The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-01-19


ination into the state of his AFFAIRS it wa
found that he had left her far less propert,
than people had been led by his style of living
to imagine and what money there was, wa
all settled upon his wife, and at her disposa
after her death. This did not signify much tt
Alice, as Frank was now first mate of his ship
and, in another voyage or two, would be cap
tain. Meanwhile he had left her some hundreds
Gall his savings) in the bank.
| 1t became time for Alice to hear from hel
husband. One letter from the Cape she hao
already received. The next was to announce
his arrival in India. As week after week pass
ed over, and no intelligence of the ships arri
val reached the Office of the owners, and the
captains wife was in the same state of ignor
ant suspense as Alice herself, her fears grew
most oppressive. At length the day came
when, in reply to her inquiry at tie Shipping
Office, they told her that the owners had given
up hope of ever hearing more sef the Betsy
Jane, and had sent in their claim pom the un-
derwriters. Now that he was gone forever, she
first FELT yearning, longing love for the kind
cousin, the dear friend, the sympathising pro-
tector, whom she should never see again-frst
felt passionate desire to show him his child,
whom she had hitherto rather craved to have
all to herself-her own sole possession. Her
grief was, however, noiseless and quiet-rath-
er to the scandal of Mrs. Wilson, who bewail-
lived together in perfect harmony and who
evidently thought it her duty to burst into
fresh tears at every strange face she saw dwell
ing on THIS pear young widows desolate state,
and the helplessness of the fatterless- child
with an unaction, as if she liked the excitement
OF sorrowful story
So passed away the first days of Alice's Wild
owhood. By-and-by things subsidized into their
natural and tranquil course. But, as if this
young creature was always to bein some heavy
trouble, her ewe-lamb began to be ailing, pin
ing, and sickly. The child's mysterious illness
turned out to be some affection of the spine
likely to affect health, but not to shorten life
at least, so the doctors said But the long
dreary suffering of one whom a mother loves
as Alice loves her only child, is,hard to look
forward to. Only Norah guessed what Alice
suffered; no one but God, knew
And so it fell out that when Mrs. Wilson,
the elder, came to her one day in violent dis
tress, occasioned by very material diminution
in the value of the property that her husband
had left her-a diminution which made her in
come barely enough to support herself, much
less Alice the latter could hardly understand
how anything which did not touch health or
life conld cause such grief; and she received
the intelligence with irritating composure.-
But when, that afternoon, the little sick child
was brought in, and the grandmother-who af
ter all loved it well-began to fresh moan over
her losses to its unconscious earz-saying how
She had planned TO consult this or that doctor,
and to give it this or that comfort or luxury in
after years, but that now all chance of this had
passed away-Alice's heart was touched, and
she drew near to Mrs. Wilson with unwontcd
caresses, and in spirit not unlike to that Of
Ruth, cntreated, that come what would, they
remain together After much discussion
IN succeeding days, it was arranged that Mrs.
Wilson should take house in Manchester. |
furnishing it partly with what furniture she
had, and providing the rest with Alice's re-
naming two hundred pounds. Mrs. Wilson |
was herself a Manchester woman, and natural |
ly longed to return to her native town. Some |
of her own at that time required |
lodgings, for which they were willing to pay
pretty handsomely. Alice undertook the ac-
tive superintendent and superior work of the
household Norah. willing, faithful Norah, Of
Tered to cook scour, do anything in short, so
that she might but remain with them.
The plan succeeded. Fer some years their
irst lodgings remained with them, and all went
the one sad exception of the
little girls increasing deformity. How that
mother loved that child is not for words to tell
Then came a break Of misfortune. Their
odgers left, and no enc succeeded to them.-
After some months they had to remove to a
mailer house; and Alices tender conscience
vas torn by the idea that she ought not to be
burden to her mother-in-law, but ought to go
ut and seek her own maintenance. And
cave her child The thought came Ike the
weeping boom of a funeral bell over her
leart. ... s .--
Byand-by MIR. Openshaw came to lodge
With them. He had started in life as the er-
and boy and sweepcr-out of warehouse; had
truggled up through all the grades Of employ
nent in the place, fighting his way through
he hard striving Manchester life with strong
ushing energy of character. Every spare
noment of time had been sternly given up to
He was a capital accountant, a ]
ood French and German scholar, a keen,
lrseoing tradesman, understanding markets,
nd the bearing of events, both n:ar the {
istant, on trade; and yet, with such Wv ;
attention in present details, that do not
hink he ever saw group of flowers in the
elds without thinking whether their colors
Tould, or would not, from harmonious contrasts
q the coming spring muslins and prints. He
7ent to debating societies, and threw himself
nth all his heart and soul into politics, esteem
ng, it must be owned, every man fool or
nave who differed from him, and overthrow
ng his opponents rather by the loud strength Y
his landguage than the calm strength of his
ogic. There was something of the Yankee in t
II this. Indeed, his theory ran parallel to the
amous Yankee motto. ''England fogs crea-
ion, and Manchester fogs England" Such '
IAN. as may have been fancied, had no time t
or falling in love, OF any such nonsense. At /
he age when most young men 60 through their l
ourting and matrinlony he had not the means {
f keeping wife, and was far too practical to 8
hink of having one And now that he was
n easy circumstances, rising man, he consid- I
red women almost as membranes to the ,
iorld, with whonlsa man had better have as S
tile to do as Dossible His first imrrcssion of
Alice was indistnct and he did not care enough I
bout her to make her distinct. ga pretty {
ea-nay kind of woman,' would have been his {
escription of her, if he had been pushed into
corner. He was rather afraid, in the begin
ing, that her quiet ways arose from a istless-
ess and laziness of character, which would :
ave been exceedingly discordant to his active
nergetic nature. But, when he found out the
unctuality with which his wishes were attend