Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-05-06
WHEN ELlHU CAME HOME

All her life long Sara Holmes had
b ad romance. 1t began and ended
with these words; "When Ellhu comes
home" And though she was but
nineteen years old at the time of which
I write, it seemed to her on the evening
of that burning July day, as she sat in
her bedroom and looked out upon the
moonlit fields, that she had been living
one or two centuries in this world, and
all the time dreaming golden dreams
of Elihu, only to find them shivered
into atoms at last.
For Elihu had come. And the time
and manner of his coming were so un
looked for and SO unexpected to her,
as well as to every one else, that the
girl sat there in the moonlight, saying
to herself, "He is here. | need never
watch or wait for him again. In the
next chamber to mine he is sleeping
that is if he can sleep, poor Elihu"
The earliest stories she could re
member had been told to her by her
mother, about sCousiu Elihu" and the
enormous fortune he had made "down
South" at time when fortunes could
yet be made in that unhappy land. She
had heard fabulous tales of the palace
in which he lived, of the negro slaves
who flew to do his bidding, of the
beautiful carriages and horses that
bore him from place to place, and of
the Jewels, the silks, satins and velvets
that the fortunate woman would possess
who one day would become Elihu's
bride.
Other girls had heard these stories
also, and the belle of the school at
Holmesdale often said that when she
was sixteen she should ego travelling"
and find her way down South, and ''set
her cap" for Elihu Holmes. That the
result would follow for which she
looked, no girl among them all doubted
for even the masters, stern face
softencd and smiled upon Rosanna
Meadows when she shook back her
golden curls and lifted her large blue
eyes, with blush, to his.
Poor Rosanna! Sara leaned her
cheek on her hand and looked over the
hill toward the village graveyard,
where the village beauty was now
living with her blue eyes closed, her
golden ringlets smoothed back from
her white brow, and her hands clasped
in an unearthly quiet on her breast.
Elihu had never known how her girlish
heart went out toward him. And now
Elihu had come home.
AS Sara Holmes grew up, and de-
veloped from the tall, angular girl into
the queenly and self-possessed young
woman, the thought would sometimes
occur to her, as she stood before the
mirror braiding Der dark hair, IF he
should come back, would he think me
pretty, now that Rosanna is gomez
The broad, low brow, the oval cheek
and dimpled chin answered; the
healthful color, the deep, dark eyes,
the sudden bright, bewileered smile
said, yes. For hers was now higher
beauty than Rosanna's pink andwhite
loveliness had ever been, and the
treasures of her mind and heart might
we'll have won an older and wiser man
to love her long before Elihu came
home.
And now she drew a long breath,
and set herself to recall all the incl
dents of that sudden and startling re
turn.
Tea was over, the milk was strained
and they were all sitting OH the front
piazza, under the shade of the naples
and locusts, while her father read bits
from the weekly paper aloud. Her
step-mother was knitting, her sister
Grace was lining hat, and her brother
Ben was whiting out toy boat from
bit of wood, while she (Sara) sat be
side him and held his tools as he needed
them, and lost herself in reverie
about our hero in the South.
A carriage drove up the village
road and halted at the gate. The
driver descended from his seat and
beckoned to her father, who hurried
down to the gate to meet him. After
talking for some time together, small
trunk was lifted down and left beside
the gate. Then the carriage door was
opened and tall figure descended, nd
directly after, Ben, WHO had followed
his father in fit of boyish, curiosity,
galloped back with distended eyes,
whispering loudly:
"Mother girls! Cousin Elihu has
come! and he has lost every cent Of
his property down South heard the
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