Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-07-25

found it very pleasant to have even the
semblance of home, to be sure that
somebody took an interest in her goinos
and comings, in the fit of her gowns
aud the color Of her ribbons; in brief, it
WAS simply delightful to be of import
ance to somebody-a delight which she
had thought would follow her to her
journeys end, when aunt Hirty s neces-
sitY changed the programme.
$50 you've come, hey yOu?' was
aunt Elittys salutation. al 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,
| '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 to 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.
eve must economic" she would de-
clare. 4" It's only step from wanton
waste to the aImshouse." "
Bat, after great deal of searching
in all the pockets of her old gowns, in
all the bureau drawers and mysterious
crannies of the family desk, she would
finally produce bank.bill of modest
pretensions, which she made believe to
have found slipped under the facing of
a cast,ot dress or overlooked in some
pigeon-hole. 1t 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 a'heap better than at
first, Aunt Hitty remarked, one day.
eff there's anything | do hate, its
money dealings among blood relations. 3"
Sometimes, when the season was
hard, and work slackened, and neces-
sites increased, Della ventured to de-
mand q trihe to exc things out
"Money, always money" Aunt Hitty
would reiterate. "I believe yol don't
think of nothing else. Anybody'd
s'pose | was made of precious metal.
I'm most sorry / sent for 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 rainy day, and like the coniurer
who pulls yards of ribbon from his
mouth, she poured gold and silver from
empty cream pitchers, or she found a
bank bill forgotten between the leaves
of Bakers "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 q letter from Mrs. Car
ruthers.
"Td write more ofteneI, " she some
times apcIopized "but somehow, when
| Git set down to it, feel like kezah
Kole when she found herself singing
Coronation all by herself in meeting,
and the preacher awaiting to begin the
long prayer. Aud 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 allus handy, and the ink up anc
blots. and Paul he comes in whilst In
about it, and the bread has burnec
brown, and the potatoes has billed dry.
Even the baldest facts OF Pauls ez
istence made Mrs. Carruthers letter.
more gratifying than the most elegan
English of the essayists.
Sometimes she wrote, "Pnl i
ploughing in the burnt lard, or he.
gone to the farmers club, or " he tool
a premium at the county far and is git
ting forehanded all illuminated par
agraphs to Della. Once she wrote tina
he had been at the county ball aud le'
off with Squire Somebody's daughter
and poor, foolish Della lay awake tn
! next night faucying the picture an
; blotting it with her tears. How he
I, heart ached to be Squire Somebody
daughter just then-to be young an
! ! ROSY and coquettish in the grand righ
= and left. Alas ten years with Au1
Hitty had added nothing to Della
physical charms. She was thirty-eight
with hollows in her cheeks and sllye
! among her braids and absent-lookln
l ewes, from which laughter had departed
All the years she had lived on the po
= sibilitv of Paul coming over to Higl
cate to see how the word used her
/ perhaps with some kind and tend'
word. to show that, at last, he had a.
. preciated her motive; and though 81
Il had come to wear an all of expectanc
y she had in truth given up the feelin
y when a letter from Paul reached he
}, which simply related the facts of h
u mothers death and asking her to Il
: funeral. He met her at the stage-doo
u They drove together to the grave
e chief mourners. They returned
II pethcr to the vacant house.
e "It isn't home any longer" 50
Is Paul, as Della paused in the pore
htsitating to make her goodbye
N "Tom has gone to Australia, Sue
re teaching in Minnesota, and Nell is mi
! Ia ouP IN California. Yet Won and
Is Della, are more divided than all t
=, =, rest"
n n "You will send for Sue, suppose
~ ~ said Della, fumbling with her bonn
p. strings.
I. "Delia," he cried, "are not ten yel
~ long enough for you to spend in havi
No NJ your own way? Won't you stay a
~. a. make it home for me p
lg "Aunt Hitty needs me more th
to ever, She is feeble as child"
ed "And hired hand could serve her
nd well in such thankless office. Del
". YOU are making no one happy-not eV
Id yourself"
ne "One ought always to enjoy on
in duty" sighed Della, wishing she did
.or /" Well, you have had your choice
". duties, aud it's only fair to believe Il
It. YOU have chosen the one you like bes
ty. returned Paul, grimly.
rs. 81 'spose," said Aunt Hitty, at
ad Delia's return, az 'spose that you
itb Paul Carruthers are putting off y,
,rs weddin' till you git me we'll un