Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-01-16
MLLERsBURe HOLMES COUNTY, o. THURSDAY JAN 16, 1873.

| hoh iuCl hiui up " tHC fhioSS, anu
brought him home to paint Miss Lilly's
picture. She was the youngest of our
young ladies-seven they were, all
beauties; but she was so different. The
General called her his sunbeam, she
was so bright, with golden hair and
dancing blue eyes. The other young
ladies' all dark of hair and eyes. Miss
Lilly was only sixteen then, and as diff
ferent in her nature as looks, from her
sisters. They were, like all the Chap
man race, prouder than the proudest
people of the land, no one good enough
for them. and that was how they never
had married. But she, Miss Lilly, was
so kind and sweet to every one, and
treated all that came about her as ifthey
were equals. So when Mr.. Forester
came, my ladies kept him in his place.
A workman that their papa hired and
paid,' they said. But Miss Lilly would
not mind their teachings. She was kind
to the handsome young man, and would
talk and walk and sing with him, until
the picture was finished-nearly two
weeks. And then one morning, when
we woke up, the painter was gone. He
did not take the Generals money for
pay, but his hearts delight instead.
Miss Lilly went with him. Oh, that
dreadful day! They left letter beg
ging forgiveness, and telling where in
Richmond letter would reach them.
The truth was told as easy as could be
to her mother, who was in poor health.
But she never got over it; she died
within the week. And then the Gen.
eral he swore he'd never forgive his
child and had her letter returned to the
place they said. and ordered the post
master to return any that might come
from that place.
The General never was like himself
afterward. A year and little over went
by, when one day was gathering fruit
in the orchard. The stage came rumb-
ling down the road and stopped. l ran
up to see who the visitor might be. And
when the driver opened the door and
assisted out lady, at first l could not
make out who she was; and hardly
then, when she pushed aside her black
Grape vail, could I believe my eyes. So
changed, pale and sorrowful she looked.
Miss Lilly it was.
She looked i'll. And oh! woe to me!
1 might have known better. But l was
young and thoughtless, and when she
whispered, Bessie, where is mamma?
Let me see her first. She will forgive
me- cried out:
"'Oh, Lord help you, Miss Lilly.
Your mother is dead long ago; the
week you went away
"Oh, 1 knew what I'd done then.
"She put out her hands, and deep
sob only told that she had heard me,
when she dropped down at my feet. 1
screamed for help. We got her to the
Hall. She never spoke after. That
night she died; and a little babe slept
in the cradle the mother had laid in in
her baby days.
/" In the trunk which came with Miss
Lilly were some little clothes marked
"Silvia," and so the baby was called.
Nothing more was known about her
or Mr.. Harry. We thought that she
was, or believed herself widow, from
her deep black clothes. The General
went straight out of his mind then
knew nothing more than baby after.
Things became dreadfully tangled up
in his business concerns, and in six
months more he died. And then, from
being thought the richest folks in the
state, the ladies found out they only had
the homestead left. There was cheating
by some of the Generals relations. And
somehow, evil folks managed to set out
report that Miss Lilly had been de-
serted by the father of Miss Silvia, and
that she had been deceived by the hand
some young artist. And so the ladies
either had no more faith in any man, or
may be they were afraid to try and find
anything out about Mr.. Harry, for
truth might be worse than uncertainty.
So they have become man haters; never
go about and visit. Keep only woman
about them, and live only for them
selves. Folks say it is all a punishment
for their pride. Poor Miss Silvia! 1
pity her. Sheis inst like her mother,
and it is shame to keep her imprisoned
so. That is the story of the Chapmans,
SIR" said Betsey, in conclusion.
That night Paul Hartley dreamed of
Silvia, and awoke in the morning, his
mind filled with thoughts and plans for
her delivery.
Betsey Freeman was very much pleas
ed with her young guests, and when he
promised to return in short time and
paint Johns and her pictures, her heart
was quite won, and she was ready to
enter into Paul's plans for getting an
insight of the Hall.
eyes, sir; do think may be a ped
dler, if he was old an ugly, and had in
his pack some domestic table linen and
such things, might get in; for heard
Hit say they wanted such. and if L could
not go to town to buy them, she would
have to- said Betsey.
Paul babe adieu to John and his wife,
and pushed into the latter's hand full
compensation for her kindness.
Ten days after, when Betsey was up
at the Hall, she was not very much sur
prised to hear Hit Mankin come in and
state the presence of an old peddler,
with just such things as they wanted.
A consultation, in which the six sis
ters were all present, then took place,
the result being the admission of the
peddler.
The beauty of Silvia might well have
thrown the old peddler completely of
his guard, had he not been well disci-
plined. With childlike curiosity, she
drew near to see the pack opened.
Throwing one after another piece OF
such things as he knew they wanted on
a table, a little way off from his pack,
the peddler babe them suit themselves,
and then returned to the other packages
. on the floor out of which reeped many
, bright and prettier thing to please the
maiden's eye. Eagerly she looked, and
| from the trinkets ineuiringly to the