Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-04-30
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
! Elsie hastened on through the widening
; path until it merged into the village street,
then gradually slackened her pace, and it was
with slower step than usual that she ap-
preached her own dwelling. Standing in the
doorway of the neat, unpretendng white cot
tage, was brown-visaged, hard-teatured
woman, evidently watching for her arrival.
"Wellw w she exclaimed in an impatient
tone, as soon as she was within hearing, "l do
think you've taken your time this evening.
Was the old dame worse, that you stayed so
long?"
"She seemed pretty bad, and | had to do
more for her than usual, replied Elsie; truth.
fully adding, however, "but she did not keep
me any later than I generally stay"
"Then you must have idled by the way"
said her mother, cor the clocks gone forward
half an hour. Supper's been ready this good
WHILE"
"You shouldn't have waited for me, moth
er," said Elsie, as with heightened color she
entered the cottage.
"Stuff; do you think care to sit down by
myself? Come, take your things off down
here; you've no call to 60 upstairs. Why,
gracious mo- child, what's the matter with
your face? it's as red as fire.
I-walked fast-and it's so warm," MUIR
INJURED Elsie, turning reluctantly back at her
mothers bidding, for she had been anxious to
escape for few moments to her own little
chamber to give the unwonted flush chance
of cooling off. 1t seemed to burn more hotly
than ever beneath the scrutiny ofMrs. Deane's
sharp eyes, and to avoid further questioning,
she commenced, as soon as they were seated
at table, to give an account of her visit to her
poor old nrotegte, and to retail some bits Of
village gossip that she had heard.
"NIother, Ellen Atwell stopped me as was
going, and told me her cousin was truly going
to be married next month, and she's to be
bridesmaid"
"What cousin p
"Why, George Greene, the one who was
here in the spring. staying at Mrs. Atwells;
don't you recollect; We all used to think he
and Ellen would make match, they seemed
so fond of one another"
"That curly-pated, dandy fellow? don't
know who'd be silly enough to take up with
the like of him, I'm sure" said Mrs. Deane,
with scorn in her voice. "Not Ellen, for she's
good sensible girl"
"She says the girl he's engaged to, Mary
Lake, is real pretty and sweet, and has for
tune besides"
"She's got mighty little sense, according to
my notions" said Mrs. Deane, e,contemptuously.
"But the marriages young folks make nova
days pass my understanding. They just act
according to their fancy, instead of asking ad-
vice of them as have got more sense than they
have. In my day, children considered them
selves bound to abide the wishes Of their pa
rents and elders
"But never heard that Mary Lakes pa
rents were unwilling for her to marry George
Greene, mother"
"It's against my belief that they should be
! willing," said Mrs. Deane "It wouldn't be
natural for any two people with grain of
common sense between them to want such
stuck-up looking young monkey for son-in-
law. More's the pity for the girl
Not finding this a satisfactory topic, Elsie
ventured upon another.
"Dame Dixon told me that Martha Crcs-
wells youngest son was coming home"
Him as listed for O. soldier? All! I dare
say he's had enough of it by now. He's one
who was always acting contrary to every
body's wishes, especially his fathers and moth
ers. He'd better have stayed at home and
helped with the farm, when the poor old man
was laid up with rheumatism, and the other
son following his trade"
"Martha's wild with joy, they say. He's
her favorite son, you know"
"Yes, and she's one of your soft folks that
can be twisted round evcrybody's little finger.
There's that young scamp, now, has acted fit
to break her heart, ran away and outlawed
himself and made her think he was dead, and
now he'll come back and speak fair words,
and she'll forget all his mislehavior, and be
as foolish over him as if he had acted dutiful
always"
"But mother, the prodigal son came home,
you know" suggested Elsie
"Prodigal Gddlesticks," quoth Mrs. Deane.
"Scripture's not to be gainsayed, of course,
and honor my Bible as much as other folks,
but don't consider that every parable is to
be taken as gospel truth. When people be-
have i'll, it's my opinion as they ought to feel
the consequences. If child of mine should
run away and fall into evil ways, I'd have
naught to do with em, but let 'cm get out of
their trouble the best way they could. As
folks bake, so they ought to brew"
Somehow this hard doctrine seemed to fall
this evening with peculiar unpleasantuess on
Elsie's ears. She saw that her mother was in
one of her least agreeable moods-a mood
that Mrs. Deane herself would call "contra-
ry"-and that no subject of conversation was
likely to meet with amicable treatment at her
hands while it lasted. Elsie thought it hard
to come home onl y to encounter cross looks
and sharp tones she was not conscious of
having done anything to ruffle her mothers
temper, beyond the triaing delay she had been
guilty of in coming home. She sat silent du-