The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-07-20
For the National Era.
H 0LLY-W 0 0 D
BY ALICE CAREY.
CHAP. I-Concluded.

ChAP. l-Concluded.
III grew ill-naturcd, fretful, and moro dis
satisfied than ever-often and oftener | stcle
awsy to the apple tree and planned great
plans for the future for, though seventeen,
was still child in behaviour. Occasionally
Charley joined me, but not frequently: and
when he did, said never word Of the dreams
had been dreaming, fer the hardness that wa.
gathering over my heart toward Martha oil
! most incapacitated me to love at all.
Charley never sought my confidence Sc
betwixt US the distance widened and widened
neither did he give me HIS How wish it had
beon otherwise! IF there had been strong
and willing hand to remove the obstacles in
his way, he might have succeeded in almost
any path; but, lacking that, he was but i'm.
perfectly successful In anything. | did not
know, then, what have learned since, tina!
the human heart, till it becomes hardened BY
sfIeerse fortune or crossed affection, must and
will havexympathy, and, failing of il in leeiti-
rate channels, will seek it elsewhere. This
fact has been painfully exempli6ed to me in
the history of Charley. remember the last
time ever made an offer of confidence. The
sun--for it was late in the autumn--had looked
al day like yellow spot in the clouds; the
ar was soft and balmy, like May; so, when my
tasks were done, and the moon glirnmored
through the haze, | sought the accustomed
apple tree to enjoy the luxury of solitude, and
forget my real world in an imaginary one.
f"When we have built some beautiful dream.
and there is no one by to show us how baseless
it is, we grow confident; so, when | heard a
step, in the near woods, rustling the leaves, |
called Charley to come, for 1 knew it was he,
and told him meant to be great actress
that kings and queens should praise me--that
would be so proud and SO happy. He pointed
to the woods, that stood dreary and fading,
acres and acres as far as we could see
well, what Of it? asked. He smiled,
saying among them all, not one lowered much
above the rest
Halfvhe glory Of my vision was gone yet
reached my hand toward him and said, ]
want you to be great, too, brother-won't you
trya
"sI don't know what shall do-perhaps
something, sometime he replied, and folded
his arms together, as if to shu. noe out. He
was in his most disconsolate, and in my most
buoyant mood SO, after we had sat awhile in
silence, he went back into the woods, and |
climbed to the boughs again, and apoetrophiz-
ed the moon and the spirits invoked out Of
the air
"'There are so many in my way he used
to cay Shove them aside would urge
"Then should be no less a fool than tho
rest he would answer; and so our little con-
ferences and condolences always ended.
al could hear Charley walking among the
leaves, and the footsteps of travellers on the
turnpike, and the treading of horses as they
drew homeward their heavy loads An un-
usual number of wagons there were, and o
good deal of loud talking.
DAT first could not tell what it all meant,
but presently saw the wagons turning up the
lane towards the white house. afterwards the
Holly Wood of my story) which stood on the
hill nearly opposite where we lived, but half a
mile from the main road. Shortly afterward
saw lights moving about the house-it was
about 10 be inhabited certainly.
@The place had been vacant long time,
and was curious to know who could BIO COM
ing to live there for a new family, in q neigh
bqrhoOd like ours monopolizes all its attention
for time. | was no less curious than the
rest, and, climbing to the topmost bough,
swung fearlessly as q bird-my face toward
the white house, for the movements Of the
newcomers had quite dissipated my dreams.
While | was 80 engaged q carriage came rat
Ting up the road, and heard a clear, musical
voice direct the coGchman TO drive slowly,
which he did, and shortly turned into the lano
after the wagons
lights were brought, and gentleman
sprang to the ground, and then woman
climbed down the steps slowly, folding in her
arms something which appeared like child.
"For an hour or more remained swinging
on the bough, thinking of the new neighbors,
and wondering who and what they could be.
at was later than our usual time Of retiring
when returned to the house. Martha was
hard at work, doing o thousand things which
did not require to be done that night, and
Hetty, half asleep, was helping, or pretending
to help, while Doke, with piece OF bark in
his mouth, and his long fingers clutchiDg at
nothing, lay curled up On the hearth like dog,
and fast asleep.
"Martha said she and Mr.. Halstend had
been frightened about me, but she stared right
past me into vacancy, epincing neither joy nor
snrprae--and so she probably would hare done,
if had been brought home dead. saw che
was displeased with me, for she resumed work
as though there was great deal to 90, and
nobody to do it but herself, and also continued
to tread on my fathers toes, quite innocently
it might have seemed to another; /, how
ever, knew the manifestations Of her i'll. humor,
and that in one wey or another she made o
scaregost of father upon such occasions.
az did not offer my services, but answered
her look in the Dir with an incredulous smile,
and, calling Hetty to go along, passed at once
to my chamber.
"My father looked beseechingly toward me
from the dim corner where be sat, sharpening
his razor on the leathern cover Of the Bible
his usual occupation when things went wrong.
| never saw him so engaged, without fearing
he meditated suicide.
III could not 90 to sleep for long time that
night-my chamber seemed lower and mar
rover than it had ever done before-I felt dis
ioGa al xus}h and WITH
II felt as if the very bed on which lay was
slipping from beneath me, for the substance
We had previously TO my mothers death was
fast wasting away, for, as before intimated, it
was her wiser counsels that chiefly directed
affairs.
"My father did what he thought best, but,
unfortunately, he never knew what that was;
SO, though be worked hard it availed little,
and Charley seldom joined IN the labors of the
farm-never with any interest or motive.
"Our little homestead was simply a shelter
wherein Martha was copdescending, for sea-
son, to abide and when my father asked her
advice, she was sure she didn't know nor care
how things were managed. Doke fed and
tended her COW and as for the rest-why, they
were Mr.. Halstead's!
"She did, generally, that which she appeared
to think was duty, but without interest or
cheerfulness, and just a. machine would have
performed / often remarked that she 80 dis
posed her duties as to make my father aware
of them alias much as to say, See here, how
am wearing out my life for you, and might
have lived SO nicely on. my fortune, but for you,
you designing man. Charley grew an awkward
youth, sullen, and, am afraid, selfish, and
gradually adopted toward me high and
naughty bearing that greatly annoyed and
yexed me-
He was younger by a year than ], yet he
affected to regard me as a wayward child, that