The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-16
AN OLD MAIDS SECRET.

24-there had been q young man, a very
pious. well-manneTed young clergyman.
| who-but that seemed ike 2 dream 70
| Miss Sophie now. She might have doubt
&c whether he ever lived if he had not
given her that little old Book OF Common
| Prayer and the faded daguerrotype of
himself in that little folding case in the
CT rner Of the what not" He had been
her one possibility" remote always, but
now quite out Of tile question since he
had married his cousin 10 please his
| father, and was now a fat bishop as
well as the father Of large family.
! For four years now Miss Sophie had
| been -mothering" the two children OF her
| dead sister UGtil Matte grew old enough
| and strong enough To go TO work Aunt
Sophie had been hard put 10 it 10 make
! ends meet in the little household. She
| had sewed and mended, MIXED her own
COW. tended her own chickens. cooked.
| secured and saved 70 keep Matte and
! the boy, Harry. decently at school. She
! had even found time 10 do some plain
sewing for the neighbors. and it was
! agreed on ali sides that Aunt Sophie had
/ not "a lazy bone in her body" Matte s
wages as a machine girl in the but
| ton factory helped wonderfully in this
/ small household but it made the old
maids heart bleed 10 see her set of for
1 the shop every morning. and poor Harry,
who was 10. looked very discOnsoiate
| lettering away TO school without his sis
! ter.
Mr. Kingsland. the button manufac-
turer. had been very kind TO Miss Sophie
and to Matte In fact, he had made a
! place" for the child, and had gone out
! Of his way to advance her in the works
! with a corresponding increase Of pay.
| But he was a practical business man for
all that. and the hours were long, the
| work hard and the wages not over much.
I IN little towns like Bellevile everybody
| knows every body. and Mr.. kingsland had
special reasons for knowing Aunt Sophie
Her brother had worked in the factory.
! and it seemed quite fair and natural that
| he should be kind to the orphans. But
! this kind of interest hardly explained his
first visit to the old maids house. nor the
| repeated attentions which he showed
| them. He was forever asking her advice
| about the treatment of the girls at work
| IL his factory. and Sunday seldom passed
without visit long or short, from Mr..
| Kingsland.
He was pleased to take tea with them
| once or twice. and he showed such an
interest in her children" such a faith
erly regard for Matte. such an amused
friendship for little Harry, such a frank
! and generous desire to be kind to every
one, that little Miss Sophie came to re-
gard him as something less than
wealthy patron, something more than
mere acquaintance. There was no non
sense about him, and his presence in the
house, though a cause of restraint at first
for both Matte and her brother, came to
seem so natural that the cheerful little
housekeeper always laid his plate for
Sunday supper. and the girl and her
brother always dressed in their finest and
smiled their sweetest when they knew he
was coming.
Sometimes when the children were not
present he would sit in the veranda with
Miss Sophie and tell her old stories of his
past life-plain unvarnished tales of his
struggles for an education and a living
ar unromantic story full Of the grim
realities of a poor boys hopes and dis
appointments. He had never married.
He had been too busy with the harsher
affairs of life.
4 don't know that anyone would have
me-" he would laugh. I'm g. years old.
plain old bear; now, don't you think so.
Miss Sophie?'
And she would reply with some trite old
sophistry, as Handsome is as handsome
does or Never too late 10 mend" But
when he was gone, a lonesome giant
trudging away TO his furnished room in
the hotel she would sit alone for hours
after the children were gone to bed and
wonder if his visits. II his confidential
manner and talk. if his extraordinary
interest in her and the little ones meant
anything" And if so?
Suppose. she would say looking into
her little mirror at her own round cheer
full, wholesome face. suppose he should2
What? ASK you to marry him. What
would you say?'
And she would smile a little doubtfully.
as she shook her head, and. putting out
the light, lay down to think it all over.
There was nothing particularly romantic
hi 4
modest little soul, but. being a woman,
she could not avoid bordering such a de-
nouement for this persistent friendship OF
a man whom everybody admired and re-
spected. Ii was in such terms that shs
thought of him. He was no hero in her
eyes. for the little old maid didn't go in
for heroes. She fancied that he would
make a gentle. considerate. safe hus-
band for any woman. and
He's like a father 10 the children al
ready" she caught herself saying one
night. And after that she thought OF
Kingsland in a new light. What an adj
vantage it would be for Matte and Harry
e. have a guardian, a protector, father
Ike that? Matte. poor child. was not
htted for such hard work. The opportu-
mites for a girl. or even for a boy were
50 small in the small town. Then they
were such pretty. imaginative. am.able
children. She Auna Sophie. had already
determined 10 devote her life TO them.
Why not complete her devotion TO them
by marrying Kingland?'
Her reflections always came back 70
that
At last one night he called a little later
than usual, while Matte and Harry were
a. the concert Miss Sophie noticed that
be was dressed up. and she felt the
fever Of curiosity and fear come into
her plump cheeks and bright eyes She
had let him into the little parior. AID was
about to light the lamp, but he stopped
her with:
Don't mind the light. Miss Sophie. ]
just want 10 say few things ieel
more collected. easier. In the dark
The scared little Spinster wondered II
she might faint but sat down in the far
corner with queer little sigh he went
on. speaking rapidly and very plainly
Il am thinking Of getting married. Mss
Sophie That is. within the next year or
so. Meanwhile want 70 do something I
for you-the children I'd Ike 70 senf
Matte TO some good school No. no. she /
needn't know anything about it. And I
Harrv-I want Harry 90 keep on az school /
aud take course Of manual training. II
can be q secret between us-between you f
and me. VIII you agree 70 help me do 4
THIS. Soph-SIiss Sophie2
~Oh. Yes. Mr. Kingsland. II IS kind. (.
50 kind q you. but how are we 70 repay I
1t will cost SO nrchf
Never mind that-uow" he said. - 4
want Matte Tor M wife
Matte" she Whispered, choking down 4
a sob. wondering al her oTn compo- T
Yes. Miss sophie. Matte haven't
said a word 70 her. ] mean q give her i
q little more educst!on--w .thout her 4