The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-04
OLD FASHIONED STORY.

Aunt Celeste is d quaint looking, pretty
| Httie old woman with white hair smooth
ed down over her ears, and strangely
fashioned old gowns of antique pattern
\ slim, blue-eyed. low-Foiced, loving lit
lie splnster with the queen manners OF an
| elder day and the appearance OF one of
those old-fashioned pisque court ladies
mat our mothers stood on the what-nCt
tIi the rising generation made dolls OF
them and put them OUT OF fashion by the
| strong hand. Even so is poor Aunt
| Celeste. with her antique couruiness. her
gently radiant soul and her relies of lace
and nowered silk, passing gracefully and
swiftly and perhaps sadly into the dim
corners Of the old home. where already
her grand-nieces and grand-nepheWs are
sitting IN the light
When little Marie and her brother Tom
came uD from Boston last week Aunt
Celesete made made a great ado about
them. She was always fond of children.
never admitting that she had a favorite
but winning them ali with the pretty old
stories Of her girlhood and fairy tales so
unbelievable that the little ones laughed
ill they cried over her preposterous
giants and ogres. Perhaps il was be-
cause she fancied in little Marie the re-
incarnation Of her own childhood, per
haps because of the girls singular gentle
ness and grave department; perhaps il
was because the poor old soul yearned at
last to tell something OF her own heart
aches, hut for some reason that doesn't
matter Aunt Celeste gave little Marie the
only glimpse that ever found the gray,
old. simple secret Of her story.
They We're searching her faded treas
ures for scraps of ribbon and lace TO
adorn doll when the child came across
soldier.
Who is the handsome soldier, auntie2'
The old woman picked it up tenderly,
wiping its surface with her little lace
handkerchief, and smiling wanly:
And if l tell you, Marie, you mustn't
laugh
L promise. cross my heart, auntie"
1t was ever so long ago. Marie. that
] saw him first. We were at school
then, your grandma and l. down at the
old convent in Egremont Our best friend
among the pupils was Miss birmingham.
Poor Edith: she married a soldier and
died only a few years ago at Calcutta or
some where where her husband was sta
toned. She was an English girl, and her
father was an earl or a baron I forget
which. but at any rate he was a minister
at Washington.
1T must have peen just after the Cri-
mean war that we heard Ediths brother
Cecil, Cecil birmingham, was coming TO
visit her. He was only a captain then.
but a viscOunt and you may be sure the
convent girls were silly enough TO make
a great ado about his visit. little en-
tertainment was planned and there was
to be lawn fete after it and, though it
was most unusual thing, the good nuns
finally agreed to let us have a dance in
the parlors. As there were TO be no
gentlemen present but Captain Hurting
ham and his father of course most of the
girls had to be content TO choose other
girls for their partners and then came
the momentous question as to which OF
us the young soldier would select for his
dancing mate. All. little one, we were all
very giddy and silly in those old days.
Il remember quite well what a gallant
Young fellow he looked that evening
when he came across the lawn between
the old lord and Edith. He wore the uni
form of an English officer such q merry,
boyish gentleman that I'm afraid every
one OF us fell in love with him"
You, too auntie?'
"Ah. well. honey, I thought him the
finest. handsomest. tenderest. gallant
possible and perhaps my heart huttered
harder than anyone's when the time
came for choosing partners. Indeed he
was a modest, winsome gentleman, Mar
ie." continued the old lady, absently gaz-
ing at the little picture. and made
name for himself afterward in the wars
of his country
But the dance. auntie?" asked the
child. who was his partner in the
dancer"
He chose me. dearie, he chose me"
The little woman was folding the picture
away now into an old lavender scarf.
This was the scarf ! wore that evening,
Marie" Her voice was low and tremu
lous with the new-Old memories of girl
hood She fumbled deep into her old
leather trunk and pulled out time-stain
ed prayer book, within the pages of
writing and few ringlets of hair made
voiceless records of her youth
This is his hair, honey" she said hold
ing out yellow curl tied with a ribbon
of faded blue and this is his writing on
this card.
In the nervous. thin hand was a bit Of
paper inscribed. a heart token of my
Celesta from Cecil" 1t was in boyish
scrawl and little Marie read it over and |
over again before she asked:
rs this the token this card? ?
"Nc. no. dearie. The token was ring. /
a gorgeous ring with a diamond and some !
rare pearls in the setting.
May / see the ring. auntle2"
Bless you. little sweetheart smiled |
the old lady. putting away her treas !
lres with reverent. trembling hands. II l
wish YOU might see il. but ] sent il back /
10 him You know 7 was only a school |
girl. a child then, and the good nuns babe |
me send il back. And so I sent il back; |
sent it back. Marie, but kept the little /
lard. He was a good and gracious sol |
Her
And is that all you know about him.
auntie?"
That's slI."-John H. Rafferty,.