The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-04-07
Bertha'S
CandleStiCk
Blu MARY PARRISH
copyright, 1917. by w. G. Chaprnan.)

Old Mrs. TOWNSEND was unuenldDly
eccentric. Everybody in Centreville
said so. And where there is so much
smoke there must be some fire. The
old lady lived alone with one servant
In a red brick house at the edge of the
town. She was not known to be rich,
lust comfortably off, Her four nieces
made occasional visits, and were some
times invited together to teas or din
ners. Two of them, Bertha Townsend,
and Sybil Wells, were orphans, and the
only daughters of brother and sister
of Mrs. Townsend. The other two,
Mary and Adele Fancher, were chill
dren of a sister living in the same
town.
In the scale of worldly possessions,
Bertha had rather the least of any Of
them. At the age of nineteen she was
still working in the millinery 'Parlors'
of Nine. Louise, or rather in the back
room, trimming the latest importa-
tons where she had been for three
years. Sybil Wells, a year or two old
err, was teaching in the academy, and
the other two girls were away at a
fashionable school.
Bertha seemed to be the favorite of
her aunt Townsend, and people won
dered why she did not take her into
her home instead of allowing the girl
to live in a boarding house. But once
when a neighbor suggested it, she gave
such an emphatic exposition of her
reasons that, the neighbor being some
thing of a gossip, no one had again at
tempted to mention the subject.
Was she to have her mode of life
all upset, her times for meditation,
broken up, and chaos let loose in her
home? Not while she lived and was
free agent. So people laughed,
frowned, shifted, or agreed that she
had right to do as she pleased ac-
cording to their several natures.
Meanwhile Bertha was happy In her
boarding house, which gave her more
freedom to see and entertain her small
circle Of friends than her aunt's home
would have been likely to afford. She
had joyous temperament, and fine
sense of humor, and the talent for
telling a good story, which made her
welcome guest where jealousy did not
abide. Her aunt Fancher, whose SUI
perior social position precluded any
thing like jealousy, and who regarded
Bertha as the poor relation" invited
her on the legal holidays, when fami-
lies are expected to dine together,
but did not always think of her on 9th
er festive occasions.
1t was at a Christmas dinner when
the girls were home for the holidays,
that Bertha met Murray Powers. He
had been travelling in Europe with his
mother after his college graduation
some two years before. His strong,
wholesome face, and bright talk, to-
gether with a certain finenesS of man.
ner, all too rare with young American
manhood, attracted Bertha as she had
never been before, and her sympathetic
responses struck an answering chord
| I'm the young mans nature. When af-
| ter dinner they were found together
In a corner in a lively conversation.
Mrs. Fancher very promptly interrupt
ed, and saw to 1t the offense was not
repeated. For was not Murray Pow
ers one of the most desirable catches
| I'm the whole town, and why should he
be wasted on a poor relation when
there were manageable daughters In
the field?
A man of character may be manipu-
lated and managed by designing mann
| mas and their daughters for while,
but is not to be detected from his
course when he has determined on q
thing, so Powers asked Bertha lie he
might call, and receiving permission
promptly did so. Still cabal Of moth
ers is something to be reckoned with
and Mrs. Powers getting wind that her
son had called on a milliner contrived
| to have him sent to Canada on bust
ness.
Mrs. Townsend hearing of the mat.
ter chuckled, and invited her niece to
| dinner with her alone. Bertha was
rather noncommittai, but the old lady
was shrewd enough to gather that the
girl really cared for Murray Powers.
| $50 Mamma Powers thinks mil
liner would be a blot on the 'scutch
con-" she laughed. II suppose II
were to suddenly die, and leave you
all my money, you would be eligible
"Don't you think of dying" CRIED
Bertha. 81 won't have it! Iwant YOU
| right herel Aren't you the only one
on earth who cares for me? As for
man who has to be bought, / wouldn't
have him on any terms. If trim hats
the rest of my life. I hate snoDs
and wouldn't be happy among them
Mrs. Townsend agreed with mel
niece, and even gave her an affection
ate little pat.
| Shortly after this the old lady dies
suddenly, and to the surprise OF eY
eryone left to Bertha only an old bras
candlestick. True 1t was one she has
priced very highly, being several hun
dred years old, and an heirloom in tn
family. at is the most precious thini
| I can give my dear niece Bertha Town
send" the viii read, II hope she VII
| keep it polished, and in good repair
1t has several times become loose iron