Year: 1873

"Only that old maid!"


1t had been said Of Anastasi0 Brande
once, in Skycberg, it had been said
hundred times. She was maid whom
there were none to praise, and very few
to love; and she dwclt among the m-
troddcn ways, though not exactly beside
the stream Of Love. For Skycborg is
New England town, and Matasia lived
in Skycbcrg. She had come there with
in few years, box Of Il cottage and
two or three acres attached having been
left her by II relative. Consequently, if
she had been younger Cand the probo-
bilty is that she hadJ there were none
to remember it.


She was II thin, straight figure Of II
woman, with hair silver gray, but soft
and abundant; pair OF shy eyes, thin
face to match the thin figure, and some
thing timid, almost scared i'll its express
sion, to keep in countcnance the shy
ness of the eyes In all her forty years
she had not overcome IN absurd trick
Of blushing when spoken to, nor was
always 8ure of givinga collected answer
when spoken to. 1t was like "working
your passage to talk to Miss Brandc,
people made haste to discover. There
were easier ways than this of getting ON
in the social curriculum, and they soon
learned to pass her by. She wondered
secretly what it was in herself that re-
PEELED them, and drcading Sights with
the scnsitiycncss peculiar to Il timid ma
turc. withdrew more and more into her
self, that she might not be in the way of
receiving them. Despite all this, she
was gcntcwoman to the very core
No one ever heard her say spitefuI or
unchartable word OF others, nor did
she ever, by speech or stare, or amy
overt act, wound the feelings Of those
with whom she was thrown in contact


A smart young couple had rented II
portion of her house, and all the land
but half an acre. This she titled her.
self as II garden, ckinG out from it's pro
ducts and her rent, and Il few hundred
dollars which she had in government
bonds, spare income, but quite suiti-
cient for her simple wants.


1t was not long before the march of
improvement laid an iron track across
her land, and a shrieliing engine whisk-
ed daily past her door. The innovation
was disagrccablc to our shy gentlewo-
man. alike from the noise and dust con-
seuucnt upon it and from the intrusion
upon retirement But the march of I'M
provcment cared little for that. As n
compensation, her property was incrcas-
ed in value and she got higher rent and
had n better market for her garden veg
ctables. Her income had been sufficient
before, and now there was a surplus,
with which she would have liked to ben
eft others. But here her dinidence prov
ed hindrancc. She tried going among
the poor TO learn their wants, but felt
so much like an impertiucnt mcddler i'll
other peoples affairs that she was nm
able to create pleasant impression.
The children slrickcd cold maid" when
she had got short distance from the
door, but not beyond carshot. She
went home with a crushed feeling, and
a sense of incnpacity that destroyed her
sleep that night, and made her nervous
ly disposed for week. The attempt
was not repeated. She began to feel
like Ishmael, she was one thrust out
from among her kind. Yet she still had
a ycarning to do some gcod-to bind
hearts to her by being helpful. since she
had not the social grace requisite TO at
tract them.