The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-02-24
Sellers, cheerfully. "Allow me to Introduce

to his cousin, and then to Martha.
"My house is close at hand" he said, afte
the first greetings were over. "l shall
. most happy,if you do me the honor of step
o ping in"
Pleased at the contrast between this an
the former recognition, the bride and her hus
band complied, aud were Hospitality receive
by Toms wife, large, buxom, motherly,witl
0 eyes as black as sloes
"And how are the young ones, Tom?" sal
Mr.. Sellers, when they had discussed som,
excellent bread. and-butter, with glass o
homemade wine. "Let me see, how many
had you when last h.d the pleasure Of see
iiig yoal" -, 80
The last time my good woman presented me
with twins. I might have pulled wry face
at this, had not my election to the second
mastership of the grammar-school taken
place the next day, We shall now do very
well. provided that Hannah be less bountiful
in her presents another time"
The good.wire blushcd and simpered; and
four or five rosy little girls rushed in from,
school, all dressed alike in brown stuff dresses
and straw bonnets, with green ribbons.
"Why, my dear fellow" said Mr.. Sellers,
''you appear to be partial 10 the feminine
gender"
"All girls but three, cousin, all girls but
three. The puzzle will be, as my wife often
says, how to find husbands for them"
The buxom Hannah blushed again, till. her
very ears glowed.
"You must not mind Tom," she said; che
is always at his jokes, though he can put or
such grave face. Since we were little
better off. have had some trouble to keep
him in order, can assure you"
"Well," said Mr.. Sellers, 81 think we had
better come TO the purpose of our visit. My
wife and called expressly to invite you to
dinner on Christmas-day. Quite a family
party" ... ..
Toms eyes sparkled. "What shall we do
with the children, Hannah, They fully reck-
oned upon game at snapdragor."
"If yon will excuse me-" Hannah began
"Oh, MOI" exclaimed Martha, who had
taken quite fancy to Mrs. Tom; "we can
allow of no excuse. You must bring the
children with you, twins and ALL Isabella
and will help to keep them in order; and
they shall play at snapdragnn. and blind
mans-buf also to their hearts content"
So this plan was agreed upon; and Mr..
and Mrs. Sellers departed, quite delighted
with such a pleasant contrast to their other
visit ....,
"Poor Mary! if we could but have found
her out" sighed Mr.. Sellers. 1t is of no
use applying to Directory. looked among
,he DIS the other day, and the name of
Drummond was not among them. They must
be in lodgings someA here"
Just then, the noise Of a window opening
above his head caused him to look up. A
female head protruded itself through the
open sash, and he stood as if struck dumb s.
sensless; tor this head,n braids and cap, was
that OF his long-lost daughter.
1t was, indeed, Mary. She had opened the
window to admit little air, foggy and impure
as it necessarily was, in that unhealthy locali-
ty; and, upon behodng her father in the
street below standing transfixed and gaz ng
upon her, she uttered u suppressed shrek, u
iell back into her husbands arms, who had
just returned from giving music lesson; the
first since his long illness.
hI lilc SOulll VI Iudl SDIlth,, hI. SCIICIo
recovered from the amazement into which
his daughters sudden appearance had thrown
him; and rushing to the lodgng-house door
without giving any explanation to Martha,
he knocked at it in a style 50 different from
his usually gentle, collected manner, that
had she not before OWNED what had happen
ed, she might have feared that he had taken
leave of his senses. A thwdry girl speedily
appeared in answer 10 the knock; but he
thrust her aside without ceremony,a ,and ascend
ing the stairs three at a time, us if he feared
| his daughter would be spirited away from him
appeared before the sitting-room door just as
Mary opened it,
| We have the reader to imagine the hug
| gng, and crying, and all the usual accom-
panments Of such meeting; only stopping
| to relate how Martha was detained outside by
the tuwdry servant who firmly believed that
! a compile of thieves were taking the house
by storm; and how Henry Drummond had to
90 down, to bring her in, and vouch for her
responsibility.
"Isabella has been beforehand with us
Mary tells me-" said Mr.. Sellers, when, the
! first excitement over they were able 10 dis
cuss matters quietly together.
"Indeed!" said Martha. 81 trust you will
pardon her disobedlence. What matter o.
pleasant surprise will this reconciliation bC
to her. There is scarcely anything in the
world so delightful as experiencing an nn
looked-ior pleasure" ......
Except the creating of it," said deel
voice at the door, All turned; and Andrew
Fairlegh, for it was he, stalked forward int
the middle of the room.
The Sellers and he were soon intimate
for they speedily recognized brother spirit
and he was already we'll acquainted with then
from Isabella's report; who, the reader mus
be apprised, en- pasSant, had been visiting
Mary every day from the period of the BRIDE
arrival. Singularly enough,at each of thes
visits she had encountered Andrew; who 70
some reason OF other, was seldom away fror
4 the house.
1t was now unanimously agreed that tn
additional guests-honest Andrew being il
cluded in the invtation---shoud take the
T, niacos nj the Christmas dinner wi hoy