Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-10-30
VOLUME 13-.--NUMBER 3.


wish could! But you know very well can.
not"
"Wel, my DEAR" said Mr.. Morgan, rising,
"don't think about it; all | mean to say is, that
you expect TOO much, you require perfection,
which is the cause Of your trouble"
As the oldgenteman said this. he loitthe room,
perfectly satisfied, to Judge by the satrrical grin
on his lip, and the twinkle in his eye, with the
commoton into which he had thrown his gentle
helpmate. The blood rushed TO the very tenn
Piles Of Mrs. Morgan, as she scrawled at the re-
treating combatant; then fixing her eyes on the
quiet and frightened Sarah, she said with a scorn-
ful air:
"Your uncle need not beso free with his taun,s.
He had good FIVE thousand dollars in cash, 10
do what he pleased with. | wonder if he could
have held his head so high as he does now, if
that had not paid off mortgages, and helped him
otherwisel If my poor dear boy had lived, il
would all be right enough; but TO have his estate,
with money on it, 60 TO them that are no kin to
me,-but that it shan't, can tell YOU"
"Dear aunt" cried Charles, "instead Of talk.
ing here, you had better be on the move, 10 get
the boy spoke of, there are two or three want
him, and he may be snapped up in a minute. 1t
is old Andrew Prices son, job"
"lle!" said the lady, "why, he is not much
better than fool"
"No, indeed aunt YOU are quite mistaken; he is
not so smart as some, but he is a very good stca-
dy boy, and only wants little care and teaching;
at any rate he wiH do Just as yOu bid him, what.
ever it is, that | can assure YOU"
"That is the very thing want. That is all
require" said Mrs. Morgan; 81 will talk with his
father this very morning; | am going to the vii
lage and will call there. Do you step down in
the meantime, and desire old Price and his son to
be at home. As for you, MISS do you rinse the
cups and saucers, and help tidy the room. You
must not expect TO eat the bread of idleness,
can tell YOU"
As Mrs. Morgan sailed out Of the room, Char.
les turned to the little girl with Disconnected
look, and said:
81 was going to ask you to go down with me;
but my aunt has taken special care TO give you
something to do; she makes you work like dog.
Why don't you tell her you can't and complain
to your uncle! If you will take your own part
a little, I'll second YOU"
"Mcrcy on me, Charles Iwould assoon Jump
into the fire. You do as you please, because aunt
is so fond of you; and SO long as you don't dis
turb uncle, he won't interfere with you but it is
very different with me. Isuppose you know the
reason well enough"
"lndced, do not; only know that you are
the niece and only relation, that folks know of, to
Mr.. Morgan, and ought to have his property by
right, when he dies, and that aunt has christian
hatred toward you for the same. Is there any
mystery! for goodness sake let us have it, and as
far as my help can go, give you my word and
honor, | will stand by you!''
And Charles, drawing chair near her, fixed
his dark eyes, sparkling with the eager genorosi-
ty OF boyhood, on her pale countenancc.
81 believe you, Charles" answered Sarah;
"but have no mystery to reveal. My mother
married against the will Of my grandfather, con-
trary TO the advice of my uncle; in short, she
ran away withmy father rand-herreatons would
never see her or forgive her. She was poor and
not happy; but letme do my poor father the jus.
tice to say, that his misforunes and poverty did
not arise from idleness or dissipation, but were
the consequences of an uncomfortable passion
for speculation. Never man desired to get rich
more than he did. He loved my mother, and the
sight of her, reduced to ndgence by his means,
cut him to the heart. He was irritated, too, with
my grandfather, for not forgiving her, and hated
to be toiling for his daily bread, almost within
sight of her fathers mansion. The questions
and condolences of the neighbors, sounded like
taunts Of suppressed exutaton; he became gloo-
my, and brooded over schemes of aggrandize-
ment that would, if successful, place him higher
than my mothers relations. But money was ne
cessary for the prosecution of any of these pro-
lects, and the difficulty of raising it, for time
deferred him, till in an unhappy hour he was Of
fered by Mr. Smith share in some speculation,
so safe and profitable, that he deter
mined to mortgage his small farm to a man in the
neighborhood, and go with Smith. He did so,
and lost half the money he had put in. The
person that held the mortgage, threatened TO fore
close, as he called it, but offered, if my mother
would sign the deed; which before she had refu-
sed 10 do, to advance farther sum and wait lon
ger. Worn out by my fathers importantly and
caring very little about it, she consented, and my
father plunged into various speculations, none of
which answered his sanguine expectations, till on
his return from journey, he found my mother on
her doathbed. She died-and not one former
friend even came to her funeral"
Sobs checked the voice of the fair young girl,
and rereating to a window, she gave way to a
burst of sorrow.
81 had rather have taken smart nogging, Sa-
rah, than have made you cry So" said Charles.
Il had not thought of hurting your feelings
Come, dear Sarah, leave sobbing, and sit down,
and let me wipe your eyes, and my aunt shall not
scod you, if can prevent it."
81 am very foolish" said the little girl, after a
few minutes, mastering her emotions; "but so
few speak kindly to me now, that cannot think
of my poor mother without weeping; but will
finish my story. My father determined to gath
er the remains of his property, and goto the west,
where he felt assured that in a short time he
could make fortune. was too young TO be ta-
ken so far, and he pacedm me at aboarding school,
in aneghboring town, paying year in advance,
and promising that at the end of that period he
would return for me, or remit payment for anoth-
er' But he did not come again; nor did we hear
from him; and for three months the mistress