Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1909-02-25
CHAPTER VIII.

The silk wen could she twist and twine,
And made the fine march-plne,
And with the needle work;
ui. An6 70 .as ne, could nsaP the priest 10 say
And sing psalm In kirk.
DowsABEL.
With such attractions for old and
young it will readily be believed
that the Rose Croft was q favorite
resort OF the inhabitants OF st.
Mary's. The mai6ens gathered
around Blanche as May day queen !;
the matrons possessed in Mistress
Alice a discreet and kind friend,
and the more sedate part of the
population found an agreeable host
in the worthy official himself.
The iamily Of the Lord Proprie-
tary sustained the most intimate
relations with this household. It
is true that Lady Baltimore, being
feeble in health and stricken with
grief at the lost Of her son, which
yet huag with scarcely abated
poignaucy upon der mind, was sell
dom seen beyond her own threshold; /;
but his Lordship's sister. the Lady
Maria as she was entitled in the
province-was o frequent and ever
most welcome guest. Whether this
good lady had the advantage Of the
Proprietary In years, would be an
impertinent as we'll as an unprofi.
table inquiry. since no chronicler
within my reach has thought fit to
instruct the world on this point;
and, IL IL were determined, the fact
could neither heighten nor diminish
the sober lustre of her virtues.
Suffice it that she was q stirring,
tidy. little woman. who moved about
with indefatiRable zeal In the mani.
fold duties which her large partici-
patton In the affairs of the town exac.
ted OF her-the Lady Bountiful oil
the Province who visited the sick,
fed the hungry, and clothed the
naked. In the early morning she
tripped through the dew. with scru.
pulous regularity. to mass; gener.
ally superintended the decorations
OF the chapel in preparation for the
festivals; gossipped with the neigh.
bors after service, and, in short,
kept her hands full of business.
Her interest in the comfort and
welfare Of the townspeople grew
partly out OF her temperament, and
partly out Of feud pride that re-
garded them as the liegemen of her
brother the chief-a relation which
she considered as creating an obli.
cation TO extend to them her coun.
tenance upon all proper occasions:
an6, sooth 60 say. that countenance
was not perhaps the most comely In
the province. being somewhat sal
low, but IL was as full OF benevolence
as became so exemplary a spirit.
She watched peculiarly what might
be called the under growth, and was
very successful In worming herself
into the schemes and plans of the
young people. Her entertainments
at the mansion were frequent, and
no less acceptable 70 the gayer por-
tion Of the inhabitants than they
were 10 her brother. On these &C.
casions she held little court, over
which she presided with an amiable
despotism. and fully maintained the
state Of the Lord Proprietary. BY
these means the Lady Maria had at
tanned 10 an over-shadowing popu-
larity in the town.
Blanche Warden had, from in.
fancy, engaged her deepest soil.
citude; and as she took to her
self no small share of the merit of
that nurture by which her favorise
had grown in accomplishment, she
felt, in the maiden's praises which
everywhere rang through the pro-
vince. N almost maternal delight.
Scarcely q day passed over without