Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1908-12-11
AUTOBt0 GRAPHY
OF A Blu R EAU
Copyright, by Ford Pub. Coz
BY L. p. M'cauley.

| nate WOrhEnduSHlp. ludl etll uuuSudil-
ly handsome there can be no doubt,
| for whenever a new acquaintance rs
ushered into my presence hear such
| EXPLANATIONS as: ooh, how beautifulE"
What an exquisite old thing!" and
| they gaze with delight at the elabor-
| ately carved pillars which surmoult
my wonderful claw feet, and touh
with an awed tenderness the shining
| glass knobs which ornament my high
ly polished front.
| That l am old, is equally true! cah-
not tell how old-some of the earlier
events of my life are not quite clear,
| but what chiefly recollect is the hap
ply time spent with my beautiful young
mistress. How well remember her
| the day l first saw her! She had been
| away at finishing school, and RI
| turned on glorious summer aftaS-
noon Through the windows in her
pretty bedroom, in which | stood, the
| soft breeze lifted the muslin curtains,
and stirred fragrant breath among
| the roses which clustered about the
room and offered sweet welcome to the
home coming of this lovely girl. had
| heard the sound of carriage wheels
upon the gravel drive, then Affections
| ate greetings at the door, and before
long light feet tripping up the stairs.
| A bewildering creature of light and
! life entered the room. Throwing her
wide-brimmed hat upon the bed, she
| approached the corner where I stood
and peeped, for an instant, into the
| quaint mirror which hung above mn
All, never did mirror reflect fair
vision of girlish loneliness!
A face of perfect oval framed by
floating masses of soft brown curls;
and meath delicately arched brows, a
| pair of innocent blue eyes looked
forth.
The happy years passed all too
swiftly, and | grew to love her more
| and more. Her being seemed almost
a part of mine. | shared her sweet
secrets, and though she did not tell
| me what those delicately tinted notes
contained, | knew them almost word
| for word. She would read them again
J and again, sometimes kissing them, as
young girls will, and | felt l had 9
| sacred mission to care for those treas
ures SO tenderly priced by her.TShe.
had lovers, many of them, and bef.
lieve | knew almost as soon as she
which one she would accept.
With what keen delight watched
her make ready for her bridal, and
| as the beautiful gowns of rich bro-s
| cade and shimmering gauze and silk
| were carefH4iy consigned to N.Y.
| pacious depths, and the dainty articles
of feminine lingerie, many of them
| fashioned by her own fair fingers, I
| was happy to protect.
All too swiftly sped the blissful
| months; the joyous girl was now a
happy wife, and l still shared her Sc
crets. Into her lovely face, once SO
gay and gladstone, had crept
| thoughtful, gentle expression, and her
slender hands were often busy now
shaping tiny, wonderful garments, and
as she bent over her work, there was
| an expression in the blue eyes that
was almost divine How sweet she
| looked, as, with an air of shy mystery,
she would lead her husband to my
side and show him how the store of
little garments was increasing! How
the two would talk and plan together
20 bn f,,+, IF Wnn1nrf,,1 10
ing, who was coming to make gladden.
and fuller their wedding happiness
But such bliss was denied this loving
pair. Her tender breast ne'er knew
the touch of baby fingers, nor her brow
the crown of motherhood, for she slept
beneath the early yiolets.
Life was very different for me aft.
er she died. The room where she and
l dwelt SO happily was closed for a
long time, and the key was but sell
dom turned in the lock of 'Letty's
| chest" / was regarded as thing too
sacred to be approached carelessly.
Years passed, and troupe of young
nieces made the old house ring with
life again. To them Aunt Lefty" was
only a name, for she, the eldest in
large family, had passed from earth
| many years before their advent, and
the old chest of drawers and the moss
grown tomb in the old-fashioned gar
den were objects closely allied, and
| awe inspiring. AS the years went on
some of the older girls were allowed,
as a special reward of merit, to take
peep into my sacred depths, and
their eyes would open wide with won
der as faded robe Of quaint design,
the wedding gown perchance, was
shaken from it's folds of yellowed It's
| sue paper before their delighted gaze
The custodian of these hallowed treas
| ures was devoted sister, and at her
death she bequeathed me to a niece,
one of the wondering band of young
sisters. and a namesake of the lovely
| woman who died long ere this Lefty
lived And now, in her CHEEKY room, /
live again. The face reflected in my
| mirrors depths is not fair, as was the
other Letty's. and is no longer in the
flush of youth. The features are IT.
regular, and in the brown hair is a gen.
| erous sprinkling of gray, but the ten
derness with which she guards me
from injury makes me love her dear