The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-12-29

CHAPTER l.
There was ring at the door bell.
Miss Roberts gathered up her work in
her wide, white apron, flew with two
or three fleet footsteps to the hall, and
peeped over the balusCralc.
"Its only Il letter, Ann. I'll go for
it,"
Whereupon Ann McGoughlin, house
maid, chambermaid, and, as Jimmy
Roberts declared, "chief cook and bot
tie washer" in the small establishment
of the Robbertses, took herself back to
her window-washing with good na
tured growl at that "botheriu post.
man." and Miss Roberts proceeded
leisurely down the stairs to pick np the
letter, which she had seen nicely tucked
in under the 0ld-iashioued door.
Miss Roberts had few correspondents,
so she looked at this unfamiliar hand
writing little doubtiully, as if, not
withstanding the name,
"MIss ELEANOR RoBERTs."
in unmistakablo characterc, there
might bersome other Eleanor Roberts
who was the rightful claimant. But Il
glance at the postmark-that Of large
county town about fifty miles from the
city-appearod to settle her doubts, and
at the same time to startle her not a
little. She is no less surprised when
she opene the letter ard reads the fol
lowing:
My DEAR ELEANOR: | hope you
have not forgotten your Uncle Johns
wife Aunt Polly, as you used to call
her, But | hope you hare forgotten,
my dear, the miserable old quarrel
which has kept our families 50 lCrg
apart or at least, if you have not for
cotton it, that YOU are willing 20 bury
it fathoms deep out of sight and eat Of
mind ard come and est your Christmas
turkey with us. Not only you, my
dear Eleanor, hut Ally and Jimmy.
Bring them both with you, ard let us
begin the New Year together in love
and peace. Uncle John joins with me
in this invitation, and in this hearty
desire to make amends for the pest,
| Don't fail us, but write what day we
may expect you. BE sure and take the
midd train, however, for we are
country folks, you know, and the car
riage ride from town to the old home.
stead would he dreary later in the day.
| The children send their love, aud ! am
Your atieclionate AUNT POLLY.
Eleanor Roberts sat long with this
letter in her hand after she hQd read it.
Her thoughts went back TO that "mis
erable old quarrel"-.o the time when
her father and mother were both liv-
ing; when, in spite ot some care and
caution, she had heard, "a . child, a
great deal Of bitter t'iN, which had
given her young mind lis first preju
dice. And then latcr,when her mother
had confded to her the main points O
the quarrel-pOints that were now
rather confused in her mind-an ode
ljumbling Of old deeds, aud land claims
and accusations on one side and thI
other of unfair dealings and all manne
Of falsehood and Injustice. If Eleanor
at ten and at twenty years of age, hat
espoused with the unquestioning ardo,
and belief Of youth her parents side
at thirty she began 10 see things more
by the light Of her own reason. Sh'
bethought herself no that ler father
impetuous aud CXtravagant as he was
might have possibly blen rs much il
error as his brother. Her mother sh
well knew, in her great pride and he
great but unreasoning love, not Onl.
echoed her husbands prejudice, bu
went beyond them in her partsanShip
Beyond the grave in one sense, for sh
rejected every overture Of reconciliation
after her husbands sndden death, ant
carried her implacable resentment al
through her own life. Eleanor though
of these things as she sat there wit
Aunt Polly's genial letter in her hand
, this letter that again offered the pain
! of peace. 70 reject 1t would be un
christian and ungrateful. Eleano
, could be neither, In her thirty year
she had lost aud suffered much, but sh
had not grown hard or bitter-onl,
chastened and cl,ar-sighted and tolei
ant. The letter, with its invitation
seemed Il Godsent to this good Eleanor
1t came when she was feeling particu
larly lonely and desolate-when sh
was longingfor sympathy and compar
lonship. 1t came, too, and opened
way TO her out Of great perpleXit
and anxiety. And at this crisis-of he