Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-03-06

the people Of the valley improved much,
the Colonel was far ahead of them, and
when he built the farmhouse its inner
walls were curiously carved and ceiled and
painted, in imitation of some house in the
Fathcrland, with lovely blue and pink-like
sky and clouds and the outside, as l said
before, was red, but painted with such
skill, that although eighty years have
elapsed since then, and the t:mbers are
beginning to crumbe at their foundations,
yet the colors are still as fresh and bright
as they were when first the farmhouse was
completed. And when the Colonel died
he left his possessions to his eldest son,
having paid off his younger sons and
daughters, and with it he left an iniunc-
tion to keep the home forever in the family,
to cherish the family pride and never by
word or deed to let the family name bear
the slightest stain or shadow. His son
strictly obeyed his commands, married the
stout, buxUm daughter of Il farmer whose
lands joined theirs, and began in his turn
W tldlH up SOho W "uih ~ ehN PotIh "hASAA
their father and grandfather had walked
before them, and daughters whose fair
fame should ever be synonym for purity
aud virtue. He prOspered, as did his
father before him, in worldly matters 4: but,
alas son after son, and daughter after
daughter, were taken from his kind care
and went with pare young hearts from
earth forever.
But by-and-by there came another
daughter to their home, the child of their
old age, and rs she reached womanhood
without any harm it seemed that she was
( to be spared to inherit the rich, broad acres,
and the paternal mansion. She was a
dreamy, brown-eyed fairy, with golden
hair, waving around n low, broad forehead,
and dainty hands and archins feet that a
Castilian might have envied. She loved
the home Of her father, and never wished
any modern innovations i'll the form or
arrangement of the rooms. Although the
Steuway piano and fancy music rack
/ looked strangely enough in the old-fash-
/ ioncd parlor, yet it suited her, and it was
still the iiickerins light from the fireplace
that illuminated the room of winters
evening and showed the rare pictures in
/ golden frames upon the tinted walls. Anna
/ Uclbrunt was not true Helbruut, after
( all-for. although her mother was a quiet,
/ solid American, yet some of her ancestors
had come from lovely Italy, and some
thing Of their nature and temperament
seemed reproduced in Anna, notwithstund-
Ing it was underlaid with the slow German
pride to which she was not only born but
had been educated And not one of them
/ had ever enjoyed the homestead as did
( Anna. She knew where to 60 to view the
| loveliest sunrise; she watched the pure
blue sky with its ileecy cloud in summer,
and the starry canopy of brilliant winter
night, dreaming soft, sweet dreams OF him
who was, some day, to enjoy with her all
( this lovelincss. He had already been Sc
lcctcd by her father. and was an old friend
OF his, Herman StandmeD, who had been
travelling all over the world since Anna was
a wee infant, hut was coming home to
claim her on her twenty-lirst birthday.
before she gets entangled i'll any foolish
/ love offering, she is heart whole now," her
/ father wrote him; and Standmcn, wisely
concluding that it was best to return in
stautly, took passage in the next steamer
across the Atlantic. But ere he left the
/ port the danger which her father dreaded
/ was past and gone the sItOr which he
/ feared had boldly asked his daughter for
/ her hand and been refused, with kindness,
albeit the native pride was heard i'll the
/ rich infections Of her voice, which gave
| him consciousness that he had only added
another leaf to her laurels, and her father
reioiccd to find her looking forward to
/ Standmen's return almost as eagerly as
/ himself.
Anna had no recollection OF Standmen
personally, but or .he day when her first
suitor sought her hand so earnestly that
she could not readily shake him OF, and
she laughngly consented to ask her fathers
advice in regard to the matter, her father
pushed back the golden hair that shaded
the pure, white forehead, and told her OF
Herman Standmen and bade her think oi
no other until his return. Then he took
from his desk an old-fashioned deguerreO-
type and tod her she might keep it if she
! liked. and sent her away to dismiss the
waiting lover. This she did in a very
speedy, and to herself, very satisfactory
manner, and then she retired 10 her room
up stairs and sat down to study the face
thus suddenly placed before her.
The picture showed one in the days o.
opening manhood ; the light of his fearless
blue eye was plainly to be seeu; even III
the dim picture the firm, straight mouth
and clear-cut nostrls spoke of trankness
strength and pride, and she was satisfied,
never thinking what years might have done
for the mir face before her, or doubling but
that the purcat love of her heart would re-
spopd to his carcsses. She knew when hC
was coming 10 claim her, and it was hel
only thought to make herself equal, il
every respect, to the accomplished ladies
he had met in his foreign travels. Think
ing it over, one morning, she began TO feal
tha. something was wanting to complete
her education, and she asked that she
might be sent for the last term to The
Academy of O., where she had been {
year previously, to complete whatever was
defective in her education. Her parents
readily consented, thinking that her lif'
there would be far more quiet than i
would in the rather lively circle of society
in which she moved at home. If they haC
known of the amateur professor who filled
the botanical chair during the temporary
absence of old Professor Gray in EurOp'
they might have been wise in time still i
T is doubtful whether they would havt
thought of him, save as some antiquatet
scholar whose sole delight lay in explorin:
Il