The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-30
MISS RHODY.
BY. HARRIET PRESCOTT spofFoRD.
Copyright. 1893. the s. s. Mcclure Co..

VI INC roso ABOUT MISS ltnOOy, III was a iaded, n
pressed and withcred one. And yet q certain
hint OF the sweetness of the rose always hung
about her, perhaps spiritualizcd, but none tho
less sweet. The children recognized IT, for 1t
was Miss Rhody who put tho buttered brown
paper on their bruises and consoled them for
their bumps, now with an apple when no one
else had apples-fnr Miss Rhody's few trees
always bore on tho of yoar-and now with a
shining square OF loaf sugar from the great cone
wrapped IN purpIespnper which seemed to them
part OF the wonders OF the outlandish coun-
tries on the other side OF the world where poo
plo walked head down as tho flies do on tho
ceiling. And now and then sho consoled one OF
the tendorest and dearest with II kiss instead,
which the little thing endured for tho sake Of
tho cuddling on tho soft shoulder. the agree
ableness OF the half-guessed scent OF dried roses
that she was ncyor without and the doll.baby
rags that came afterwnrd. And the young
girls recognized II, for II was to Miss Ithody
they came with the weighty condolences OF
their hopes and their griefs and hesitations,
their gushes and bushes, and 1t was from her
that they had the excellent advice which they
never followed. The mothers recognized 1t, for
1t was not only that Miss Rhody camo to them
In their illnesses and the illnesses of their chill
dren, nor that she brought them the bunch of
poonies for the parlor pitcher, but she seemed
to have an insight into experiences which she
had never shared, and gave them silent sym.
pathy at unexpected moments when they would
have been the last to confess they needed it.
And tho old people recognized it, too; but, 10th
to say, not altogether with the same friendli.
ness of feeling toward It; for IL was Miss Rhody,
who SO long had dressed their dear ones for the
last long rest, that they knew she was tho one
likely to perform that Office for themselves, and
that fower.like sweetness of hers had to them
something Of the quality of the flowers blossom
ing on graves.
There was only one person on all tho shore
really indifferent to this poor charm of Miss
Rhody, and that was Will Mather, who never
perceived any charm at all about her, and who
looked on her with n good-natured indulgence
as he would have looked on Ann Mather's ca
nary had it escaped and come across his way.
and who never thought Of her when he did not
see hor. Her pale, thin personality was such a
~colorless thing beside that of her cousin Ann,
the black.eyed, rcd-cheeked beauty, or even be.
side the tender, smiling loveliness OF The pretty
Sally, whom Tom Brier would have died for,
and whom Humphrey Lavendar had made his
own. She was, in fact, to VIII Mather only
like the shadow of some one else, and VIII
Mather was the only one whose feeling in re-
gard to herself had any vital significance to
Miss Rhody.
Every time that he came home from a voy.
age. more bluff and burly and trumpettoned
than before, all the suggestions of the romance
of the deep seas gathered about him in her
- 10y $40 e% y n." =" no,
fancy ana inc whole OUTSIDE foreign world
came with him. He was tho hero of wild wres-
ties with wind and weatberi What dangers of
niobt and storn, bod throa,on," hir,, ,nso, -, u
hishC aHo storHi hau threatened MIN! What trl-
umphs were his when he brought his white
canyas into mort, For win was now tho Con.
80 ~ ~ wan ""' ~ IL mp
tam OF the Man-o'Muil' a man OF mark and OF
Miss Rbodv he Ind hcen os much no this and
-. o nu' 90 ms "Hu'
more, before ever he ran away to sea, always
IN ideal, always a being of adventure. 1t
might have seemed tn another that abe vavered
81 "Ho'e na' WV ""'efou
..a....., A.. 49,, :. -.
ehuar took the nahu oi MS crazy mother as she
was dancing in the street and nut her shawl
ahopt ber ond l.d h.r howe ond phodr 30,
and took her other hand, sharing with Hum
nbrov tho shomo .na not, ~ ~. ,h,,u l.. -.
nv .Ho '.".he II pam II nm he was
one oay 10 inherit. But IL was nothing OF tho
sort; Humphrey was some one in distress. and
sbe went 70 him inst as sbe won't IN the brr,