Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1899-01-07
MARY THORNE'S COUSIN.
MARY. / am astonished y

"Mary, / am astonished !"
Of course the grave elder sister
was astonished In truth and in
Tact, she lived in chronic state OF
amazement, TO, Mary Thorne was
always doing something to astonish
her friends and rel4tives. Miss
Ruth could hardly credit the evil
dence of her own senses, in the hazg
glow OF the August morning, when
she came out of the clematis shad-
ows OF the little south porch, and
discovered that yonder moving OBJ
ject, half way up among the UNI
bragcous branches of the huge old
pear-tree was not spray of leaves,
nor yet russet-plumed robin, nor
cluster ofsun checked pears swing.
ing in the blue empyrean, but-Miss
Mary Tborne, comfortably perched
in the crook Of the gnarled tree, her
curls all fleckcd with tue sifted rain
| of sunshine that came down through
the shifting canopy of leaves, and a
book in her lap.
81 don't care" said the little dam.
| sell; laughing saucy defiance. "It's
the incest place in the world up here.
| feel just like bird, With the leav
futtering against my face, and the
wind blowing SO softly, and intend
to stay here. Wouldn't you like to
come up, Ruthie9 It's easily done.
Just put your foot on that knot, and
| them
Ruth, who was thirty, and weighed
a hundred and sixty pounds, bristled
mp with amazement.
"Mary Thorne, are you crszy
Come down this instant !"
81 sban'tp' said naughty Mary,
tossing the silky shower of curls
away from her forhead, and glancing
down with eyes that shonc and
sparkled like two blue jewels.
"But we are all going"
"Yes, | understand you are all
going in triumpbal procession 10 The
depot to render an ovation to the
great Professor La Place, the wisest,
sagest, and grandest of mankind, to
whom the Thorne family have the
unutterable honor of being second
cousins, and escort him solemnly to
a months sojourn at Thorne Hall.
Oh, dear + calculated Mary, 81 wish
I could run away somewhere and
hide. I hate this paragon of prim
precision. | shan't marry him if he
asks, and / mean to. behave so badly
that he won't dream of it. No,
am not going with you. hate the
close barouehe, and it's too warm to
ride on horseback. | shall stay OF
home"
And Mary settled herself so snug.
| ly, with one tiny, slippered foot
swinging down, and her pretty bead
close TO a nest of blue speckled
birds eggs, that Ruth gave it ur
with sigh of despair.
"Well. then, have it your own
way, you iucorrigible romp. | wish
you weren't too big to shut up in q
dark closet, or have your ears well
boxed"
at is a pity, isn't it p said Mary,
demurely.
'Of course it is, Mary. II cousin
Tom Bradley comes this morning,
be sure to explain TO him why we
are absent, and behave like young
lady,"
"All right said Mary, dsuntless-
~. 81 always liked Tom. We used
to have grand romps together when
we were Children
She sat there in the old pear-tree
prettier than any hamadryad thai
ever might have haunted the messy
old veteran of the garden, her cheek
touched with sunshine AMI carmine
her dimpled lips apart, now reading
line or two from the book in hel
lap, now looking up rapt in girlisf
reverie into tie blue sky, as i
sparkled down through er-moyine
leaves, and now breaking into soft
little MARBLE oil song, that made tht
very robins themselves put theil
heads on one side TO listen.
The carriage had driven away
long since-she had watched it be-
yond the curve of the winding road
the dark mantle of the shadow wa
slowly following the creeping sun
| glow across the velvet lawn below
and the old church-spire among th
| far of woods, bad chimed out eleven
And still Mary Thorne sat there i
these folked branches. Of the gian