The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-07-24

semblance of q home, to be sure thai
somebody took an interest in her goines
and comings, in the fit of her gowns
and the color of her ribbons; IN brief, II
was simply delightful TO be of import
ance to somebody-a delight which she
had thought would follow her to hen
journeys end, when aunt Hitty's neces.
sity changed the programme.
$50 you've come, hev you ?" was
aunt Hitty's salutation. "I didn't
know as you'd be able to tear yourself
away from them folks as amt got none
of your blood in their veins. However,
I 'spose you looked it all over, and came
to the conclusion how it was best pol
icy, seeing as [ can't last forever, in my
state.
In truth, Della soon discovered that
life under aunt Hitty's roof-tree was
not likely 20 prove a holiday. She
could only wheel herself about in her
chair, on account of rheumatism; while
her asthma kept her awake nights, and
when she couldn't sleep she allowed no
one else the happy privilege. When
Della was obliged to hint that the gro
ceries or the GOALS were out, she would
wonder where under the sun the next
were coming from.
"We must econonize, she would de-
| clare, It's only step from wanton
waste to the almshouse.
But, after a great deal of searching
in all the pockets of her old gowns, in
all the bureau drawers and mysteriC Us
crannies of the family desk, she would
| finally produce a bank-bill of modest
pretensions, which she made believe 20
| have found slipped under the facing of
a cast-off dress or overlooked in some
| pigeon-hole. It was worse than work
ing on the road to expect enough money
from Aunt Hitty's hoard for "human
natures daily food ;" and Della soon
wearied of the novel exertion, PREFER
| ing to resort to her needle and the
slender bank account she had laid by
| for the sunshiny day that was not to
dawn. that she had ceased to expect.
''We git along heap better than at
| first" Aunt Hitty remarked, one day.
! eff there's anything I do hate, its
money dealings among blood relations. 1"
| Sometimes, when the season was
hard, and work slackened, and neces-
sites increased, Della ventured to de-
mand trife to exc things ont.
"Money, always money!" Aunt Hitty
would reiterate. &c I believe you don't
think of nothing else. Anybody'd
s'pose was made of precious metal.
I'm most sorry sent fer you, you're
that unthrifty. You'd sell the teeth
out of my head, if they'd bring any
! thing-You're that mercenary." But
| after much tribulation, it would pres
| emily occur to her that she had put a
| bit of money into her best china cream
| Jug for a rainy day, and like the coniurer
who pulls yards of ribbon from his
mouth, she poured gold and silver froa
empty cream pitchers, or she found a
bank bill forgotten between the leaves
| of Baxter's "Saint's Rest" and she
would spend half day turning over a
new leaf.
The one CLEAN OF sunshine shot
across Delia's life was the occasional
receipt of a letter from Mrs. Car
ruthers.
"Pd write more oftener," +" she some
times apClogized ''but somehow, when
| I git set down to it, feel like Keziah
Kole when she found herself singing
Coronation all by herself in meeting,
and the preacher awaiting to begin the
| long prayer. And then things don't
sound the same when they're writ as
when they're spoke out, and the spell
| Inns in the ways, and the grammar
amt aIlus handy, and the ink up and
blots. and Paul he comes In whilst I'm
about it, and the bread has burned
brown, and the potatoes has billed dry. "
Even the baldest facts of Pauls' eX-
istence made Mrs. Oarruthers' letters
more gratifying than the most elegant
English of the essayists.
Sometimes she wrote, "Paul is
pIoughing in the burnt lard, or " he s
gone to the farmers club, or Z" he took
a premium at the county far and is git
- + L ii Ill 81
apraphs to Della. Once she wrote that
he had been at the county ball and led
off with Squire Somebody's daughter;
and poor, foolish Della lay awake the
next night fancying the picture and
bIotting it with her tears. How her
heart ached to be Squire Somebody s
daughter Just then-to be young and
rosy and coquettish in the grand right
and left Alas ten years With Aunt
Hitty had added nothing to Della 8
physical charms. She was thirty-eight,
| with hollows in her cheeks and silver
among her braids and absent-Iooking
eyes, from which laughter had departed.
All the years she had lived on the pos
sibiIity of Paul coming over to High
gate to see how the word used her
perhaps with some kind and tender
word, to show that, at last, he had ap-
|
had come to wear an al of expectancy,
she had in truth given up the feeling,
when a letter from Paul reached her,
which simply related the facts of his
mothers death and asking her to the
funeral. He met her at the stage-door.
They drove together to the grave as
chief mOurners. They returned to-
gethor to the vacant house.
at isn't home any longer" said
Paul, as Della paused in the porch
hesitating to make her good-byes
"Tom has gone to Australia, Sue Ii
teaching In Minnesota, and Nell is mar
ried out in California. Yet you and 1
Della, are more divided than all the
rest"
Z" You will send for Sue, I suppose,
said Della fumbling with her bonne
strings.
Della" he cried, " are not ten year
long enough for you to spend in having
, your own way? Won't you stay anC
make it home for me ?"
I ''Aunt Hitty needs me more thai
} ever, She Is feeble as a child"
"Aud hired hand could serve her q
| we'll in such a thankless Office. Della
you are making no one happy-not evel
/ yourself"
e "One ought always to enjoy one
q duty" sighed Della, wishing she did.
T g Well, you have had your choice c
I, duties, and it's only fair to believe tha
: you have chosen the one you like best,
+. returned Paul, grimly.
j. "I 'spose," said Aunt Hitty, atte
d Delia's return, 81 'spose that you an
b Paul Carruthers are putting of you
s weddin' till you git me well unde
o ground. Folks don't wait ten year fo
anrl for nnthin, withnnt expectin