The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-11-13
q MY UNCLE WAS 4 BACHELOR.

You nave often wondered, George,
why it is I have never married-wOn-
dered, and most probably rejoiced, for |
at my death, you know, the old place |
will come to you, as it came to me, free |
of debt or encumbrance. I suppose |
you have attributed my confirmed bach !
elorhood to some disappointment IN
love in early life eh :? Alb, we'll I'll |
tell you the whole story. 1t may serve
as a warning to, you, Z was going to say,
only do not believe In one mans eX-
perience being of any use to another.
And as to warning, bah they never
save. But I am in q Retrospective mood
tonight, 80 II .you care to hear the
w My Uncle George and were staying
up at BarIuig, small fishing place of
his in the Highlands, to which we re
sorted regularly twice year for about
a fortnight, in pursuit of salmon. I
had lost my father when / was about
four years old. aud since that time his
brother, my Uncle George, had been
~ my father In all but the name Indeed,
think we were fonder of each other
than fathers and sons usually are in
these days. ..l-l E
1t had always been a wonder to me,
and to every one else, that Uncle George
had never married. Some people de-
clared that he had been hopelessly in
love with the beautiful Duchess de-
and that ii was for her sake he had re-
p manned single; others hinted at some
enlargement; while some maintained
boldly that Sir George Wyville was
married, and that I, his nephew, and
heir presumptive In the eyes of the
world, should look very foolish some
day on the baronetcy and Wyville cas-
tie being claimed by the son of my IN
ele's old college bed-maker.s
But to all these stories I turned a.
deaf ear. 4 kneg enongh of Uncle
George to feel sure there was not
shadow Of truth In any of them. My
uncle often spoke of the Duchess de
IS (what she vase of the handsomest
a women and most finished couuettes of
her day. But I felt certain he had
never cared for her he-would not have
talked so much about her. if he had.
And As 20 an enkanglemant Or a secret
marriage. Why, knew all my uncles
affairs as welI as ] knew those of Charlie.
EBRgnsfOrd nv bosom friend and
brother officer, who had been gazetted
as ensign and lieutenant in the 9TH
Foot Guards the same day as myself,
about two months before. No; what
ever reason my uncle may have had for
remaining single, it was one he had
carefully guarded from the whole world
was glad that was going to hear it at
last.
1 reflled my glass with whisky and
water, lit my pet pipe, about the color
ing OF which I was so anxious, and
drawing my chair nearer to the fire, pre-
pared to listen in comfort
81 was about thirteen, George, when
first saw Nora O'Byrne. I was at Elton
then, and she was a dower-girl in the
streets of Windsor. The first day
ever saw her-I remember it as we'll as
If it were lyesterday-it was bitterly
cold March afternoon, and she was
standing outside the then only hotel in
4 the place selling yiolets. To this hour
can not stand seeing girl selling vio-
lets In the street. / gave her all the
money ] had in my pocket, and my
heart Withit 1t is no use attempting
to describe her. All descriptions of her
real beauty are futile. She was simply
the loyeliest child, as she was afterward
the Ioveliest woman, I ever beheld. Day
after day I used to see her. I con-
trived to meet her quietly. I did all I
could for her, and it went to my heart
to feel that could do so little. used
to give her food clothing was of no use
giving, for her mother took it away di-
rectly, and paWned it to buy gin.
I need scarcely tell you that Nora
was no common beggar girl. Her father
had been q wel1-to-do workman, and
during his lifetime she had been to
school, and had learned how to read and
write but after his death she had been
reduced to beggary through her moth
er's fatal propensity for drink. For
nearly two years of my life spent ev-
aud I loved her as l have never loved
any other human being. And what is
more, I kept my boyish love a secret
from every one-no easy matter as you
may imagine.
tack of typhus fever. I was staying al
Wyville at the time, sor the summer
vacation with my uneie, Sir Rupert
He had perfect horror of sickness, oil
fever especially and directly was ia
ken i'll, he left the house to pay visit
to some friends near Windsor. He
promised me that when the school met
again he would ride over, and give the
fellows at my house the latest account:
of me.
81 did not return to Elton till after
the Christmas holidays, and then Nor5
was gone-where could not learn. II
vain Imade inquiries of different peO
pie in the town who knew the girl 10y
sight. All I could learn was thai
neither she nor her mother had beer
seen since the beginning of September
I was nearly frantic with anxiety.
give you my word, George, that never
but once IN my life have / felt anything
like the utter grief and desolation o.
that time when I thought of Nora, Will
her extraordinary beauty, thrown upoI
the wide world with no other protection
than that drunken old mother.
"Well, time passed on, and when
was eighteen left Elton and went int
the Guards My mother took a hous'
In HEREFORD street, and / lived with her
I went everywhere. and was made
much Of / was heir to Wyville castle
aud fifteen thousand q year-tO sa!
nothing of the baronetcy; and could
have married-as my uncle and mothe
was always telling me-almost anybod.
I chose; but did not choose
"Strange as 1t may appear, neve
met a girl 1 could care for-never me
anyone who could mike me forget TO
one moment my childish love. I grew
tired of everything sooner than mos
men, and at twenty, having obtained
several months leave of absence,
started for tour IN the east with M,
old friend Baynsford. who was thel
Captain FelloVes. When we were a
Smyrna I received q letter from M
mother, telling me that my uncle wa
going to be married. AS I had beer
taught from childhood to consider
myself his heir, You may fancy, George
with what feelings of disgust received
the intelligence. My mother wrote
very illegible hand, and, moreover. al