212 
THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
as her life-work, and she felt anxious to perfect herself in 
it so far as possible, and she should look to him to help 
her with his invaluable counsel and brotherly sympathy. 
Mr. Barlow delicately intimated that, so far from look¬ 
ing on teaching as her life-work, they could'only hope to 
retain her services until she should consent to bless some 
deserving man with her heart and hand. 
Miss Theo sighed impressively, and replied, in a tone 
of sadness: 
“ I will tell you, Mr. Barlow, in confidence, that I have 
once given my heart and hand to one most worthy, but 
he died just before the time set for our marriage. I have 
always considered myself his widow, and looked upon 
that phase of life as ended for me. Not that I have any 
sentimental feeling on the subject which would prevent 
me from ever loving again, but I have grown to look 
upon it as unlikely.” 
Of course, Mr. Barlow assured her that he should 
regard her confidence as sacred, and offered his sympa¬ 
thy in suitable terms, and expressed a civil hope that one 
so well qualified to bless and adorn a home would yet 
do so. 
To Deacon Elderkin, the eldest of the school board, 
and a hale, handsome man of sixty, Miss Theo related 
the touching episode of her early love and disappoint¬ 
ment ; also in strict confidence assured him that she felt 
she could trust him as a father, and look to him for ad¬ 
vice and protection in her lonely condition. And the 
good deacon was quite melted by such a proof of confi¬ 
dence from this lovely and desolate woman, and assured 
her in turn that he should regard her with as much pater¬ 
nal affection as though she had been his own daughter. 
Miss Theo had invested a small portion of her savings 
in some rather doubtful mining stock, and often consulted 
Lawyer Hemenway, another member of the board, about 
the advisability of selling it. At these times she would 
lift her beautiful hazel eyes to his face with a look of in¬ 
nocent friendliness, and assure him that his friendship 
was the greatest possible boon to her; that she trusted 
him entirely and depended upon his judgment, and she 
did not know how she could endure life if ever he should 
cease to be her friend; that he seemed nearer to her from 
the fact that her own betrothed, who had early been taken 
from her, was interested in the law. 
* Of course, Mr. Hemenway was much interested on 
learning, as he supposed, that she had been engaged to a 
lawyer, and the sad story was also confided to him and 
his sympathy eagerly absorbed. 
Miss Theo had remarkable taste in dress, and could 
make of herself a most charming picture. Her costumes 
were marvels of style and becomingness; but it is more 
than doubtful if John Greyson, another member of the 
board, would ever have known it had not his attention 
been called to the fact by Miss Theo’s innocent appeals 
to know if he considered it wrong for her to dress so 
elegantly, seeing that much of her wardrobe consisted of 
presents from him who was to have been her husband, if 
a merciful heaven had spared him to her. Thus appealed 
to, it was only natural that John Greyson’s eyes should 
wander over Miss Theo’s pretty figure and observe the 
perfect fit and entire harmony of her dress and the rich¬ 
ness of her laces, and it was equally natural that they 
should express the admiration they felt while he told her 
it was her undoubted right to wear garments thus be¬ 
stowed, and that nothing could better suit the figure and 
complexion of the wearer. 
Miss Theo thanked him sweetly, and hoped he would 
always tell her when she was right, and warn her if at 
any time he disapproved of her conduct. She could trust 
to his superior wisdom, and feel confident of never going 
wrong. 
It is not strange that Mr. Greyson felt flattered and 
pleased, and henceforth felt some sense of responsibility 
in regard to Miss Theo. 
Poor Miss Theo! She was really good and innocent, 
and should not be blamed too severely if the withering 
tendrils of her desiccated affections, reaching out for natural 
support, attempted to twine about such masculine supports 
as came in their way. Surely, no one could be so heartless 
as,to deprive her of the consolations of friendship ! 
The members of the school board being strictly hon¬ 
orable men, never dreamed that the repetition of Miss 
Theo’s sad story to the ears of their respective wives 
involved any breach of confidence on their part, and ac¬ 
cordingly those worthy ladies were soon in possession of 
this interesting love story. Strange to say, they were 
not so tenderly impressed by it as their spouses had 
been, and not quite so ready to offer unbounded sympa¬ 
thy and friendship to the fair heroine as might have been 
desired. Some women have such a practical way of 
transmuting the romantic into the commonplace by a 
word or look. 
“ Poor thing ! so she is an orphan, is she ?” remarked 
Mrs. Elderkin as the deacon recounted her touching 
appeal to his fatherly feelings and his promise to act-a 
father’s part by her. 
“ Why, no; her father and mother are both living, I 
believe,” replied the deacon. 
“ O-h ! ” remarked Mrs. Elderkin. 
“ But, my dear,” expostulated her husband, “ they do 
not live in this city; they live twenty miles away.” 
“ We have excellent postal arrangements, I believe,” 
continued the lady, “ and ‘ blood is thicker than water.’ 
How should you like to have Laura appealing to a com¬ 
parative stranger for paternal affection and protection ? ” 
This put rather a different aspect on the affair; the 
deacon was ready to admit that it would not please him 
at all, for Laura was his only child, now away at 
boarding-school, between whom and himself existed the 
closest confidence and whose long and frequent letters 
were his greatest source of enjoyment during her ab¬ 
sence. 
“ Lydia, my dear,” said George Barlow to his wife, 
“ I hope you will call on Miss Theodora and be a friend 
to her. It is so hard for a woman to be so alone in the 
world as she is, and she seems to have such a clinging 
nature and feels so deeply the need of a home.” 
“ Has she no home to go to ? ” inquired Lydia com¬ 
passionately. 
“ Why, she can go to her father’s home when she 
chooses, I presume ; but that is not like having a home of 
her own.” 
