The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-12-01

each other-I never troubled my head
about such minor details.
We met Miss Stubs while we were
travelling in Switzerland. She was
little, timid, washed-out old maid.
''NIy DEAR" she said to me one day
when we had become intimate with
each, "don't say you want to see life
seeing is dreary work. l never
wanted to see life, I wanted to live
life; but I have never done either.
I took her thin little hand in mine
and stroked it.
"Were you unhappy when you were
young?" I asked.
ooh, no, not unhappy, my dear;
but not happy, either. L am not com.
planning, for everyone was very kind
to me, and ready to give me little
scraps of their lives to share; but no
one seemed to realize that I wanted
q life of my own
'sPoor Miss Stubbs!" I whispered.
eft is very kind of you to be sorry
for me, my dear Madge, but really L
am not complaining. 1 have had
very peaceful lot compared with many
womenw
''But did you never fall in love?" 1
asked, with extreme boldness.
The pale blue eyes filed with tears.
eyes, dear Madge. And I should
like to tell you about it, only there is
nothing to tell"
''Do tell Dle what happened?" 1
urged.
- ~ASs5o7sss \ sessffappened. I once met
some one whom I loved very much,
and l think he loved me; but 1 am
not even sure Of that I sometimes
feel I'd give everything I have if I
could only be sure of that, but I'm
not. He was young man who had
his way to make in the world; but my
dear sather-as I have told you before
thought great deal of our family
and position, and considered the man
1 loved was not good enough for me.
So he just put stop to our friend
ship.
"And you tamely submitted?"
"What else could I do? Ny dear
father was very stern man, and L
dared not disobey him."
And as I gazed into the timid face l
realized that poor Miss Stubs had
not needed much coercion to make
her give up her day-dream at her stern
fathers command.
''What was your lover like" 1
asked.
ooh, my dear. he was the hand
soonest man 1 ever saw, with such at
tractiYe manners, she replied.
"Was he tall?" asked. Being FIVE
foot-nine myself, I had a. profound
contempt for little men,
eyes, dear, and such fine figure;
nice broad shoulders, you know, and
q splendid carriage"
'SS<JeQRli not help wondering how a
fine ha.eoa4e man could have fallen
in with such colorless nonentity of
sy.ornan, but-as have frequently
noticed-there is no accounting for
tastes.
I was filed with pity for poor Miss
Stubbs; it seemed so sad to go through
life without ever really living, as she
had done; and thus it was that my
great scheme occurred to me.
What good thing it would be if
Uncle James would marry Miss
= Stubbs, and so give her some comfort
at the end of her life.
Uncle James was worthy, middle
aged bachelor-rather short and in
creasingIy stout-and was the apothe-
osis of commonplace respectability.
He possessed kind heart and
dogmatic manner; and he lived chiefly
at his club, and thought great deal
too much about things to eat.
I divulged my scheme to mother.
Mother laughed.
''I should be very glad for your
uncle TO marry" she said, cas- it wor-
ries me to think OF him all alone, es-
pecially when he is gouty. But how
could you expect him. or any other
man, to fall in love with that faded
old maid?''
''Oh, [ don't expect him to fall in
love-" I replied; "he is far too old.
But 1 should like to see Miss Stubbs
comfortably settled, and I am sure
she would be good peaceful little
wife. Besides, Uncle James isn't
exactly the sort of a person to win a
beautiful princess for his bride"
''Poor James! And yet he had his
beautiful princess once, like other
men.
"Ten me about it, mother. You
don't mean that that prosaic old uncle