The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-01-09
Daily Short Story
MISS MATHIS VISIT

Mrs. Brisben's invitation 20 visit
her for two weeks during the month
OF September was as unexpected as
II was delightful Il threw Miss
Matty into a great fiutter She
thought Of IL. dreamed OF IL. talked OF
y TO her crOnies. Mrs. Driworth and
below.
It's the loveliest time Of the year
TO visit" said Mrs. Dillworth. you'll
enjoy yourself hugely. I'm sure. Only
I'm afraid you'll get led away by
your friends magnihcence."
Long years before Miss Matty and
Cornelia Brisben. who was Cornelia
Wake then. had attended the same
girls school, sat together In the same
classes and suffered from that amaz-
ing mutual disturbance OF the anec-
uons which. commonly speaking,
constitutes a crush" Miss Mstty
had loved Cornelia because she was
brilliant n beautiful, but why Cor
nelia had loved her she never knew.
rerhaps he theory that -opposites
always attract" hadn't been formu-
lated then. At any rate. their crush
lasted remarkably all through their
school days and ater-for a while.
Ihey wrote and wrote and wrote i'm
FASHIONED epistles. Then suddenly
Cornelia cooled. She had fallen in
love again-this time with a man
and h married him. Miss Matty
could not 70 TO the wedding because
her mother was just then IN, and,
anyway. Is was too far and she had
no suitable clothes TO wear. She
learned hat Cornella had gone
abroad or her wedding trip and that
when she came back she was TO n
ter into an entirely new sphere. for
her husband was rich and came OF an
Influential family. That was the last
Miss Matty heard from Cornelia in
years, except by way of the newspa-
pers. until suddenly had come this
invitation. Cornelia was recovering
from an illness and had taken a
fancy to have some one h used TO
know near her. She had thought OF
Miss Matty and so had asked her.
Miss Matty bad four days in which
10 get ready. IL was years since she
had travelled anywhere and no one
could have been more high strung and
palpitaung than she on hat eventful
morning, when she at last set forth.
Miss Morton went to the station with
her TO help her with her valise and
see her safely on the train. Miss Nor
ton felt more experience than Miss
Matty because she had once actually
been as far as Florida and back again.
though this constituted the sum total
or her LIES journeying.
QUIZ be sure TO write2" said Miss
Morton as they stood waiting for the
train. i shall be real uneasy until I
near you've got there safe and sound"
Tears stood In her kind. faded eyes.
put MISS Matty's eyes were bright
with excitement. "Oh, yes. III write
or course, % she promised. hastily. Are
you sure my Wells on Just as IN shCsld
be. Harriet? And isn't there a hairuin
loose somewhere? My hair feels sort
OF tumbly. 7 declare"
Miss Mattv never had another lover.
but after "a while she got used To being
het parents died she sold the farm ana
moved into town. She hired n tiny nat.
Niled To with IN cmost cherished Of her
possessions and settled down 20 maiden
and middle rye comfort. There was "A
good library near. which supplied her
] purse both permitted her TO eat what she
liked. and she always had two or three
friends handy 10 play with her when She
wanted a game OF cribbage. There was
no reason In The world why she should
y 7 have been happy. and she would have
been save for the memory OF Cornelia
I Brisben.
!, Miss Aiatty reached her destination
ltte mat afternoon. II was "a husurban
station and she had no d%inicuity in nnd-
Awaiting her. Almost before she could
draw . natural breath the car had
Whisked her NJ one street and down nm
"ther. IN between the regal. upstaudfug
stone pillars AMI under "a portcocrero.
" car door was orened and Nfi4e NTafty.
maid who had been senf to receive her
] Ine maid conducted her into a rrsat
tntaNCe htll. up a palatial hall and in
through a pareled door.