Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-01-01
ANEWYEAR ROMANCE

curly head, "but I'm going to receive
company i'll the parlor Oh New Years
day. Why shouldn't I? Every other girl
does =
cts sinful, wicked waste OF time, :"
said Mrs. Vane, "when the quilting is
SO behindhand and there's such deal
of sewing to be done. +"
"But life ism all for work, /" plead
ed Muriel. 'And Mr.. Clifton is coming
all the way from the city in his sleigh
to see me. Oh, mother, please let me
have a loaf of homemade cake and some
red apples and real cream for the coffee
Just for this once! It's only one day
in the year. Do, mother!"
"Stuff and nonsense!" said Mrs.
Vane, who was one of those aggravating
women who make up their minds on
the least possible grounds and then
pride themselves on adhering to their
word. "I've said no, and I mean no.
When l was a young girl WASH set
ting my cap at every fellow that came
along"
Mother" cried Muriel, in an agony
of wounded pride, ''do you mean to say
that do such thing?"
"You think a deal too much of the
beaus anyway" said old Mrs. vane,
screwing up her thin lips. "And I'm
going to break up that sort of thing
See if don't |"
1t was with difficulty that Muriel
Vane, naturally high tempered girl,
checked the indignant retort that rose
to her lips. Surely, surely, it was not
right that she, a girl of 18, who was
earning her own living by teaching IN
the district school, should be treated
like child of 8; that her tyrannical
old mother should place no confidence
whatever in her sense Of right and deli
cacy. Up to this time she had rendered
the tribute of an unwilling obedience
to Mrs. Vane's behests, and now she
felt that g sloment for just rebellion
had come. She felt that she could not
live any longer in this cramped, mig
gardly sort Of way, with the very Jumps
of sugar for her tea meted out to her,
one by one, and the pippin apples for
her lunch dealt sparingly forth, as if
each one were nodded in gold. Mrs.
Vane took her lamp away at 9 o'clock
every night She dictated to poor Mu-
riel as to the very color Of her dresses
and the number of yards which she
might purchase for Them in fact, the
girl scarcely dared to think for herself.
Could she live thus always? she asked
herself. Was it right that she should?
SAT all events, mother" said Mu-
riel, speaking in a low, determined
tone, 81 shall receive my friends on
New Years dayl 1t is my privilege,
and I claim itP'
"Humph p was the contemptuous re-
joinder, but there was world of mean
ing in it..
So Muriel retrimmed her one black
silk dress and bought q new ribbon sash
and baked great. golden New Years
cake filled with plums and studded all
through with translucent bars of citron
and herself bargained with the grocer
for two pounds of real Java coffee with
as little adulteration of Rio, Maracaibo
and chicory as he could bring himself
to concoct.
II can use the china that my grand
mother Vane left me in her will, :"
thought Muriel. "That, at least, is
mine, although mother would never al
low me to unpack it!'
She was busy decorating the walls Of
the little parlor with laurel leaves and
long. dark green trails of princes pine
on New Years eve, when her mother
came into the room.
"Muriel," said she, 81 want to send
some dressed chickens and peck of
those golden pippins to your Aunt Dora
at the lighthouse. Jenkins boy is ready
with the boat, but he s such limb that
I don't, for the life of me, dare to trust
him with the apples and the bag Of
hickory nuts. want you to go and ask
Aunt Dora for the pattern Of the new
bedquilt-the Philadelphia pavement.
you know"
Very we'll, mother" said Muriel in
the old submissive way. "But isn't it
rather late?''
"Pshaw!' said Mrs. Vane. "Why,
the sun is an hour high yet. You'll be
back long before dark if Jenkins boy is
spry with the oars. -
Aunt Dora, Mrs. Vane's only sister,
was worthy scion of the family tree
tall, masculine and hard featured. She
had always taken the entire charge of
White Reefs lighthouse, even although
the official appointment was conferred
upon her husband, and when one day
that public servant departed this life,
Things went on precisely the same. Mu-
riel was not fond of her Aunt Dora. and
her Aunt Dora regarded her as f" poor.
chicken hearted creature-Vane ali
over. " But Muriel did feel sorry for the
lonely Old woman, and she thought that
even pair of fowls and few apples
this unwonted manifestation of sisterlv
feeling-were worth carrying to White
Reefs. So she made haste to don hor
wadded cloak and little fur edged hood.
and to draw on the scarlet wooden nit
tens, which she herself had knitted dur
ing those long, dreary winter evenings
when she and her mother sat in silence
opposite each other, for Mrs. Vane never
invited any company, and gave her
neighbors but scaut welcome when thew
came of their own accord.
Jenkins boy' was ready with the
boat, small, ferret eyed youngster,
with an intensely freckled face and a
furtive, sidewise glance, which Murisl
always distrusted; and as they glided
out over the water, already dyed with
the orange reflection of sunset, in the
direction of White Reefs Lighthouse,
Muriel leaned her chin in her hands
and thought Of lfr. Clifton.
What would her mother say il she
knew it all--that Paul Clifton loved her
that he was coming to ask for her at
the maternal hands the very next day.