The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-11-22
Es ass s Rs ahes that sp s uea
WESTERLY, R. l., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1855

more sbont it now, fer I hear Robert.
step in the ya'd' ' .
-'Cann"t atf"d to pay one dollar for q
school book y can almost hear the
sco'nful tones with which many, a young
Miss repeats this sentence, who perhaps
spend more than one dollar every week
in confectionery I can see the incri.d-
ul"us look which steals over many fair
face, that is b:nt upon this page; bat
lm going to explain a0hy the buying Of
one school book was almost an ilapossi,
ble thing for Mrs Mellen
The homestead farm, which had be.
long"d tn Mrs. Mellcns father and
grandfather, which had been her own
marriage dover, was mortgagcd--tht
time Of redemption would expire in the
spring. Nathan NJ lien had received
this old homestead, with its broad fields
and old orchard with the hand Of biz
bride, free from all ineum brance, hui
Nathan was no farmer. He bad ne
fancy for the monotomous labor Of plant
ing aud ho ing. and his fields soon show.
ed the want Of 9 workman who loved
the smsll Of the fresh soil, the fragrance
OF n"w-mown hay. and the silky rustic
OF tho ripening corn. Nathan was some
thing "f reader--an ardent politician
and, i'll short, a gentleman Of leisure,
who might BE- seen at almost any time
dasLing shout town with ~ stylish ar
equipags a. Esq Blsnd's; and this wa,
the pinnacle of his ambition, for Esq.
Bland, besides being the village lawyer,
owned tenth part of all the land d
property in Il But Nathan wa-
gathered to his fathers The som bre
old hearse made mournful pause in
front of the broad stone step of the home
stead c'ttag', and the stalwart form Of
its once proud master was borne out,
and lai beneath its pail. A contagious
icver had stricken him in the pride OF
manhood. before the realization Of any
of his bright hopes of political distinc
ton.
Martha, whose girli,h love had only
strengthened with the Yeas that had
,ed her b auty and mrllowed the
light of her dark pyc, but half under
stood the mourDfu and sometimes agon-
izcd look with which her husbands $ EYES
xere b. mt upon her during bis last Ill
ness but ere the sods had grown green
upon his grave, the reason Of that agony
had become clearly revealed to her wild
owed heart The farm was mortgaged
to E.q Bland for more than half its
value. However much the misery
heart of the cunning lawyer might have
deSi, ed to lock within his iron safe le-'
gal title to few more broad acres, still
he would show great lenity to the widow
of bis friend, and he therefore extended
the time of redemption, never for a mo
nsnt thinking she could raise $500, and
interest, during the two years which his
clem'ncy granted her. .3 ...
Bur he knew nothing about the
strength OF Martha's heart or tho depth
OI ncr atlaCnmcut 'O Tue HoIncsteau
avn. It's orchard had been planted by
her fathers hand, and the rose bush
that clan,bsred to her own bedroom
window, had been reared by her gentle
mother; from the Kitchen window she
could see the grass wave over the graves
of her beusehold. A father, mother.
two children, and now the husband of
her womanly love, rested beueath the
old wiiiioy at the buttom Of The orchard
Could she part with the soil made doub-
" precious by these sacred ashes, with
out a struggle "ef e.as.a.
And then her brave Robert, who in.
herited bis grsndsire's name, aud noble
ature,--her sprightly, :,
book loving Grace, and bsdy Nathan,
vi G St opened his blue eyes beneath
hi. mothers sorro~ful gaze, sitter the
sods we're laid upon bis fathers coffin !;
these must have = home-and the old
homestead roof, which had so long .hel
tered her, should still, God and good
angels helping her, shelter the heads of
those vbmn the great Father had loaned
h.r, Who can iathsm the depth sld
strength Of . womsps heart, whes love
st.malstss il for lifs's great bstsls, srd