Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-06-21


cerity of her heart, or question the origin
of its purity.
"A living epissle' indeed, illustrating, by
thousand practical ways, all the grace,
that make up the sum and substance of the
beautiful christian principle, as we'll as those
nameless and exquisite traits of the truly
refined and genseel lady. For miles around,
her name was known and loved for sue.
cession of unobtrusive, unostentatious deeds
of kindness and love, which endeared her
to the hearts of the recipients, and made
her humble name blessing.
Prior to the breaking out of the war, her
parents, as has been intimated, were in ex-
ceedingly comfortable circumstances. Mr..
Henderson, the owner and captain of pop
ular steamer, was aecumulating, by degrees,
quite respectable fortune, a goodly por.
ton of which was expended upon the edu.
cation of his children, especially his eldest
daughter, Mary. The steamer was captured
by the enemy soon after the opening of hos,
tilities, his money, like that of many others,
was invested in Confederate Bonds, and,
worse than all, his house laid in ashes, du.
ring temporary absence.
From the wreck of his fortune, be sue
ceeded in rescuing barely enough to pur.
chase small row.boat, and Immediately
embarked upon the perils and hardships Of
fishers life, for the support of his family:
Mary proved herself equal to the emer.
geuey, and came gsllautly and nobly
to the assistance of her father By sewing
and washing, she generally managed to raise
enough to pay the monthly rent of the small
house, in which they resided, thus enabling
her father to lay by much larger portion
than he would have otherwise been able to
do. After season, however, she found
that this excessive and unusual toll was IN.
dermining her health; 80, after consulting
several of her friends, she ventured to ad-
vertise her intention of becoming teacher or
governess, and applied, through the village
journal for a situation in some school, OF
family. She very readily secured the names
of number of influential citizens, as ref.
erences for character and cspability, and
there now appeared every prospect Of sue
cess.
X X
The night passed away and the morning
dawned, but Mr.. Henderson and his little
son did not return. Still Mrs. Henderson
was hopeful, and poor Mary's desponding
heart grew quiet and composed in listening
to the words of cheer and encouragement
from the lips of her blind mother But as
the day grew older, and the shadows shor-
ter, q feeling of vague, underlined fear,
amounting almost to alarm, took possession
of their hearts and distracted their minds.
It was something so unusual for Mr.. Hen.
derson to be so long from home. His very
last words, in leaving them the day pre-
vious, we're: Expect me back at sunset,
and 10 the sun had gone down and anoth.
er had arisen almost to its meridian, and
yet he had not returned.
Troubles never come alone it has been
said; and Mary and her mother were
doomed to endure still greater burden
upon their sore and bleeding hearts. The
landlord called shortly after noon for
his monthly rent. He was informed that
they were four dollars short, but would call
upon him and pay over the balance as soon as
Mr.. Henderson returned. The landlord
unfeelingly replied, that, as bis tenant
might be several fathoms below the surface
of the sea, it was necessary that some &c.
curity be obtained for the payment of the
trifiug balance. This, Mary promised to
do on the following day, provided her
father did not return earlier; and after a
few characteristic shrugs and impatient
EXPLANATIONS, the landlord consented to re-
ciept for the eleven dollars. Alas no.
where could the money be found. Pockets
were turned wrong side out, every drawer
carefully examined, but the money was
nowhere to be SCENT was lost, mislaid or
stolen.
The wrath and indignation of the land
lord knew no bounds. Tearing the receipt
into fragments and trampling upon it, be
seized his hat and said 'Now, just heed
me! Mrs. Morgan wants this cottage and
will pay me twenty dollars in advance every
month, rather than not get it. Tomorrow
morning, at ten o'clock, shall expect you
at my Office with the amount due me. If
you fail to settle by that time, / shall seize
every article of furniture beneath this roof,
aud-mind am positive turn you out
upon the street.
1t was all in vain that poor Mary spoke
Of their customary promptness in meeting
the monthly demand in vain that she
pointed to her poor blind mother and ap.
pealed to his pity on her behalf in vain
that she alluded to their distress and ankle.
ty on account of the protraoted absence Of
Mr.. Henderson. He was deaf to all this ;
cared nothing about it. 1t was not the
value of the money that gave him the
least concern, he said; but the deception
and deliberate falsehood which they had
resorted to, was what incensed and provo.
ked him.
Away down in the depths of bis sordid
heart he knew that to be lie, as black as
the records of hell. Money!-that very
missing, paltry, insignificant amount of