Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1859-04-13

of her husbands control. Not that he enter
tanned any ill-will towards my father; but,
being shrewd. sharp man, he thought that
his son-in-law might have made ducks and
brakes of it. 1 never heard of my father re-
senttng this; probably he acknowledged its
prudence. which was abundanrly manifest
afterwards, when my mother died.
Her death had great and disastrous effect
upon him. Always careless man, aud
rather free liver, he rode harder aud drank
deeper, kept open house for very promiscuous
guests, ssuandesed his meney. and in short.
let thfngs go to rack and rain. He might
have got married again-perhaps it would
have been better for rs if he had-for he was
still young znd handsome; bat, believe his
affection for his dead wife restrained him from
giving rs stepmother. Meantime. We ran
wild about the house, and were brought up
anyhow,
have remarked in life that men who have
never known mether's care are often harder
nstured than their happier fellows; deficient
in tenderness, pity, for5earance. Perhaps it
is not unnatural that they should be SO. Jack
and 4, in our 0oy days, promised to be no
exception to this rule-if | may so call it
We were, fancy, as ho.-tenpered, wrong
headed, ill-discplined, and to use word
which ought not to have become antiquated,
as masterfnl a couple of lads as any in York
shire, which is pretty bold assertion, teo
We often quarrelled, and sometimes fought
savagely. Our father never iaterfered with
US. and nobody else dared to do so.
Stop, though, 1 am wrong there One
uncle did He never came TO the house (not
that he came often since his sister's death, or
indeed, before, without saying something
harsh to, oI Of us-soraethiug that set boys
breasts ranking against him. We were no
towards, and often gave him as good as he
brought. Our father would laugh at such
alterations. 1 fancy l see him now, with
his handsome flushed face, red coat, and top
boots, as he came in one day, all splashed.
from hunting. and found Jack shaking with
passion at speech of my uncle's. My broth
er had just been Gshed o,t of the rnill-stream
ard my uncle had applied equivocal pro-
verb in his favor.
Let the lads bide, Miles be said, laugh.
ing, 'or they'll be too mach for zee some day
Do thou look after thy own little wench a.
home
Thst reminds me that have not yet spo-
ken of her My uncle had got married, very
unexpectedly, about two years after his sis
ter's death, to handsome widow with one
child, little girl His choice surprised ev,
erybody, for she was gay, pleasure looking
woman, without fortune. and had lived il
York and London. | believe she came o.
Irish lineage. Anything more contrary tc
his sullen, seif-willed, local Yorkshire nature
could scarcely be imagined. They did nof
live happily together, aud she would have
puitted him if his passionate temper had not
5eaten down all opposition My aunt wa:
rather favorite with US, being good -hu
mored. though frivolous woman. Her little
girl was one of the most beautiful creatures
in the world, [ do believe.
| We were shy of her; conscious, when il
her presence. of boyish awkwardness ant
want of breeding that never troubled us else
where. She knew this we'll enough. for bah
coquette as she was, all her mothers natur
promised to re-appear in her l have looke,
covertly into her eyes, wondering at thei
exceeding beauty and fascination, being din
ly and uneasily cognizant at the same tim
that it would be unsafe to trust them, an
apprehensive that she mi ght look up and q
once divine my thoughts, as she always could
. Jack cared more about her than l at ths
time, and she knew it, and treated him worse
I don't think he was jealous of me in thos
: days.
My father liked to have her at the Hal
and would have kept her permanently if IN
uncle had permitted. He used to call he
his little sweetheart, humored all her lit
&c whims, and did his best to spoil her. as /
did us aud all children. When the cholel
m came into our part Of the country, Git ravage
n all England that year, and she and h'
n mother were attacked by it, he droFe oyer
t. town every day to inquire about them. Kat
/. that was her name recovered, but ht
f. aunt died. Her daughter had not then q
l. tanned her twelfth birthday.
re Just year afterwards. almost to da,
at my father got bad fall while hunting, !:
is spine sustaining such severe injury that
to only lived long enough to appoint my unc
at our guardian, and to take his leave of u
re with many words of affection and regret th
" he had not proved more prudent-he cou
le not have been kinder-parent. HIS affai
were so embarrassed, that another S
er months must have produced bankruptc
re He had mortgaged the estase--in itself mut
vs deteriorated in value-to the fullest extent
le and, in short. when all his debts were pai
G. nothing remained to US but our mothers le
" acy, of which we should come into possessi'
at the ages of one-and-twenty l was th'
Id ten-Jack thirteen We went home with o.
er uncle to the great. grim. cold house in Il
dull country town.
We Katy was sorry on our account, glad
her own, for since her mothers death her Ii
X had been monotonods. | don't think q
y uncle was harsh to her, though he nev
ne showed much kindness or consideration
1t wards anybody. Yet, child as she was, S
n had contrived to obtain some slight in6uen
- over HIM. fancy he might have loved b
IL had she been his own daughter. But wh;
Ie ever expectations of company and immatu
n, coquetries our arrival excited to Katy's
er som, were doomed to disappointment at Il
time, for our uncle soon announced his inte
ed tion of sending us to boarding-school. Q
In ignorance justified him in this, if his disli
- did not. ! cay bis dislike, for ! knew