The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-07-27
had done. Her simple-hcarted mother wa,


soon after the anonymous gifts began, 'wherC
Rates presents come from. may thank
the giyer IL she cannot
'Mr, Shcaic looked grave and displcased.
A rare look for him, for Of all men l ever
knew he was the most cheerful, the most
joyous, as no had right to be, for he wa
the best. lie said, Il perceive you mean
your thanks for me, Mrs Ewing. You arC
wasting them, whoever the giyer Of these
trihes to Kate may be, he should be allowed
the secrecy he chooses.
"Well, ! assure you,' replied Mrs. Ewing
completely baaled, Il have not the smallest
notion who il is. never once thought ol
any one but you. To be sure l ought to have
remembered that you in years past made nc
secret of your gifts.' A smile that In spite
Of him played over Mr.. Shcaf's lips, and
blush that dccpcncd his rather dccp-colorcd
check, would have told the truth to q mort
suspicious person than dear Mrs. Ewing. But
she, US you know. Miss, always took
the sense that met her ear
But, mamma, interrupted Anne Rcyburn
y trust Mr.. Sheafc was not q rosy bachelor
| can imagine girl Of Miss Ewings age
filling desperately in love with man, even
il he were forty, II he wero tall, with pale
marble complexion, and fine large dark eyes
and plenty of black hair
20, Anne, my DEAR replied her mother
laughing, nothing can bc more unlike your
possible lover than my real one. MIR. Sheaie
was not above the middle statue little
indincd to the rotund and the ruddy; and
as ID his hair, once alas ! of tho soitcst, light.
est brown, it had retrcated 50 far from his
forehead that he wore-'
s0h, not scratch, mamma; don't say he
wore scratch y
Not quite scratch, Anne, but q small,
nicely fitted patch to hide tho rayages oftimc'
Plenty of black hair, indeed You will hard
ly find that on mans head of thirty.tyc,
from Maine TO Georgia.
'But patch, mamma! badness Is oct
ter than that. My fathers head now Ii
beautiful; rather bald, to be sure, but the
little hair that hc has is soft, bright and
curly
oh, fathers hair is lovely! cried Clara
Rcyburn.
;SOb, yes, I guess It is' exclaimed, in
chorus, half dszcn young voices.
Mrs. Rcyburn and | exchanged smiles; she
proceeded:
Even tho patch, Anne, did not conceal
or dcCorm the classic shape ofhis head, which
with its moral and intellectual development,
would have charmed phrcnologist. an
sure no large, dark eye ever so expressed, n,
his beamnc grey one did, the kindlinS ant
discharging Of feeling. His lips, between
humor, kindness, tenderness and sympathy
weie always in sort of grateful movement
and, in short, though he had none OF your
requisites of beauty, he was the most aSrco
able looking man ever saw.'
Agreeable looking! Well, was Miss Kate
Ewing good looking, too?'
Till now had listened to, what was to me
an. old story, with M much interest ~ th'
Young people, but now interposcd; an'
with enthusiasm ut the recollection OF m,
charming cotcnporary, described her IL
terms that made all my young hearers ex
claim.
'Oh, she must have been beautiful, and SC
intcrcsting!'
And Clara Reyburn said,
Il hone that 'old bachelor didn't dare tc
fall in love with her.! !,
Not perhaps, what you would quite cal
falling in love- resumed her mother, but
the love he felt for her Us child, grew IN
sensibly into stronger sentiment, and one
bright day he was betrayed into disclosure
for which Kate was totally unpreparcd. She
burst into tears, and frankly told him she
had never thought of him us q lover, and
never could but that shc loved him 50 dear.
ly that she would rather have died than told
him 40. A total change came over him; In
place of his perpetual good humor and cheer,
iulncss, an immOvablc gravity and occasional
melancholy. Poor Mrs. Ewing could not
divine what Il meant. She first thought his
affairs must be embarrassed, and then she
fancicd il was an incipicnt fever, and begged
him 10 take advice. She told him all the
house would be wrctched If any evil overlook
him, and called his observation to Kate, who,
she said, had not smiled for week. lie
made no reply to her, but the next morning
she was astonished by the informotion that
he was going abroad, and that his servant
was packing up his furniture to be removed
to place ofstoragc.
1T was wretched day ut the Ewings. -
Poor Mrs Ewing walked up and down her
room, wringing her hands and wiping her
eyes, and wondering Till Kate wished herself
deaf that she might not hcar) what could
have happened to Mr.. Sheafc. Kate went
10 her worsted work, but her eyes were so
blinded with tears, that she could not SEQ 1t ;
she took up book, bnt she could not tell
whether she read backward or forward. She
sat down to her piano and played so false
that even Mr.. Shcafc heard and noted
it.
.Mrs. Ewing saw tho carpenters bringing
in empty boxes. :.
.Dcar me- shc said; it rcems just as If q
coffin was coming into the house.
.Oh,' thought Kate, in the impaticncc OF
her first misery, Il wish 1t were, and that l
were to be carried away dead in it!
.AIa'am! said the chambcrmaid, rushing
In. .you never saw such an awful change as
there is in Mr.. Shefe's room; it's day
changed into night-it's as solitary as the
tomb
is he gone, Jane?' said Kate, starting
.Oh, no, Miss-Lord, how pale you look
but dismal, like q tomb, | mean. The
wardrobe is cmpticd-thc books arc all in
boxcs-the pictures, every one OF them, even
that prctty likeness of Mr.. Sheafe, that n
body can never look at without feeling that
he Is going to speak something pleasant
that is in q box and 1t looked up at me some
what sorrowful, 1t did ma am; and his dress
ing-gown, that always hung thcrc-always
with the red cord and tassels hanging down
by the bvd.post, 50 lively and like Mr.. Shcafc,
that is packed up too
Jane, do oaway,' said katc, petuiantiy'
'you make my head ache
.Why, Miss Kate = said Jane and as she
shut the door after her ,shc murmurcd to her
self, .hcr heart aches, more likely, and il is
good enough for her for | know she is at tho
bottom Of it.
"A few moments after, in aounced Sophy,
the cook, and after turning her eyes from
Mrs. Ewing to her daughter, sits true,
ma'am,' she said, i SEQ it's true; l could not
believe Jane. Well, how things do turn
topsy-turvy in this world. l shall 80 too.