The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-04-20

| III our old home"
However apoor room neat and orderly looks
much brighter than poor room in disorder,
and Katie felt this too So first she gathered
up Rosa's paythings, such as they were, and
Iput them into the old basket set aside for their
reception i'll the corner of the cupboard Then
| the table was cleared Of little ends of stuff and
| cotton which remained from her mothers work,
and was made to look as respectable as it could.
This table was Il source Of pcrplcxity to the
Neville family, and Archie said that it had
never been new. It's surface was slightly un-
even it had rheumatism in one of its lcys.
and another had suffered from a compound
fracture so that it required much management
and humoring to enable it to stand straight
Katie, however, maintained that she under
stood the table, having carefully studied its
pcculiaritics; and she certainly contriycd,
! by means of wedge here and an extra sup
port there, to enable it, better than could any
other member Of tho family, to do its duty.
There remained four comfortlcSslcoking
chairs to be made the most Of in the arrange
mcnt of the room and these Katie disposed .of
to the best advantage, proceeding then to pay
attention to the few articles ranged upon
clumsy mantcl-shelf and upon the old family
trunk which filed Il corner of the apart mcnt.
and which was used us Il dresser by Mrs. Ne
| Vile in her domestic orcrati MS.
You conll not have been for five minutes in
that room without becoming aware that the
Neville family had once been in better circum-
stances, and that they had not always inhabited
this dark gloomy abode. You wcull have
known it iTonA olScIyinS tEl child: appearance
ahd Manntrs; perhaps from hearing little Rose
pT"rosc 70 Archie that they Should play at be-
ing hon!c again: Wishing that she had rs many
toys here. And you would have noticed it.
too, in the speech and dress of their mother
who plain and homcly as was her own attire
and that Of the children, contrivcd that it
should look neat and well even in this dark
room which required bright f;iccof "srii,iT 20
|, tighten it, us few suni,canls seemed to think it
worth while TO take the trouble OF! alling there.
There were some realty bound books, too. and
childrcn's lesson books Which k;tic RANGED in
order on the trunk, and writing desk and
small ink-stand, Which all looked ;,s if they
were unacc.,st. .nic,! TO such quarters; and a
clock on the Mlntclpiccc licked out reminder
to the little maiden that her father might be
soon expected.
Your conjcctures would have been true good
reader \ few years before TIC commencement:
OF our story the Neville i;.:uily had thc:
abode in pleasant little ,i,.;:ac near park so
bright and green that the two CHILDREN lad
thought it must be almost ,s "ood as The com
try of which they had heard so much Their
father had held the situation of head clerk in
= Il large mercantile house in the city, and WAS
laying by yearly sufficient. portion OF his sala-
ry tn enable him to look forward to giYin" his
children Il good education, besides setting
something in store against rainy day These
hopes, however had been thrown to ,lc ground
by the failure of the bank in which all his
savings had been deposited whcrcupon he and
his wife had been obliged 10 leave their first
home, and, dismissing their one servant, to re-
treat to a smaller abode in Il less desirable
ncghborhood. lerc little Rose had been born
and as her father still retained his situation
her parents hoped that by-and-hy they might
once more lock forward to brighter days
Meantime Archie and Matte were being in
structcd by their mother. and by their father
himself when he returned from his long day in
the counting-housc, whilst they early learned
to make themselves useful within hpors.
But greater trial had come about month
h"forc the opening of our story. The large
numerical house in Which Mr.. Neville held
his clcrkahir unexpectedly failed, through the
dishonesty Of one OF the partners, and It's ser
wants were dismissed m"ny oi them without
their full payment, and al without an hour
warning. to find themselves thrown u|,.n the
world without any certainty or prospect Of find
ing employment. 1t was great blow TO the
Ncyillcs. who had few friends, and none able
to help them, Even their rrcscn, humble
dwelling was beyond their Il cans, since though
modest il was comfortable and cheerful in its
arrangements and situations and had, more
over, a few square yards of ground ut the back
which afforded endless interest TO Ike children
who delighted in what they called their gar
dcns," although from some pccularity in the