The other Miller girl — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The other Miller girl
John Stuart Mill · en
“She expected you yesterday, it seems, and to-day she was so
disappointed to get a note instead of a call that I volunteered to come
up at once and fetch you.”
Thus far no one outside the parsonage had known of that audacious visit
of Anna’s. Seth Miller’s face wore an expression half-jaunty, half
proud. No man had such extraordinary daughters as he, and sometimes it
seemed as if Anna were quite as remarkable as Rusty. But Mrs. Miller
looked frightened.
Mr. Langley turned to her with his charming smile.
“What do you think, Mrs. Miller! This is the first time that Mrs.
Langley has felt any interest whatever in anyone or anything since we
lost our little Ella May,” he said in a sort of hushed wonderment. “You
will spare Anna for a little while, won’t you? I’ll bring her back
shortly safe and sound.”
When Anna returned to Miss Penny’s at tea time, she found her in a
state of almost wild excitement.
“O Anna, do sit down and tell me all about it,” she cried. “For the
first time in my life I was glad--no, I can’t say I was glad, but I
wasn’t really disappointed that Mr. Langley didn’t come in. Not that he
thinks it wrong, being Sunday, and anyhow I really am an old lady and
won’t be getting out to service many years more. But he had the Smith’s
horse, you know. It was nice of him to bring you home, but of course he
would. He thought you were here--that was why he stopped. And to think
of Mrs. Langley’s asking for you all of her own accord. Dear me, dear
me, what does she look like and did you have a nice time?”
“Not exactly what you would call slick,” replied Anna in her droll way
that cloaked her weariness even for herself. “There was nothing lively
enough about it to break the Sabbath. Our conversation was confined to
the subject of tombstones.”
“O Anna, my dear!” said Miss Penny in mild reproof as if it were
sacrilegious to speak lightly of such things.
Anna related briefly the occasion of her first visit and described the
restoration of the marble image in the cemetery.
“Bless its little heart!” cried Miss Penny who was as enthusiastic
as Anna in her love of animals. “It must be sweet. I wonder I never
thought of going to look at it on Memorial day. I used to go to the
cemetery regularly every year until I got so lame.”
“We’ll drive the pony up there some day. It’s not far to walk from the
gate,” Anna said.
She dropped into a rocking chair, let her yellow head fall wearily
back against the cushion and closed her eyes.
“I had to tell her of it over and over and over,” she said presently,
raising her lashes pensively.
“Anna, you are very tired!” cried Miss Penny.