Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-08-27
WHEN ELIHU COMES HOME.

All her life long Sara Holmes had had a
romance. 1t began and ended with these
words: ssWhen Elihu comes home.'' And
though she was but nineteen years old at
the time Of which write, it seemed to her
on the evening of that burning July day,
as she sat in her bedroom and looked out
upon the moonlight 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 shiv-
cred into atoms at the last.
For Elihu had come. And the time and
the manner Of his coming were so I'M
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,
'sHe 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
remember had been told to her by her
mother about "COuSin Elihu" and the
enormous fortune he had made down
South" at a 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 fortunate woman would
possess who would one day become Elihu IS
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 ''go 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 s'the master's' stern
! face softened and smiled upon Rosanna
Meadows when she shook back her golden
curls and lifted her large blue eyes, with a
blush, to his.
Poor Rosanna Sara leaned her cheek
on her hand and looked over the hill tor
toward the village graveyard, where the
village beauty was now lying, with hel
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 developed
from the tall, angular girl into the queenly
and self-possessed young woman, tht
| thought would sometimes occur to her. al
she stood before the mirror braiding hel
| dark hair, eff he should come back, would
he think me pretty, now that Rosanna is
} gomez" The broad, low brow, the ova
cheeks and dimpled chin answered; thu
healthful color. the deep, dark eyes, thu
sudden, bright, bewildering smile, sale
eyes" For hers was now higher beau
ty than Rosanna's pink and white lowell.
ness had ever been, and the treasures Of
her mind and heart might we'll have wor
an older and wiser man to love her Ions
before Elihu came home.
And now she drew a long breath, ant
set herself to recall all the incidents O
that sudden and startling return.
| Tea was over-the milk was strained
and they were sitting on the front piazza
under the shade Of the naples and locusts
while her father read bits from the week.,
paper aloud. Her stepmother was knit
ting; her sister Grace was lining hat, ant
her brother Ben was whiting out a to,
boat from a bit of wood, while she, Sara
sat beside him and held his tools as h
needed them, and lost herself in reverb
about our hero in the South.
A carriage drove up the village road ant
halted at their gate. The driver descend
ed from his seat and beckoned to her faith
er, who hurried down to the gate to NEE
him. After talking for some time to
gether, a small trunk was lifted down an
left beside the gate. Then the carriag
door was opened and a tall figure descend
ed, and, directly after, Ben. who had fo
lowed his father in a fit of boyish curiosity
galloped back with distended eyes, whis
pering loudly:
"Mother- girls! Cousin Elihu has come
And he has lost every cent of his propert
f down South heard the driver tell fathe
so! And they have sent him off up herr
alone, because they thought he was goin
Ito be sick; and there he is. see, leaning o