sitting in the smoking
room and all the others were'in the
next room (Which they called the
"warm room" because il wasn't
quite as cold as the others) when the
next mail came. Gregory brought
mo letter from the "boss," and [
was reading it when l heard Maud
say in her quiet way: "Auntie, l
may as well tell you, am engaged. ;"
Then / heard Mrs. Gregory get
up and go over and kiss Maud, and
as don't like to overhear conversa-
tiOns meant for other ears l went
up to my room and stocked up the
fire.
may as well own that l was cut
up quite little, for l had begun to
like Maud a little too well for my
own comfort, and, while 1 had no
hope of ever winning her, it was
rather shock to learn that she was
actually engaged, and that was to
have no chance at all.
l pulled out my writing material
with jerk, and answered the letter
had received in pretty bad mood
and then smoked pipe and read
bit, and before / knew it it was late.
Gregory came in and sat on the
bed awhile and talked about a curl
Ing match that was to come off the
next day, and then he incidentally
remarked: "You heard Maud say
she was engaged at last, didn't you ?"
" Yes" 1 said, 81 did hear some
thing of the kind. Who's got her ?"
"Simpson'shi his name," said Gregory,
erich old fellow, runs a furniture
factory at Toronto"
"Oh!n
Then Gregory left, and l pulled
out my note book. / took a new
leaf and set about writing some
resolutions for '94. 1 do it every
year-and usually keep them.-
This time thought for quite awhile
before i could think of any reform
ing l needed and at length gave it
up and simply wrote: Resolved:
" That 1 will be bachelor all my
life."
Then shut the book and went to
bed and naturally dreamed of Maud.
You see how far gone / was.
The next morning we were all at
breakfast when some one introduced
the subject of Maud's engagement.
"You are the only one to neglect
to congratulate ne, Mr.. Butler"
she said, feigning offense.
"But l do congratulate you, Miss
Maud" l said, sincerely, land
hope your engagement may lead to
nothing but happiness"
"Oh! 1t will" she said. elf
you knew Mr.. Simpson, you could
not doubt it. He is the kindest
man. He Is just the man ! should
have picked OF all the men know"
Indeed! / imagined that you
did choose him. In way. In such
a matter one usually"
"0f course" she said, 81 chose
him, but it still lay with him, too,
for without his consent"
His consent - cried.
Why, yes," she said, she had
had to accept Inc before"
"Accept you, Miss Maud !" / ex-
claimed. "Y0u certainly did not
propose to him?"
"Certainly did," she said.-
You don't think could have got
ten the position"
"The position !" l said, amazed.
" What position ?"
Why, as stenographer, of course.
What did you think / had" and
then she must have seen through my
stupid blunder, for she blushed.
And as for me, there was no stay
ing at the same table with Gregory
after that, so L went up to my room
and tore up the only resolution |
had made for the New Year and,
to make long story short, we were
married at Sutton West, Maud and
/, that summer, and Gregory was
my best man, which position he
filled very well, in spite Of boil on
his neck.
pD give anything for your voice."
said an auditor to an ambitious anna
teur vocalist.
Glad you like it," replied the
gratified tenor.