The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-23

both Of her as she was and Of her as
they believed She ought to be. She was
not old In their conception OF the word;
Indeed, as Eva remarked in the privacy
OF their chamber to Daisy, she was only
old IN wlckedness. She was up FIRST
thing In the morning. She was awake
the last OF anyone at night. She was
here, there, and everywhere. She scoh-
ed AT old superstltlons which they held
4 sacred She declined to go to church,
and she smoked choice little cigarettes
all day long, no matter who was pres
ent.
"Try one Of my cigarettes, Dick" she
said TO the portly rector Of Adding
ham on the evening OF Christmas Day.
when everybody had eaten too much
and the noisy party had separated. the
/ yOungstres to clear the drawinB-rOom
| for dance. what! Are you afraid
| Of your wife? Is that why you look
across at her? You look to me as II
you smoked a churchwarden in the prl-
vacy Of your own study. oh, you do?
Wen. then, you can't be above trying
one Of my cigarettes. They're worth
smoking, can tell you, and when l
come down TO the rectOry will come
into your study and smoke chureh-
warden with you. Yes. Will. Now.
what's your wife looking like that for?
Does she think I can't? HIM"
BY this time the family at the lodge
had already come to q belief that there
was nothing of the nature which Is
usually called impossible Of which Aunt
Mary Anne was not capable; and worst
OF all, she was possessed OF an appall-
Ing frankness OF speech such as kept
everyone Of the two households, ex-
ceptlng GeofEry, on tenteT.hooks Of APP
pTehenslon lest she should let fly some
shaft Of unusual bitterness or OF disln-
terested plain speaking.
Heaven help you, my poor dearg,
but you live narrow lives down here,
she remarked, as she departed to her
WelI-earned rest on Christmas night.
you've been very kind and forbearlng
and Negotiable to me and can see
plainly enough how / get on your
nerves. Ny! thought that good lady
down at the rectory would have had
At when told her I'd go and smoke a
churchwarden with him."
And will you, Aunt Mary Anne?"
asked Eva
why, OF course will. I'll take pride
and pleasure in doing it, Bless you,
child, woman like me loves to shock
woman like that, and perhaps l like her
all the better for showing SO plainly
do shock her. Now. that willy Mrs.
Graham came to see me In Paris once,
and she made herself sick by smoking
to keep me in countenance. Good
night, Bright Eyes. There are more
things in heaven and earth than are
dreamt of in your philosophy"
For q minute or so after the door had
closed behind her not soul spoke Il
word. Then Eva, with an apprehensive
glance towards the hall, said in n thrill
ing voice: I'm quite sure she's mad"
Eyes. I think she's Just bit touch
ed" rejolned Rosamond.
Bad, as well as mad, consider"
chimed In Daisy
"Hush-sh! Walls have ears" Eva
exclaimed in loud whisper.
"Oh! but poor Aunt Wallis" Rosa
mond cried. Her face-the horror OF
| 1t! Did you ever zee anything to equal
IL? And Aunt Mary Anne never forked
out the value of farthlng 10 any OF us,
nor tip to the servant-nothinE; and
she's worth millions"
1.-THE stIngy old beast" said Eva. with
emphasis.
Undoubtedly Aunt Mary ne was not
success at Addingham lol Sc; still less
was she liked at the rectory; indeed.
! the lady OF that establishment. went. In
the privacy OF her condolences to her
lbIu anu llldSlGlt bO TAI eAn ~ S'ts t'"t-N
she should, in the event Of the old lady
proposing herself as visitor to the rec
| tory, distinctly decline the honor,
II is true that Thomas JeX, as she
always called him when speaking OF
him, Invariably treated her with the
| same courtesy that he would have
shown to a guest invited In the usual
| way, while Mrs. Jex, fat comfortable
easy-goInG lady that she was, treated
her from first to last with an indulgence
OF manner which plainly showed TO
those who knew her real feeling, that
she shared the views Of her three girls.
| Most decidedly, Aunt Mary Anne was
| not a success on this, her first visit to
her relatives.
AWAY. the young Parkers declared the
very longest two weeks they had ever
known, and then Aunt Mary Anne de-
clared her intention OF departing:
But on the last evening. when dinner
was over and the whole party happened
10 be together in the drawing room,
Aunt Mary Anne spoke out. 81 wanted
| 10 saw q few words to you ALL she
said taking her little Russian cigar
cite from her lips and holding II dell
cately between her slender old fingers,
on which many diamonds twinltled
bravely. I'm going 10 speak plainly.
| for the last time, my dears, had
never seen any of housekeeping my
nephew here-before. and l wanted to
se,. YOU In your own home and as you
are, and so | proposed myself. without
any regard to your convenience, as
guest. haven't been exactly n sue
| ccBs------
'lm sure you were very welcome,
Aunt Mary Anne" put in Mrs. JeX, all
| in a hurry, "and we have all done our
best to be nice
Facts are facts" said Aunt Mary
| Anne. "nnd you may be pleased to
| know now that I'm not usually such
| hedgehog as I've seemed this last fort
night. My dear Mrs. lex. you were not
born a Parker to begin with, and you
| don't know what 1t Is to be alone In the
world the only one 0f your generation.
and rich, as / am. It's great rcspon-
| slblllty TO be cursed with a huge for
| tune It's so hard to know where TO
leave It Justly. I've kept my family at
arms length for years, because those
aid come across laid down and begged
me to kick 'em-they ck-spltted to me.
and that hnte."
"Tm sure we haven't" flashed out
Eva.
same breath.
Anne. "thc child is right, and what Is
| more, / like you all the better for II.
When this boy hadn't notion who
was he champIoned my wretchcd Mar
| gherita. he was nice and kind to me.
| and when he found out was the rich
| old aunt he let me alone. You've all
! endured me, you've been civil, and I've
| az, Iovnd Il Now I'm going to have my