The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-04-22

assertion OF their determination
never to receive his wife as their
daughter.
Evelyn looked into her husbands
face with her bright eyes full of
tears.
"Oh, Charles, I'm 80 sorry"
He laughed and quoted to her
the Scripture phrase, "a man shall
leave his father and mother and
cleave to his wife, And now don't
you want to see the other letter,
Evelyn?'
It was a summons from the mer-
camille firm with which Charles
Remington was connected - an
earnest entreaty that he would visit
Central America, in their interests,
Immediately.
".Cool, ism it, to request a bride
groom to walk off in that sort of
way-for it is too rough a voyage
to ask you to share it, dear. 1
60 or stay?'
"Go by all means. Should I ask
you to llnger by my side when duty
calls you away, a poor wife [ should
be-"
He kissed her flushed cheek with
admiring tenderness.
"And where shall I leave you my
bonnie bride?"
"Oh, I will make a brief visit
home in the meantime. It will
cut our. wedding tour short, but
then, you know, we have a lifetime
to finish our honeymoon in.''
So the brief Niagara sojourn
came to an end, and Mrs. Charles
Remington, for the season, was a
widowed bride.
"He will be back soon,'' she said
to herself, "aud, in the meantime,
I must do, oh, 80 much.''
eyes," said old Mrs Remington,
complacently, II think that was a
splendid idea Of ours, Abel, send
ing for Lot Cbauncey's orphan to
adopt. I'll teach Charles and his
suck-up wife that we are in earnest
about what we wrote, and Marian
Chauncey, will have no city airs or
graces. I'm dreadful anxious to
see her. Lot was a likely looking
fellow, and my cousin twice reno
we'd, and his wife was a regular
built beauty. Iguess, likely she'll
come by the stage tonight
81 guess, likely, there she is
now" said Abel, who, sitting, by.
the open window, caught a glimpse
of a slender figure coming up the
path, and carrying a well-packed
carpet-bag. Mrs. Remington ran
forward to kiss and welcome the
newcomer.
Marian Chauncey was exceeding
ly pretty Mrs. Remington soon
discovered that-a bright winsome
little creature with gold-brown
hair that would curl in spite Of the
restraining net, loving hazel eyes,
and tremulous loving red lips.
"Oh. Abel!" uuoth the soft-heart-
ed old lady, at the end of two days,
"why didn' Charles wait until he
had seen Marian Chauncey? Isn't
she sweet-don't it seem like q
gleam of sunshine in the old house
when she is tripping around?"
"she is very pretty" said Mr..
Remington. ii
"Ard then," pursued the old
lody,." ."she's SO handy. She knows
lust where everything is kept, and
she does up my caps exquisitely.
Oh, Abel, if Providence had only
seen fit to send US q daughter-in-
law like dear little Marian Chaun-
cey'"
Mrs. Remington's speech was
cut prematurely short by the en-
trance of the subject of it, with her
apron full of eggs, and her hand
full of wild flowers.
"Mrs. Remington" she began,
and then checked herself with
abruptness. "Oh, I cannot bear to
call you by that long formal name
may I say mother?"
@Of course you may, my dar-
ling" said the enthusiastic old lady,
"and I only wish you were my real
daughter. .
Marian laid down her flowers and
depositcd her store Of pearly white
eggsin basket on the table, and
then came up to Mrs. Remington,
kneeling down, and nesting her
bright head iu the old lady's check
cd apron.
"Mother, she murmurcu solt,y,
"you do not know how sweet the
word sounds. And you will al,
ways love me, and cherish me, and
let me be real daughter to you :,
"I should be a hard-hcartcd ola
cormomnt if didn't pet" said the
old lady, with her spectacles DIM
med with tears.
In short, Marian Chauncey be-
came the light of the cid farm;
house-the bright guardian angel
of its low ceiled rooms and wide
airy halls. She read the paper to
Farmer Remington; she com
nounded cake, Jelly and syllabus