The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-08-26
OLIVE "sRAYM0ND'S
STORY. =.


When my sister Lily was between
fifteen and sixteen, she grew pale and
thin, aud our, father, whose pet and
darling she had always been, insisted,
in spirit Of Lily's alternate pou.ing and
coaxing, on seeking medical advice Tor
her: The advice proved not, very dis
agreeable.
"Ttere is. nothing seriously amiss
with your daughter, Mr.. Raymond"
said the kind physician to my anxious
father; "she has outgrown her strength
. little, and perhaps has been over
tasked q little, at school. Give her a
.hqlidayy-here We are in the middle Of
February, the skies looking like De-
camber, and the streets all snow and
ice-take her down to Georgia or Flori-
da, where the birds and flowers are
making it summer, whatever the calen-
dar may say Of the season. Let her
run about all day in the open air, and
you will bring her back in May, less
Of lily, and more of a rose, than she
is now"
This was said in L,ly's presence, and
the pleased look. she gave my father
would have determined him to accept
the doctors plan, even had it been very
difficult to accomplish. Difficult it was
not to him, for, though he. had begun
life as a poor blacksmith, he was now a
rich iron::master, able to command both
money and leisure. He had even won
some political influence by inducing the
men he employed to vote with him in
closely. contested elections, where the
votes Of q hundred men did much to-
ward determining the question. That
he had achieved all this by his honest
industry was a subject of legitimate
pride to my father; but lie had another
soutee Of pridc,,'less understood by the
world around him, and less compatible,
seemingly, with his life's history, yet
felt no less deeply, and influencing him
no less powerfully. This was pride Of
blood. Often have I heard him say,
"Men think much Of blood in thei,
horses and their cattle it tells no lest
in man. never forgot that, poor al
my father was, be was an educated gen.
tleman and I often said to myself
when l was working for my daily
bread, I am neither squire nor beltea
knight, as some Of my forefathers were
But I will do my work with as brave .
heart, and as trusty an srm, as the bes
Of them could Loast:."
My mother had been poor teache
of music. Nv father VAS already {
thriving mechanic, with money in th
hank, when she came US boarder t
the decent but cheap house which ha'
been his home for two years She wa
pretty, delicate, and overworked. H
first pitied, and then loved her. Sh
died young, leaving only LILY aud my
self of all her children. I was he
FIRST, Lily her last; the others died i
infancy. 1 have little to say Of mysel
texeert that I was eight years older tia
Lilly, and that from the time of u
mothers death, my father had taugl
me that she was my care, and I real
think / lived more truly in lilly tha
in myself, and so I was as ready as N
father to do what the doctor advise
a for her. Thus il happened that, whe
! i ehe was. nearly sixteen, aud I was TIVE
ty.four, We made that visit to the Sou
!: ofwhich lam about to tell you, Al
! which you will 6nd to have been Il
fruitful source of both JOY aud sorro
1t was all joy in the begionin
. Never did poets dream present los
lier landscape in fairy-land than
found awaiting US under those Sou,
to eru skies. And yet there were
mountains and valleys diversifying t
scene-no rapid, rushing cataracts,
tranquil lakes, sleeping in pictur
beauty under the MONDAY bea
9. What, then, was the charm, you m
ask. It was the soft sky, the gen
!, > breezes which just swayed the gre
o. woodland, and the flowers which spra
everywhere under our feet, aud hu
in clustered beauty from tree-top q
q spreading branch, till We seemed
., walk under canopy as we'll as over
40 carpet Of flowers. Think Of passing,
three OF tour days, from the SHOWS
winter into verdure and flowers, .
Y, the songs Of birds, and tho soft, (
fumed air of summer! What could
fairies do for you more than this
." Our destination had been Savanp'
but a letter from one Of my faith
= political friends had procured for us
urgent invitation to make visit to
family residing in the country.
Our hospituble entertainer, Mr..
pn: !: rester, resided on plantation vi
- - had belonged to his Il family for n
cR than . hundred years, during VI