SHORT STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13452, 31 May 1907, Page 3

SHORT STORY.

AN OLD MAID'S MONEY. ' -t' * She was an old maid, was Mis.* Elizabeth: Primm—an old maid of the obsolete type of j our grandmothers' daysthe stiff est, the J 'starchiest, the most old-fashioned of old 1 maids that ever drew breath. Miss j Elizabeth was well off, be it said, but lived quietly in a small house, with two I elderly, very worthy and ugly servants, nearly as " prim , and proper, la-di-da," as i their mistress. The elder niece, Matilda j Wilson, , left with a narrow, income, had settled herself .as boarder in a small house-: hold near her aunt's, for economy," the; young lady said, " and to bo near i her dearest aunt; besides, it . was j more proper for; her to be, =o to speak, under her relative's protection. | The other niece was a cousin to Miss; I Wilson, and had no mother, but only aj i father, Major Dash wood, who had retired, and come for a yeai or two to the country to recruit his health, and make! his modest means go further. The youngi lady was nineteen, and a pretty creature enough, with a short curly crop like a boy's; and a tomboy she was, and had j been from her cradle, her adoring father j averred. It was reported that the bonniei harum-scarem, curly pate's actual baptis- j mal name was Caroline, but in the regiment j and out of it she was Charlie" Dashwood i to everyone from babyhood to nowex- j cept to Aunt Primm, who was horrified! at the masculine sobriquet, and never used j it or recognised she, be sure.

I'iie gin wits simply brimming over with j high spirits and health and innocent mis-1 chief, ami it was • quite impossible • to re-! sist tile wicked iuii of outraging ail the j narrow old lady's pet prejudices—to take a rise out of her," as Charlie put it, whining up to Miss Primm's garden gate on her oicycie (sometimes it w;l» her tricycle, for she had both) at an hour she knew the old lady would be in her garden. Yes, there she was, trimming., the dowers, dutifully attended by Matilda. . " Whew—w,' whistled the wicked Charlie like a bird, to attract attention, as she strode tip the path, trundling her dainty machine. How do, Auntie Bess"' How do, Tilly Slowboy?" "Aunt Elizabeth and ..Matilda, if you j please,. said Miss. Primnv as . stiff and severe as an upright board, her very cap frills bristling. You are. well aware, nicco Caroline, how, reprehensible are . such tui-lady-like abbreviations. And whistling, too, like a- rough boy!— is most improper." * . , " Oh, it all matches, then,"- laughed' the niece, giving a still more saucy set to her pretty Tam-o'-Shanter which, with her short riding-skirt, was as the mark of the | beast in up-to-date horrors in her aunt's j evert. "Why don't you call me Charlie?] You don't knew how funny it sounds to j be called anything" else. All the fellows call me Charlie-— jolly they are, too. This with the wickedest look; the young imp wasn't the least bit of a flirt, in truth, but a frank tomboy, as open as the daylight-, bless her! ( What language for a lady, cousin," remonstrated Matilda. "See how you shock, dear Aunt Elizabeth." . • ' "I am ashamed of you, child said the aunt as chorus; "and I do not ever wish to sec that"—pointing to the objectionable machine—" my garden at all." '"Fill next time, Auntie Elizabeth," laughed Charlie; "it's a real little beauty, isn't it? Want any messages' 1 ' or letters taken anywhere? I can go in a jiffy." "My dear! ' I will not hear such slang, if you please! Yes, I have a little parcel! to g0..t0 Ederleas (the . post town three miles off), ; and an answer to be brought, but no doubt dear Matilda will do my errand this afternoon."

" Dearest aunt, I would with pleasure," interposed Matilda, . hastily, " but I promised Mrs. Coutts to finish her curtains to-day, and I am afraid- so long a walk and waiting for a reply would oblige me. to break my promise. Still, if you wish me to go-—'" , v ' ./ ; ■' - ' The.'•Tact .was, «he bated the long, , hot ,walk^at\d : had.no irsetitit>p of ..putting hej£self out for ; - "aunt's faddy ' whim," she thought.' Selfish; as she was, money-seek-ing Matilda never in truth really put herself out to oblige the old maid if she could possibly get out. of it. She toadied, and flattered, arid " talked a lot of bunkum," as Charlie said to the major, but de'il a bit did she really give up, so long as she believed she wore the mask successfully. Whereas, wild, harum-scai-em Charlie, who teased, laughed, outraged all the proprieties (in Miss Primm's 'view), was always ready and pleased' to do anything for her aunt, never was really disrespectful or out of temper with the old'lady's most crabbed snaps, and. was always irreprnssibly lively under all conditions. More than once Miss Elizabeth had -been ip such a rage, with the wicked recreant that, she had'showered texts on her 1 with true Christian velocity, and ended by declaring that if her niece didn't mend her ways she would not even leave her a penny of money, to be spent in worldly wickedness.

"I, don't care, auntie, one bit," opening the blue eyes, and she meant it, as the old, lady knew—she was shrewd in her way. " I. don't want your or anyone else's money. I'll nurse you if you. get ill, dc anything you want, but I'll never stoop to wait on ' dead 1 men's . shoes.''.' *• Up went the curly headland off went its owner.

•'*Hoity-toity said Aunt Elizabeth; •" what a haughty minx the child is, to be sure! Not at all like you, niece Matilda,j in any'way." "Well, no, aunt." But doubtless plain Matilda was green j with envy ox pretty Charlie Dashwood. Now;the old lady gave;ar sharp glance from the elder to the younger with her gloveless hand on the odious machine. j "Hark!" said she, not very graciously— i "well, you can do my errand then, child, since I suppose, you' will tear about the country alone on that unfeminihe thing, whether or no." "All serene, auntie! Yes; so I may as well do you a service at the same time. I'll be out and back with the answer, dear, before you or Tilly can say ' Jack Robinson.' I'll fly."" . , Miss Primm pressed her lips, but went in to fetch her parcel. # ''Really, Caroline, you are quite a disgrace to us," began Matilda. "'Oh, bosh, Tilly! Humbug! Don't preach to me," retorted Charlie offhand. "I can see through a ladder, my ? dear, if the poor dear old auntie can't. You're welcome to her tin as a reward for wearing those awful dresses and bonnets, and the rest! And, after all, I'll bet I like her really a jolly lot more than you dopoor old though I'm so wicked, and tease her!" J

|- .".You are—-" ' .. • - . . - ... ' But'thea Miss Primm trotted out again, from perhaps, not far, gave' her message, land Charlie, nodding gaily, said: |; "All right; I'm back in less than an hour, unless Mi's. Coutts detains me.' At the gate she mounted, deftly and gracefully, and flaw off— - ~ ' . • i., A pretty picture of girlish , grace. And Aunt Primm watched her off under pretence of shutting the gate.

That winter jNliss Primm caught a chill —a serious chilland the affectionate Matilda ."was delighted that at the time Major Das'.wood and Charlie ■ were with friends in Loadon. However, the old lady got worse,' and made Matilda write for them at once; and she had to obey. They arrived in time to be with Aunt Primm when" she died, holding madcap Charlie"? soft, tender little 'hand, whilst Matilda, weeping copiously, sat'at the "bedside. . The will was duly read after the funeral by the old maid's lawyer, in the presence of the three relativesa simple will. , "Fifty pounds to each old servant; £50 to the old lawyer £500 to Major Bashwood ; to . my. niece, Matilda Wilson, £1000; and to my dear ; niece, Caroline Dash wood,; commonly called ' Charlie Dashwood,' was left everything else, amounting to about £10.000. A rider was appended by the testator herself: — j . "I soon perceived that my elder niece was merely seeking my fortune, and enacting a hypocrite's part, whereas my younger niece, with all her objectionable ways, was frank and truthful, and cared for tho person a little. I think, but for the gold, not at all. I hope and think that she ' will''use it ■ well, and, therefore, ,to Charlie Dashwood 1 leave the ' Old Maid's ,Money.'" ]