Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The SearchlightHolt, Mathew Joseph
General
Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The Searchlight
Holt, Mathew Joseph
Fiction
MARY AND JOHN PROGRESS.
The experiences of Mary on her trip East to Wellesley and the first few
months of college life were such as to try her courage and earnestness
of purpose. Her traveling experience, until the family moved to Madison
County, had been limited to trips to Pineville, Middlesboro and Harlan.
Since moving, she had been to Richmond, Winchester and Lexington.
A week or so before she went East, she and her mother had gone to
Lexington to purchase her clothing. Her father had given her one hundred
and fifty dollars for the purpose, to which she had added fifty dollars
of her own money.
Before she bought anything she insisted on sitting an hour in the hotel
parlor and then walking about the street for the purpose of noting the
costumes of girls her own age. She had gone to church at Paint Lick and,
sitting near the pew of the Clays, had seen Bradley Clay and his sister,
Rosamond, come in. Watching the girl, she had thought what a becoming
costume she wore. It was a dark blue dress, very simply, though
carefully, made. With this limited experience, when she began
purchasing, going to a neatly dressed clerk and asking that she show her
some costumes, and such as she herself fancied; her purchases, when
completed and fitted, were appropriate and becoming and almost
transformed the girl.
When the time came to leave home, her resolution was near the breaking
point. She feared her father might be convicted, though she had faith in
Mr. Cornwall, which had been strengthened by his predicted reversal of
her father's case. She had never been separated any length of time from
her mother, except when at school in Pineville. Then she had lived with
her mother's sister, her aunt Mandy, and went home every Saturday. Now,
for many months, she would be away from all kindred and acquaintances,
depending for sympathy and companionship on yet unmade friends.
Her father said: "Don't go, little girl, if you don't feel like it,"
while she cried in his arms.
"Father, I shall go; be good to mother, and when Mr. Cornwall gets you
off never touch a gun."
"Alright, Mary."
Her mother accompanied her to Winchester and there, with face stained by
tears and the coal dust of the local train, bade her good-bye. Mary
bought her ticket by way of New York, on the C. & O. At the advice of
the agent, who was a kindly man and had grown daughters of his own, she
purchased a Pullman ticket and was told when she arrived in New York to
go straight to the traveler's aid matron in the station.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account