Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-01-15

the children, who seemed to wish to get
away
oh, how nnbearable il is here Whisper
ed the spirited little Martha 10 her sister
Maria i would positively marry at night
if | were ouly sure of waking a widow the
next morning.
Hush ! hush | don't talk SCI admonish-
ed Aunt NeIa, as she prepared to leave
the room with the children. Hertha and
Rudolph had already accompanied the Di-
rectoK
Set out the table and give me the cards,
said he.
Rudolph brought round table which he
placed before the sofa, and Hertha laid up
on it well worn pack of cards, and they
sat down to a three-handed game. A
more lifeless and joyless card party could
hardly be conceived Hertha played me.
chanlcally she was very pale, fand spoke
coldly and with constraint the words which
the game required. Rudolph, again, made
continual mistakes, which gave the Director
occasion to be almost continually scoldng
him. Excepting in this way, not word
was spoken. They did not play for money.
The Director seemed pleased with winning
the game, which he almost always did, be.
cause the others played ill or without inter-
est. Thus were spent two hours. The Di.
rector then looked at his watch aud said,
1t is now eleven, we may close
Rudolph and Hertha silently pushed a.
way their chairs, carried away the table,
and put the cards aside.
Good night, Rudolph you can go to
bed,' said the Director coldly. Hertha
stay, / wish to speak to YOU
Rudolph bowed sullenly and left the
room, after he had cast q lingering glance
at Hertha.'
Father and daughter were now alone !;
there was deep silence, each seemed to
wait for the other to speak 6rst. At length
the Director said =
'Hertha, you have failed in duty to your
father. Do you not think yon should beg
his pardon =
Hertha made no reply. Her heart was
full Of stormy feelings and bitter words
She was afraid Of speaking lest she should
say too much. The Director continued in
a milder voice
desire nothing but the best interest of
my children. l fulfill my duty to them, a
| desire only that they should fulfill theirs
toward me-should show me obedience and
gratitude
Again there was no reply. Astouished
at Hertha's sileuce, the Director looked in
quiringly at her. endeavorng to interpret
the peculiar expression Of her couutenance,
in the same way that We puzzled over O
difficult riddle Many thoughts and feel
iugS seemed to be working there; some
seemed wishful to find expression, but were
opposed by others, which said, 1t is not
worth while; he cannot, he will not under
stand In the meantime there was some
thing in the mlder voice and countenance
Of her father, together with his suffering
state, which seemed to touch her deeply,
and she merely said with melancholy ser.
iousness as she bowed her head,
Good night, my father
The director looked at her and extended
his hand for her to kiss, for it was the Gus
tom in his house. morning, noon, and eve
ming, for the children to kiss the hand OF
their father. For some years, however
this old usage Of childish rev erence had be.
come oppressive to Hertha, because hel
heart was not in it, and this evening it was
an imposSibity to her She repeated mere
ly in constrained voice, Good night, :
bowed her head as a parting salntation,
and went out, saying, i will send in Anna
The outSretched hand remained thus for
moment, then it was clenched cOnvulSive
ly; dark angry red flushed the pale coun
tenance of the Director, and he exclaimed
The devil take their notions OF cmanci
patton
He sat silently staring with the expires
sion Of an enraged beast until the faithful
old servant, Anna, came in to help hel
master to his bed.
She had lived in the family nTore thar
| twenty years, was accustomed to speak heI
thoughts, and the Director listened to her
more than any one else in the house; he
was in the habit of speaking more conf
dentaIIy with her than with any other be-
ing in the world. Now, therefore, from the
necessity of unburdening his heart after the
scene which had just occurred, he began:
Things are getting madder and maddel
than ever in this world
Yes yes; but said Anna, who was
somewhat of misanthrope, The older peo
pie get, the worse they GET
THAT ] don't know said the Director
sngrily, but this | do kuow, that young
Blt Is get more dLu more uuTedSoudDle IL
their demands, and more and more disobe
dent and ungrateful to their fathers
4 Yes, yes, but, poor things-their live
: are not SO very amusing either
/. 'Amusng!-Why should they be anus
? ing? 1t is better for Young gifts that thei
r lives should be dull than amusing. 1t teach
, es them to be serious, Industrious, AMI dc
nestle
e Yes, but don't think it would do AN,
! great harm if they had little amusemen
t ,at the same time. don't mean any gidd.
sort of amusement, but something peasan
} to think about and wish for, AUDI whiel
5 would enlven them, and give them sor
of outlet. For life is very heavy, aud yer,
narrow sometimes for US women
: .!0h, nonsense What do you want p
What do my daughters want? Have the.
: not everything which they Iequire-wheth
S er of clothing or of fOod?'
v Yes, certainlY-yes, certainly But loo
e you. Director, this is my way Of thiakn
Ii young people must have something t
d -live for;'sometbing which is their own, an