The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-11-23

made her more than ever tender with
Miss Mary now. "Poor soul poor
soul!" she murmured to herself, as
faint sounds proceeded from the
kitchen, and Miss Mary's kind voice
alternated with profuso thanks from
tho mother Of the sixteen infants and
the triplet.
Yes, Miss Mary had romance--a
tenderly cherished, well-nurturod
romance, which was at once her de-
light and her woe, and which grow
but stronger as the years wore on.
At twenty she had loved sailor lad,
handsome young naval lieutenant,
who had gone out to the West Indies
and had never returned. There had
been o sort of tacit engagement; at
any rate, Miss Mary had given away
her whole heart-so much so that she
had never had any of it to spare for
the suitors who came after. Stories,
indeed, reached her from time to
time about her love. People said he
had been wild. Some even hiuted
TINT he had deserted her. Miss Mary,
in her fond loyalty, refused to believe
these tales, aud clung, with quiver-
ing lip, to the idea of his early death.
"Or If he be wandering about the
world somewhere" she said once, in
burst of unwonted confidence to
Betsy, che may perhaps come back
some day"
"Why, you wouldn't know him
after all these years, even if he was
alive" said Betsy.
"Know him! of course should" :"
said Miss Mary. ''He will find me in
the old place--he will know where to
come; so, dear Betsy, leave tho door
always open"
But this Betsy firmly declined to
do. She was mot going to risk hav.
ing her wits frightened out of her by
thieves" she declared, "whatever
Miss Mary might say or do" SO she
drew the line at the garden gate, and
always left that unfastened. If this
ill-advised proceeding gave tramps
admittance into the tool-house or
coal-cellar. why. what matter? "rhey
was Miss Marys Goals; she might do
as she liked" Sometimes destitute
old ladies would use the coal-cellar
as kind of casual ward, and con-
descend to spend night there, leav-
ing the remains of their breakfasts
and few of their rags as presents
behind them. Betsy bore it uncom-
plainingly, knowing what "Miss
Mary's trouble" had been.
at was a mercy" she thought to
herself, "that it didn't take her in no
other way"
But to Miss Mary herself the "trou-
ble," in course of years, became al.
most a Joy. 1t faded from the blood.
red intensity To roseate afterglow.
She hugged her rself, so to speak, with
the recollection OF what had been.
Her youthful lover became brighter
fairer, dearer even than ever he had
been in the far-away reality. She
envied not the lot OF other women,
with husbands, babies, grown-ur
sons. Their life-partners were com
monplace as compared with hers
glorihed into the regions of romance,
CORDED into the perfect star" of forty
years ago.
"He was brave, handsome, chiv.
alrous," she would say to herself
mentally comparing her lover O.
former years with Mrs. Browns burly
coal merchant, or Mrs Minis drunken
boor.
And rs for other women's babies,
their charms also paled by conras
with Miss ..Marys "dream- children.
, The fond maternal feeling that is the
basis of every true woman's life found
its echo even here, and the little old
lady's imaginary darlings helped tc
make her days less empty. "My boy
Claude would have been just twenty
five, my daughter Emmeline just
twenty, and how like her father" she
would murmur, when in the glimmer-
ing twilight she would imagine these
treasures beside her, in the land ol
what "might-have-b been" But Miss
Mary's elation was all for the soli-
tude OF her own heart. Like hei
{ namesake OF old, she hid all these
things. Only Betsy knew or guessed
at quarter of her poor old mistress
fancies.
Time wore on, and it seemed as il
nothing wonld occur to disturb the
, even tenor of the two solitary women.
lives--that they would go down to the
, grave in an uneventful and peaceful
| silence. But Fate willed otherwise
One night-it was in early autumn
Miss Mary was aroused at nine O'Clock
, by q loud knocking at the outer door
1t was Sunday night, and she wal
, alone in the house. The faithful Betsy
5 had gone to her Primitive Motho-
/ dists, and Miss Mary, who had been
ailing OF late with cough, had not
, attended her usual Bunday evening
+ service at church. The loud knock.
, ing startled her, as we said-she was
4 u nervous soul-and she opened the
l door timidly. A rough-looking man
r stood there, his gaunt figure showing
black against the moonlight.
. "For Gods sake, hide me here for
q few minutes" he pleaded, hoarsely,
+ "till the police have gone by. Let
me in, or by Heaven, / may as well
> throw up the game"
, Miss Marys heart thumped loudly.
The police For all her chan liable
ness, she had drawn the line hitherto
| at thieves. But the mans face was
/ white, and she heard clatter of fee
= down the oad-probably the police
Betsy, the guardian angel, was out O.
: the way-humanity, as usual, wor