Year: 1877

Miss Jane Finch was lonely the sen


sation was an odd one, and she was at Q


loss what to do with it. She had lived
for fifteen years solitary life, had
prided herself for decade and half on


being independent Of and Indifferent to
the rest Of the great human family, and
now she grew suddenly weary of her
self-imposed solitude. 1t might be be-
cause it was Thanksgiving week, and
everybody about her was 80 buoy and
bustling and happy, or it might be from
many other reasons; but whatever the
cause, the fact remains that, on certain
sunny morning in November, Miss Finch
awoke to the knowledge that her condi-
tion was not to be envied.


In vain she tried to argue herself back
into her old self-satisfaction. It was
Just as true now rs it was yesterday that
her brother James had married Sarah
Jones-a girl she thought she had good
reason to hate; but, someway, there was
no pleasure to be gained from comparing
their poverty with her riches.


A monster turkey WAS inst being
brought into her next door neighbor's !;
it reminded her that the following day
was Thanksgiving, and also reminded
her that she had yet to provide herself
with the culinary wherewithal without
which no Thanksgiving dinner might be
properly celebrated.


1t always made Miss Finch's face burn
to think of Captain Abel Jones-frst
cousin to her obnoxious sister-in-law.
Long ago, when she was in her teens,
they had been lovers, and everybody
knew that, as soon as he got his ship,
Abel Jones and Jenny Finch were to be
man and wife but one evening she ran
over to Sarah's Qhey had once been
bosom friends), and hearing voices in the
parlor, had stopped moment to discover
who was there. In that moment she had
seen Miss Sarah crying, as if her heart
would break, with her head on Mi.
Abel's shoulder.


Quito ignoring the fact that these two
had been brought up together, and that
Abel had time and again told her that
Sarah was just the same to him as dear
sister, Miss Finch grew righteously in
dignant; yet she was just just, in
deed she would not Judge them on this
evidence, although to most any one it
would have been proof enough of very
disagreeable fact; but she would wait,
and see how their conversation accorded
with their position. So she waited.


Don't cry" said Mr.. Abel Jones,
pleadingly, "I am sure can fix it all
right. She isn't nearly so fond of me as
you think; and you know, Sarah, how
dear you are to her. I'll break it to her
gently, and I'm sure she'll give me up
Of her own accord"


Now, Miss Finch hadn't q jealous ma
ture, not at all but the most unsuspi-
cious idiot in the universe could not have
misunderstood that speech. 1t was very
evident he wanted to be free from her.
So she stole gently out, without letting
them know Of her presence, walked
home at railroad speed, and, with very
proper self-respect, Immediately tied
mp his picture, his few presents and his
fewer letters, and sent them back to him
with the pretty falsehood that she found
she didn't like him we'll enough to marry
him, and should be obliged if he would
release her from the engagement.


She didn't propose to be Tilted by him
and she wasn't.


Then she went off on visit, staid two
months, and came home to and her
brother engaged to her false friend, and
her false lover nowhere.


In vain she endeavored to prevent
this marriage. Her brother would not
be convinced, without absolute proof,
that Sarah Jones was not q perfect |
woman. She begged, pleaded and urged.
But pride prevented her giving him the |
one fact of which she had become pos
sessed, and 80 the two were married, and !
she took her fortune Cleft her by her
fathers only sister and herself to an
other town, gradually withdrew herself
more and more from the world, until, at
twenty-six, she was confirmed misan- !
thrope, seeing no one.


This sort of existence she had kept up
until the time our story opens.


Why Sarah Jones married James
Finch, and why Abel Jones was still q