Burlington tri-weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1852-1855, 1854-12-21
A BEAuTIruL STORY.
The Flint Marriage In the Family.
ny MARY IRWIN.

Der! Our home was pearl Of price among
homes; not for its architectural elegance
for il was only i four gabled, brown coun-|
try house, shadtd by two antideluvian oak
trees, nor was its interior crowded with lux 7
uries that charm every sense, and come from
every cline. Its furniture had grown old
with use, for We rememb red no other, tho
polished rs highly rs furniture could DO Ivy
daily scrnbbing, was somewhat the worse
for use, it must be confessed. But neither
the house nor its furniture makes the home;
the charm of ours lay in the sympathy that |
linked the nine that called it home to one a.
mother. sat4 i 8lA
Father, mother. and seven children-6ve Of
them gay hearted girls. and two boys, pet
ted just enough to be spoiicd-not one link
had ever dropped from the chain Of love, and
one corsoling drop fallen upon its bright
ness. s.+.s2s.s HWY N. ~. HI. s.s
s s.One star diff,rs from another in glory,
even in the armament of home." Thus
though we could not have told stranger
which sister or brother was dearcst-frOm
GU. gentle eldest an invalid herself, but
the curly haired boy, who romped and re-
ljoiced in the appellasion of baby given
FIVE wears before-still an observing eye
would have singled out sister Ellen, as the
the sunbeam Of our heaven, the morning star
Of our constellation. She was the second in
age, but the first in Inheritance Of that load
If responsibility, which, in such household
] falls naturally upon the eldest daughter.
Eliza, as 1 have said was i'll from early
childhood, and Ellen had shouldered all her
! burden Of care and kindness with q lgh.
heart and lighter step. Up stairs and down
! cellar, in the parlor, nursery, or kltchen-at
the piano, or the washtub-with pen, pencil,
needle, or ladle- sister, Ellen was always
busy, always with smile on her check, ard
MARBLE on her lip. tGI 13s3a
; Quietly, happily, the months and years
went by. We never realized that change
was to come over our band. TO be sure,
when mother would look in upon US, seated
: together, with our books and painting, and say
in her gentle way with on'y half sigh, sAh
. girls you are living your happiest days!' we
! would glance into each others eyes, and
wonder who would 90 first. But it was a
! wonder that passed away with the hour, and
! ruffed not even the surface Of our sisterly
: hearts. 1t could not be always SO and the
change came at last. fH
Sister Ellen was to be married! E
I 1t was like the crash Of a thundrbolt in a
clear summer sky! Sister Ellen-the fairy Of
the hearthstone, the darling OF every heart
which of US could spare her? Who had
been so presumptuous as tofnd out her worth?
For the first moment, this question burst
E from each surprised, half angry sister Of the
, bushng fearful Ellen. 1t was only for a
0 moment, for our hearts told us that nobody
could help loving her, who looked through
j her loving blue eyes into the clear wellspring
: Of the heart beneath. So we threw our arms
around her, and sobbed without word.
e We knew very we'll that the young clergy
Q man, whose Sunday sermon, and gentle ad-
d monitions had won all hearts had been a
4 weekly visitor at our Preside circle. With
baby George on his knee, and Georges
brother and sisters clustered about him,
t he had set for many an evening, charming the
{ hours away, until tn, clock startled us with
s lis unwclcome nine O'Clock warning and the
q softly spoken reminder, sGirlsit is bed time :
woke more than one sigh Of regret. Then
sister Ellen must 60 with us, to hear George
in his little bed, to hear him and Annette
!, repeat the evening pray and hymn. her lips
. had taught them, to comb the long brown
!. braid on Emily's head, to rob Arthur Of the
e story book over which he would have squan-
n dered the midnight Oil, and to breath kiss
e and a blessing over the pillow Of each other
r sister, as she tucked the warm blankets
It around them t
!, We did not know how often Of late she had
: stolen down again from these sisterly duties
:, after our sisters were locked in sleep; or il
d our eyes and ears, had ever been open to the
fact, we could never have suspected the min
Is lister to have been guilty Of such 4 plot
:, against our peace. That name was associat-
!, e ed in our minds, with all that was superhu-
f. man. The gray haired pastor, who had SAT
1 II, ~ hot loL.. !
talked with US. We had loved him as a
y !. father ard friend, and had almost worsh pped
- him as the embodiment Of all attainable good
al ness; and when Mr.. Neville came among US
ID with his high pale forehead and soul kindleo
2 eye, we had thought his face also the face
!. of an angel-too glorious for the print ol
d human passion! Especially after in answer
:, 70 an earnest call, from the people among
ct whom he was, laboring, he had frankly toll
:, them, Tat his purpose was not to remair
: among them,0r anywhere on his native shore
Itl that he only waited the guidance Of Prov
NJ idence to home In foreign CLINE. ATTIC
this much bewailed disclosure of his plans
We placed our favorite preacher on highe
principle Of saintship. .
e But sister Ellen was to be married-an,
married to Mr.. Neville. And then, GO, sis
IS ter, you are going away to lLdia!" burs
II from our lips with fresh burst of sobs. ID
L was the first that looked up into Elem
:, troubled face. It was heaving with emotion
u that ruffied Its calmness as the tide wave ruff
, aes the sea. Her lips were firmly compress
ls ed her eyes We're fixed on some distant dream
+ glassed with two tears that stood still il
\ their chalices, forbidden to fall limos
At trembed as caught her q nee.
n "Sisters! Agnes-Emilyp' she exclaime,
lo in n husku VhiSrar 4ksLInchl ho oalxnl n,ra