The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1902-07-17

grown up about thsm. They had been
happy. however, and when they died
left their daughter . little income,
which. by close pinchins. she could
manage to live upon.
Oornelia was not pretty girl, but
Thousands Of palmer girls had married
and settled while she remained =
apinster. Perhaps the fact that che
was By no means . good-natursd Per
con had something to do with It.
In her youth che had comportsd hen.
eslf scornfuily to wsll-disposed young
mem who belonged to the mechanic
classes and had declared that shs would
ealy give her hand and heart to . msr-
chant . physician, OF Z clergyman.
Merchants were rare in Bottlehols, the
only specimens Of that order being two
old bachelors, still connected with q
New YORK nrm- The two doctors were
both married and the clenGymsa u
van had large families.
Mis- Oor1elia's ambitious hopes were
nsvsr realised, and her fathers apprsn-
6cA Tim Cornell, who had admired her,
and had bssa quite q believer h her %
a elegant and gsntsel person" Anal-
y pronounced her mighty proud and
naughty" and abandoned his suit Nlss
Oernelia 1t last awoke 10 The knowl-
sdge that she vas gstt1ng q n life. and
that Y che was not careful peopls
would And It out.
But for that dreadful family Bible In
which the record Of her birth was writ
IN down, she would have folt saSe IN
olietng on ten years Of her life-G pro
cesding which shs fancisd would In
crease her value IN the eyes Of Z certain
NJ. Dumsdsy, who had recently paid
her . few solemn calls. He Wa really
an old man himself. but the older The
man the younger, gsnsrally, one nnds
Ais choice Of . wife to be.
Poor Aiss Cornslial She syed that
wsa-thumbsd Bible which her compan-
Ion and assistant Cousin Betsy Baker,
alwayO would have upon Q stand IN the
parlos, with absolute horror.
She at over her crate nre late one
Night thinking over the matter.
Who knew her exact age1 Cousin
Betsy. But Cousin Betsy would not
wish to quarrel with her. and was too
old . woman to think her anything but
young. The clergyman who baptised
Der. But he was superannuated and
lived with his son-in-law In another
otata The family doctor was dead,
and the dear old gentleman who had
boarded with them from her babyhood
went to Europe years before, and was
vrooably dead. Good Mr.. Nelrs! But
~ should never hear Il him again.
Ies. II was safe. She would do Il.
II was night half-paSt II at least
he hour when ''churchyartis yawp ana
graves give up their dead" Miss Cor
nelia arose. She stood before til nrs
with her back toward It. and tool the
andlesttck IN her hand.
Any one who had observed her would
certainly have I aeved that she was
going straight to poor Cousin Bstsy's
room to and that lady's life BY jab Of
the sharp little knife blade. sut she
paused ut the candlestick, knelt down.
opened the family Bible 1t the ayleaf.
and slowly. cautiously began a scrspe,
oczaDA scrape at the last two figures OF
the record Of her birth.
Then shs crossed the roon, took from
. arssids cupboard pen and inkstand.
wrote two other figures In the place Of
thoes she had erased. blew upon the
leaf until It was dry. carefully touched
Up tAs rsst Of the record to match In
brightness, and drew back to read the
amended lines, which now plainly
stated 10 al bsholdsrs that che had s1r
esrsd this world thirty ysars before h
stead Of forty.
'Coenelia."
Il seemed to como from above. Or.
aelia looked up expecting to - some
thing dreadful. It was rspeated:
"Cornslid. Amt you coming to bsdS"
It was only Cousin Betsy speaking
through . disused register. which had
once convsysd heat fron q stove In TIE
to the chamber above.
All In . cold Precipitation. Coxnslia
managed 70 reply that che would come
In . moment and then closing the Bible
and putting away the writing materials
she erspt upstairs. . world Of horrible
unseen things Close after her.
Nj. Dumsday regularly "cams
counting" now. And hs was q rich
wsdower. whose married daughter pro
fssssd hsRss6 anxious that pa" should
havo some 90 70 take care OF him.
4ias Corne1la ha1 quite made NJ her
mind hat lavendsf ahoulA b The ooloP
Of her wedding drsae-a csDpsr-oo,eesd
bride sxpsceAnt always Asea
And he two wers citing tegsthsr 60
svsaing taking cooAdsotially shoes
Fheumatim and ~ bsot linimmA Win
the donGAnU NanR And n tan l>aw -