Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-12-26
AUTUMN LEAVES.
Complete in One Number.


y
Gf hope-the sun OF happiness has shOne upon
them and brought them % perfection.
Heaven has rcen very good % me- yet Their
was time when, IN my heart, II not IN words. .
rebtIied EeTCely against its DEGREES, and, long
rug 70 grasp what s6t med % be withheld from
noe. cried out that Was unjRstly dealt With. 1
know better now.
am sitting, on this fair autumn dsy, a. nv
fsyOri;e window in my own home. AS far a. eye
can reach, l see golden abundance: the fruit
"a All ripe IN the orchards, rosy checked apples
and brown pears hang upon the trees, paFple
Ilums shine on green leaves, farther away the
corn stands in thick sheayes, aud the mea1o VS.
are fun of busy men.
The gOlden-brOwn leaves are falling on the
lawn, sweeping SItR musical rustic over the
grass the garden is one gorgeous mass OF au-
tumn nOwers raise my eyes 70 the smiling
heavens-thls world IS very fair and beautiful /,
bat what lies there beyond those clouds?
Our villsge Of Deep Glen Is situated in the
most fertile part OF DeEOnshtre- and here many
years ago my widowed mother cams to dwell,
bringing with her all she had left in the world
NV sister and myself.
Bly father, Captain VIVIAN, died of slow
and lingering malay 1T tor many years had
iuCspiCitsted him IrOn public service. FOFtu-
Eateiy for Us, my mother had some income of
her own, amounting in su To four hundred a
year. and ;hi~, l. . simple country place like
BvCP Glen, wss riches indeed. 50. when my
father died, CuG ly mother had to face the
wCrid alone, sac chose Deep Glen a. her future
home.
The village = surrounded by the beautiful
Devon hiTe h-l-. I'D IL, believe, one of tae
I CO picture Ale spots That even artist could
cream Of. No w0Tts can adequately q esCrIb be
sI- lCXuT.aEt foliage az which It seems 10 bs
taIi buried tE- grand OLD trees, the purple hills
sIlisllrg away Tar and vide, the fertile
meadows. the f-Clt-- afen orchards and quaint
cottages The pretty town OF Beechsn is Ouly
r.ie distant Every one knows Beerhau-
people come from al parts of EuEi and t en-
.gt iLe lFes1 Ike stEil.s UrscZes OIthe BecClau
80 one can call he neizEborhooi daI one.
IL tCham Court, the property Of Sir Gerald
NayLe, the lsTssst landowner and the chief
Eagnate CT this part of the country, is nsar
fCyolsm5 and On the east OF Deep Glen stallS
tlFSTsusie Hal, the home OF Lady Horton and
LeT two daughters. Feene Abbey and Greyton
Tow eTS are not very far away altogether the
nei-hbCrbOOd = considered an arisJOCrat1c one.
NEeR my dear mother first came TO live at
Line COttsge, a our house was called. the
EOtabies Of the ueighbOrkOod were rather
puzzled. IrCe, she was an OIL GERS widow, ami
AZ elegant and accomplished WOman-bat then
she Kept 10 carriage, and gave no parties TIE
cranes danes beid = consultation as to the pro-
PTiSty Of visiting her. 1t was certainly diem
ms: she was not of class to be quite over
looked, and vet she could not be eagerly cOurts1
Perhaps her widow : weed and winning man
nsTs won some little consideration tor her
Lady bisyne was the first 10 call, then ilaiy
Horton followed, and gradually al the ladies in
the nelghb0Thood appeared. My mother som
set matters straight; she thanked them for tue
Kindness which dictated their visit, but s.id in
her quiet dlgnltec way, that she had no thoughts
OF rG-enteriUg society.
From time TO time Lady Mayns and Lady
Horton called. My mother never made any
advances towards them; she Was ALWAYS the
same, calm and dignIGed. They vera com
PEELED to admire her.
Ours was a limited hOHsshOld-mv rpotbcr
myself-at that time sn awkward girl Of Is
and my little sister Clsriee-the lOyeliest
LAR" that ever glsdtened human ewes. She
vas Just i've, and, with 50 great difference
between our ag,s. seemed more like a mother
than sister 70 LeT. / had been at boarding
schcol Tor some years, and my mother now de-
ginning my sisters. Lite passed yery pleas-
antly with us. We seemed to live amid the
warmth Of the sunshine, the song OF birds and
the fragrance OF flowers.
The chief events of nv life BEGAN with NV
Isth year. 1t II not 20 much my own story that
wish 10 tell, a. that or others; 20 In a few
oIlef words i nav say that shortly after NV
iSth birthday Uiet Hugh Gordon for the first
time.
The Gordons lived in a large house called
ne LEuTels, which stood just outside Beecaam,
ara tLey were considered wealthy, highly re-
spectacle people. They were ssrecOgntzeiy nv
the Msynes and the Horizons, and they went 10
al the parties at Beecham Court. They were
IKE ourselves, a small family, CONSISTING OnIvo f
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon and their son Huh I
net the latter at a Harvest Home party
given by Squire RUtheTs-aImOst the frat ever
st's 81 My mother never went to anything
o. TIE KIND, ard ClaTiCe was too young 10 90
buI andy MIS-. kutEeTs drove over herself 10
fet 81 re, and my mothsr could not refuse.
went to the Isrty IN pretty white dress Of
rare Indian muslin, with pearl brooch which
~ mother had given ME, and felt InyseIf
staLder man q Iueen,' and my heart fuIl of
no. I was not beautiful even then, in the
Tide OF ny youth, but one who loved me well
said Ilire was a sweet face that looked frssh
snt bright as though It were bathed each morn
irg in dew
stsLcs cut GistiDcty-that OF Hugh Gordon, as
saw him fist standing under a large beech /,
tree, the ght sianting upon his comely face /
aDd proud Lsad-the truest, kindsst face my .
HTF . II all inn n
young ladies, but he left them, and then Mrs. |
bUthers brought him and introduced him to 7
80 soon make friends at social I
ssheE1ngs. was taking gayly To him as we /
walked under the beech trees. All that eve I
ming he fingered near me. Mrs. Ruthers .
,mled, and the young ladies' looked pleasantly (
enyiOus.
went home TO dream of him-he was my
hrst love, and my last.
Iremember my beautiful love story word for
Wort-eveTy detsll, every happy moment, and .
they were many. i need not dwell upCa It
Five months after i had seen him first, Hugh /
GOTcOn asked me 10 be his wife, aud NV
mother gladly consented, upon one condition.
l was very young, and the marriage must not !
take place for three years at least. So we were
eD gaged, and lived for months in fairylsnt of
love and romance. There was No one ike
hush-noEe 30 kind OF true, none so brave or
gentle; nv mother loved him, and little CIarice
lsed to nestle IN hIS arms and call him brother
Hugh
This happiness OF ours lasted lust eight
enough to rIvst lay heart 10 Hugh
GOTdCE-lOng enough fOT the warmth aud
bT sLtness 20 continue through my life. Then
A sudden and dreadful tragedy happened. The
bank in which al MIR. GOTdOn's money was in
vested broke, and he was completely ruined. I
he did not survive II; he never spoke after the !
news reached bin. They said lie died OF par
alysis, brought on by strong emotion; my mother
s!N avs believed be died OF a broken heart.
4 lie house. furniture, carriage and plate were
sold, and my dear mOtheT-Heaven has blessed
and II aTCet her klndneSs-a.mOst forced Mrs.
Gordon 10 come and live with Us. Hugh was
going awsy-all notion OF marriage wa- at an
end for the preseEt-and she declared tina. il was
impossible iOT the poor widowed lady 70 live
alone.
Mrs. Gordon consented AZ last. How Hugh
thanked and blessed my mother, Then came
C. final, greatest sorrow OF all-HGgh resolved
TO 30 20 the gold dgEings- Fortunes we're made
quickly there, he said; besides, what could he
Go in England? He had no. been brOugh. up to
any trade or profession, everything was over
crowded and OyerGoue. He would 20 20 the
gold nelds, and there make a fortune for his
mother and me.
The Old pain rises in my heart when remeu-
Der his bright Ednguine words. lie never
dreamed OF failure. He said men had often re-
aiZFd a fortune there IN four or i've years: why
should not he! Not a large fortune-hs Old not
care foT hat-but enough I0r Lis mother and
me.
Mrs. Gordon ceased 70 demonstrate when she
saw how entirely his mind was fixed upon the
idea. My own mother, too, half believed in It.