The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-05-18
Sf(lsteualeous.
SMITH BROTHERS.
ny RALPH nuMrnRIEs.

You can read upon our sign, Smith
Brothers." "Smith Brothers" heads our
advertisements. Wehave always been "Smith
brothers" at heart, except for one briei
space. We are in the Wholesale dry goods
limo, as our father was before us. When he
died he left us his store and his business, and
"Smith Brothers" took the place Of the old
sign-"Jonathan Smith"
We were not young when our father de-
parted this life. /, Absalom, was thirty.6ye,
and nv brother Abijah was thlrty-thrcc.-
Our mother died when we were nero child.
rem, and her last charge, as they say in nov.
els. WINS that we should love each other, and
trv 10 console father. We can remember
her very distinctly, both Of US. She was n
fair little woman, with pale face aud gen.
lie eyes, of sort of brownish blue. Her
voice was very sweet and low, and she loyod
us. as no one will ever love us again. To
this day can recall her cooling, murmureus
intonations, as she called us by mothers
thousand endcaring names; the warm clasp
of her soft arms; the sweetness OF her smile;
the dclicacy Of her beauty. SO can Abijah.
II Ia not strange that after her death, as our
lives EXPANDED from boyhood toward man.
hood, our mother, as wo remembered her,
became to our dawning fancics the type oil
all that was lovely in woman. The future
wife, of whom we both dreamed, was always
q little fair creature, with brownish blue eyes,
sweet voice, and tender smile. We used to
talk about her freely with each other. and
the one who found his mato first was to
marry and take his brother 10 live with
HIM. 60,
1t was a queer life which we led, all thro'
our boyhood and young manhood. The ser
wants who had lived with US in our mothers
time were still with us at our fathers death;
two s,aid, church-going spinsters, all lines
and angles, and gray-haircd serving-man,
who looked like the very incarnation OF the
family respectability. Besides these we had
no housekecper. Ny father did not like
stranger about the house, and himself be-
slowed upon the domestic Affairs the slight
amount of supervision necessary, until DO.
ca,nc old enough to relieve him. we went
10 school till we were sixteen, but we were
sby bows. and, besides each other, made no
intimate friends. I :.
into his store. Iuis picoSou NO 'y
than longer school life. We wero contem-
Native, rather than communicative, and We
used to like to cit, when the days work was
over. and look from an upper window down
the harbor and watch the ships coming home,
bearing to temperate Neu England musks
and spices and essences; shawls and robes
enwrought with many strange Eastern DC,
vice prints Of acacias and Indian palms and
dusky women rowing under them. lspeak
for us both our tastes were rs one tasto
what ono liked the other liked also. We
used to associate the gentle woman Of our
dreams with NIL our oriental fancies. She
should wear the bright-hued silks; fold her
1.-the 6gurc in the quaint. rich shawls; bear
the odors Of the spices in her solt hair and
the folds OF her garments.
But when my father died, and we had got
along into our thirties, we were no nearer
the drcam-wife than in our boyhood. We
saw no company save the people we met in
our business. Year In and year out, no 70
male footstep lighter or quicker than James
or Hepsibah's ever wandered up and down
tho staain, in and out Of tho rooms Of oul
spacious, old.fashioned house. wedreamed
OF the future still, with the shy tendcrncsl
Of our boyhood. We did not ut all realize