New England -- Fiction; New England -- Politics and government -- Fiction
Nevertheless Mr. Satterlee had done his share in the matter. He had known
Mr. Graves for a long time, and better than any other person in Brampton.
Mr. Graves remembered Cynthia Ware, and indeed had spoken to Cynthia that
day about her mother. Mr. Graves had also read poor William Wetherell's
contributions to the Newcastle Guardian, and he had not read that paper
since they had ceased. From time to time Mr. Satterlee had mentioned his
pupil to the judge, whose mind had immediately flown to her when the
vacancy occurred. So it all came about.
"And now," said Mr. Satterlee, "what will you do, Cynthia? We've got the
good part of a day to arrange where you will live, before the stage
returns."
"I won't go back to-night, I think," said Cynthia, turning her head away;
"if you would be good enough to tell Uncle Jethro to send my trunk and
some other things."
"Perhaps that is just as well," assented the minister, understanding
perfectly. "I have thought that Miss Bruce might be glad to board you,"
he continued, after a pause. "Let us go to see her."
"Mr. Satterlee," said Cynthia, "would you mind if we went first to see
Cousin Ephraim?"
"Why, of course, we must see Ephraim," said Mr. Satterlee, briskly. So
they walked on past the mansion of the first citizen, and the new block
of stores which the first citizen had built, to the old brick building
which held the Brampton post-office, and right through the door of the
partition into the sanctum of the postmaster himself, which some one had
nicknamed the Brampton Club. On this occasion the postmaster was seated
in his shirt sleeves by the stove, alone, his listeners being
conspicuously absent. Cynthia, who had caught a glimpse of him through
the little mail-window, thought he looked very happy and comfortable.
"Great Tecumseh!" he cried,--an exclamation he reserved for extraordinary
occasions, "if it hain't Cynthy!"
He started to hobble toward her, but Cynthia ran to him.
"Why," said he, looking at her closely after the greeting was over, "you
be changed, Cynthy. Mercy, I don't know as I'd have dared done that if
I'd seed you first. What have you b'en doin' to yourself? You must have
seed a whole lot down there in Boston. And you're a full-blown lady,
too."
"Oh, no, I'm not, Cousin Eph," she answered, trying to smile.
"Yes, you be," he insisted, still scrutinizing her, vainly trying to
account for the change. Tact, as we know, was not Ephraim's strong point.
Now he shook his head. "You always was beyond me. Got a sort of air about
you, and it grows on you, too. Wouldn't be surprised," he declared,
speaking now to the minister, "wouldn't be a mite surprised to see her in
the White House, some day."
"Now, Cousin Eph," said Cynthia, coloring a little, "you mustn't talk
nonsense. What have you done with your coat? You have no business to go
without it with your rheumatism."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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