The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1853-08-30

MARRYING FOR A HOME.
BY FANNY GORDON .

tam age, holding up beth hands IN molly horror;
"Ellinor Greene is really going to marry that
horrid old widower, Solomon Jones! well de-
clare, truth is stranger than fiction, for who
would have thought year age, that Nell Greene
would ever have treated him decently, to say
nothing ofbecoming his wife"
True enough" rejoined Mary Ann Brown,
the young lady who had impaired the above
information to the spinster: "true enough
But you have not forgotten, presume, that
trite but truthful expression, that pride goeth
before fall Only one year ago the Greenes
were in prosperity, and naturally enough, proud
to excess; now, they are in adversely. Nelly
has become an orphan, and marries old Jones,
TO quote her own words, for home. And
she will bitterly repent ere she has long been
Mrs. Jones, that she has thrown away her
beauty, and accomplishments upon that un-
couth man, or else am sadly mistaken
Yes, indeed! said Miss Barbara nodding
her head most knowingly; 'and that coarse
disagreeable Maria Jones for step p-daughter!
Why the very idea is so extremely preposterous
that can hardly believe it. Solomon is old
enough TO be NelPs father: in fact and here
the old maids voice sank to whisper, although
there was not soul within ear shot save Ma
ry Ann-"it was solely on account of tho
great disparity in our ages tha. I rejected his
suit when his first wife had been dead only six
weeks; and Ellinor is several years younger
than myself"
so l supposed remarked Miss Brown, dri-
", although her eye twinkled mischievously.
But speaking IF Maria Jones, if Elinor
Greene don't h ve trouble with that girl, you
may set me down as no prophet. Uneducated,
obstinate, and decidedly coarse, there can
scarsely be imagined a greater contrast than
that WHICH exists between her and Nelly
Greene.
"A very true remark put in the maiden la
dy.
However continued the younger gossip, Il
suppose. Ellinor is in very Strengthened cir
cumstances since the death of her parents and
she is tooIproud to work for living. Well,
WELL! she Is welcome to her prospective hus-
band. for had rather live Mary Ann Brown
all the days of my life, and work till my fingers
drop off at that, than TO become the wife of
such man, and the step-mother of such
girl
'And so had Barbara Stebbins,' chimed in
the spnster, taking huge pinch of 'Macca-
boy
why, l had rather live till became an old
maid, than to have the prospect of her life be-
fore me-
Mary Ann smiled, and Miss Barbara did the
same most complacently, and while they pro-
ceeded to discuss some other precious ttbit of
gossip. we will state the facts in the case 'afore
mentioned to our indulgent reader.
Ellinor Greene, as has been promised by the
| foregoing conversation, was very poor and very
proud. The time had been, and that but
short time previous to the date of our sketch,
when she was the only daughter of wealthy
father. courtcd and flattercd by friends and ac-
quaintanccs.
Being the only daughter, although she had
| been reared in fashionable Incidence by fond
and intelligent father, and a tender though
weak-mnded mother. She was never allow ed
10 visit the region of the kitchen, and had she
been questioned concerning the Ingredients of
batch of bread or cake, sse would have ex-
pressed the most profound and somewhat truth
full ignorance As for knitting and sewing,
her knowledge of them was limited to crochet
and cross stitch purses and tides; stockings
and the various articles of feminine apparel
were, for aught she knew, manufactured by
some subcrhuman agency; and the frequent
advent Of the mantau-maker in the family, ac-
companied with cutting fitting, and basting,
was a sore tria to poor Ncly's patience.
AS for her education, strictly speaking, had
| it been carefully examined, it would have been
found tn consist the simplest rediments of
the common Edglish branches; but accomplish
menrs, so called she had many. She played
the piano and guitar but spiritless and with
grace, and occasionally accompanied the in
struments with her voice. she spoke French
and Italian, and regretted that tho English Ian
guage was not more musical; she danced quite
gracefully; and conversed very pleasantly. But
beyond these attainments, although she had
been finished at a fashionable boarding-school,
our heroine knew little.
Let il not be supposed, however that Nelly
was heartess sensless lump of clay; on tho
contrary she was naturally a generous, kind
hearted girl, often governed by the kindest
feelings for the pleasure, happiness or comfort
OF others. Her faults were those of her edu-
cation, and had il not been her misfortune of
having been an only daughter, it is highly
proba 10 that she would have received a far
different education, and had become true wo-
man.
Mr. Greene, Nellys father, was. previous to
his disease, generally supposed to be rich: in
fact 1t seemed that nothing short of an abso-
lutte competency could have supported his ex-
travagant mode of life; what then, were the
terrible emotions of his family upon learning
soon after his death, which occurred quite sud
denly. that he had left scarcely dollar in the
worldl Such however was the truth: and this
fact united with tho overwhelming calamity OF
his death, threw Mrs. Greene long in delicate
health, into brain fever, from which she ev-
| er recovered.
She fingered few weeks, and the charity
of their forme friends became necessary for
their support At last she died, and Ellinor,
so untitled both by nature, constitution and
education to battle with the world, became
dependent upon its charities or her own ex-
ertions.
Think then dear reader, of the forlorn and
desolate condition of poor Nelly, penniless and
all alone in tho world. with three young broth
ers dependent upon her for a livelyhood.-
Poverty, and that the most gaunt and terrible
that can be imagined, for cold and rigorous
winter had just set in when her parents died,
/ stared her mercless in the face; and turn
which way she would its hideous shdaow dar-
kcned her path
AS we think we have before stated, our
young heroine was totally unfttcd for labor
of any kind, for aside from her lamentablo ig-