The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1922-12-21
AN ANTIDOTE
20 ~ Nscisr. Newspaper sysdie.,.J
ey n. D. CALDWELL

cottage. nesting In It's evergreen pro.
lection. had been owned by maiden
ladies' Of various tenpersments. Its
unique history was directly due 20 the
fact that Miss Abigail bradshaw. the
original maiden owner. had been badly
disappointed IN her very ardent love
amir. and thenceforth trusted no
man.
Abigail had adopted niece. who
had needed her warning. and received
the cottage a. her <ecompense.
In turn. the second maiden ~ the
little white. cottage adopted giri rel
ative. and In her viii advanced n sep
and required that her child by adOp-
tion remain unmarried. and take a girl
baby. also. teaching her 70 do likewise
And so. down 10 the generation ~
Priscilla bradshaw tthey had all
taken this name). no man had dwelt
overnight In the cottage.
Aunt Susan. the fifth maiden lady.
had found Priscilla rnther hard 90
understand.
II was now June night. and
standing before the mirror 10 her
aunt's bedroom. she felt an indefnable
lnexplainable loneliness creeping over
her: an unnccountabie longing for
Oh. for somethlng-someihin To love I
Therel That was 81 Someone TO
iovel
And then came her nunt's com
mand: And when you're twenty one
take a girl baby. as your aunts have
done before you" And she was only
eighteen.
Anyway. considering her own rest
iessness and discomfort. she wasn't
sure she wanted to hand any giri
baty life such rs hers was going
70 he. Resides. sweet thc0k,ht. she
could love one Of her own. oh. 50 much
more.
Goodness. what am ! thinking :"
And as n To make amends for grace
less ingratitude. she gave thanks that
she had been protected from worldly
temptations and that no man had
crossed her path.
So Priscilla thanked the Grea, Deity
that she had not loved a man. and the
next day she went 70 the Sunday
school picnic.
Tall. fRlr and reserved. waving hair
struggling 20 be freed. and caught NJ
her neck In the original Bradshaw
knot. Priscilla was dressed In a flow
cred wolfe of plain style. and much.
oh. much too long she made sharp
contrast TO gay and modern Gerry
Townsend. who was preenIng before
Rob Gale. Barrytown's most popular
young man.
"I1i bet you don't darer she fairly
sparkied
The picnic was success. and every
one was almost juhilant except Pris-
ella. she was most uncomfortable
home she had wandered down TO the
lake and thought and thought and
wondered
Everyone had been pleasant. as
everyone always was. but surely the
"ycung set" had deliberately suubhed
her. II was probably her outlandish
ciothcs-she knew they were differ
ent-nnd her hair She had secretly
admired the couture the girls were
wearing-pufred NJ the back and puffed
nj the ears-and their skirts. too
She would try TO change herself n
BIZ n she only had some girl 20 help
her; hut she wouldn't ask one Of
them-no stree. Not when they had
snuhbcd her 50. But how she wanted
70 know, And how she wanted them
10 love her.
A biz tear splashed ON the rock
where she sat then a shadow fell he
fore her.
Priscilla looked .up. and into the
eyes ~ tina, model 81 masculIneness.
Bob Gale she stared. lie smiled.
Miss Bradshaw" he asked.
Priscilla nodded
-rve come out here 10 ask you an
awfully funny question" he began.
"But first ! want On tell you | haven't
seen anything 80 sweet and lovely
and-duaint as you for-well ever.
want % know you. want 10 be- your
friend. WIN you he my frlendf''
And Priscilla didn't know Bob
hadn't intended saying anything 81 the
kind when his shadow fell across the
rock.
The girls expression changed com
pletely. An Illumination from Inside
glowed In her eyes. a smile. beginning