The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-02-26
A YORKSHIRE TRAGEDY.
Interesting to Parents and Guardians.


YORKSHIRE TRAGEDY.
Interesting to Parents and Guardians.
+ lie had always been harsh with us, and
we hated him.
don't know why my father appointed
him our guardian. No two men could have
been more unlike, nor had they associated
much together. One, high-spirited, oper
hearted, improvident country squire; thu
the other, hard, passionate, sullen man
whose dogged self-will seldom deferred te
the opinions or feelings of others. Little
sympathy could have existed between them
| believe, too, that he was averse to my
fathers union with his sister, prophesyine
that she would live to repent marrying mac
Jack Holderness. That IS our family name
1t is right Yorkshire one, and has been
known in those parts any time these five
hundred years. Only the other day found
it in Chaucer.
She did not repent, however. My father
might ride and drink hard, as most York
shire squres did in his day, but he was
always kind to her and her children. And
if the ml-never very orderly place-wa:
sometimes turned inside out by party OF
boosy fox-hunters, its ordinary aspect pre-
scented cheerful contrast to the great,
grim, cold house, in the dull country town,
wherein her early years had been passed.
All, that house! if she could but have
known what would occur within it!
have heard that her father and his q
am speaking now of my uncle, with whom |
set out) was an attorney, who BECAME rich
by the practice OF his profession, and tina,
he broug ht up his son to the same business.
Old Swiuchnt- Foxey Swinchat, folks call
cd him-died in harness, leaving his money
to be equally divided betwixt his son AMI
daughter. Miles, iny uncle, never practiced
afterwards. lie had no need to do so, and
was of too su.lcn, obstinate and ovcrbearIng
a disposition e7er TO become popular.
| have SAID that my grandfather, who
died before was born, bequeathcd his
money in equal proportions to his son and
daughter. lie did this literally; in the lat
ter case tying it upon my mother and her
issue, exclusive Of her husbands CONTROL
Not that he entertained any ill,will towards
my father, but, being a shrewl, sharp man,
he though; it not unlikely that his sonin-
law might make ducks and brakes Of it.
never heard Of my fathers resenting this;
probabl, he acknOw dgcd its prudencewhich
was abundantly manifest afterwards when
my mother died.
That occurred at my birth, my only broth
cr being but three wears old at the time.
We had little sister, but she did not sur
viyc her infancy. So neither Johnnie was
called John after my father--or myself had
any recollection Of my mother, or knowl-
edge of her beyond what we gathered from
others. believe she was good woman,
and am sure that my father loved her
dearly.
Her death had n great and disastrous ef-
feet upon him. Always a careless man and
rather IL free-liycr, he rode harder and
drank deeper, kept open house for very
promiscuous guests, squandrcd his money,
and, in short. let things 90 to rack anu
rum. lie might have got married again
perhaps it would have been better for us if
he had for he was still young and hand
some: tut, believe. his affection for his
dead wife restrained him from giving US n
stop-mother. Meanwhile we ran wild about
the house. and were brought up anyhow.
have remarked in life that men who
have never known mothers care ARE often
harder -nntured than their happier fellows;
deficient in tenderness, pity. forbearance.-
Perhaps it is not unnaturu! that they should
be SO. jack and !, in our boy days, prom
lscd to be no exception to this rulc-if |
may so call it. We were, | fancy, rs hot
tempered, wrong-headed. i'll disciplined,
and. to use word which ought not to
to have become anti1uatet, as masterful o
couple of lads as any in Yorkshire. Which
is Il pretty bold assertion. too. We often
quarreIed, and sometimes fought sayaGcly.
Our father never intcrfered with US, and
nobody else dared TO do so.
Stop, though. am wrong there. Our
uncle did. lie mover came to the house
(not that he camo often since his sisters
death, or, indeed, before) without saving
something harsh to or of us-something
that set our boys breasts ranking against
him. We were no towards, and often gave
him rs good as he brought. Our father
would laugh at such alterations. fancy
see him now, boots, rs he came in one
day. all splashcd from hunting and found
Jack shaking with passion AT speech of
my unclc's. My brother had just been
had applied an equivocal rroverb in his
favor.
''Lct the lads bide. Miles," he said, laugh
ing, .'or they'll be too much for See some
day. DO thou look after thy own little
wench at home"
That reminds me that have not yet sro-
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-
crybody, for she was gny, pleasure-lovng
woman, without fortune, and had lived IN
York and London. believe she came of
Irish lineage. Anything more contrary to
his sullcn, self-willcd, local Yorkshire ma
ture could scarcely be imagined. They did
not live happily together, and she would
have Quilted him if his passionate temper
had not beaten down all opposition. Ny
aunt was rather favoritc with US, being a
good humored though frivolous woman.-
Her little girl was one of the most beautiful
creatures in this world, do believe.
We were shy Of her; conscious, when in
her presence. of a boyish awkwardness and
want Of breeding which never troubled us
elsewhere. She knew this well enough. for,
baby -coquette as she was, all her mothers
nature promised to re-appear in her. lhave
looked covertly into her eyes, wondering at
their exceeding beauty and fascination, be-
ing dimIy and uneasily cognizant at the same
time that it would be unsafe to trust them,
and apprehensive that she might look up
and at once divine my thoughts, as she si-
ways could. Jack cared more about her than
| at that time, and she knew it and treated
him worse. don't think he was jealous OF
me IN those days.
My father liked to have her at the Hall,
and would have kept her permanently, if my
uncle had permitted. He used to call her
his little sweet heart, humored all her whims,
and did his best to spoil her, as he did us
and all children. When the cholera came
into our part Of the country tit ravnged al
England that year, and she and her mother
were attacked by it, he rode over to towr
every day to inquire about them. katy
that was her name, recovered, but my aun
died. Her daughter had not then attained
her twelfth birthday.
just year afterwards, almost to day
my father got a bad fall while hunting, BIZ