The Cecil Whig., 1875-05-01
WHEN ELIHU CAME HOME.

WHEN ELIHU CAME HOME.
All her life long Sara Holmes had had a
romance. 1t began and ended with these
words: When Elihu comes home.' And
though she was but nineteen years old at
on the evening of that burning July day,
as she sat in her bed room and looked out
upon the moonlight fields, that she had
been living one or two centuries in this
dreams of Elihu, only to find them shiver
ing into atoms at the last.
For Elihu had come. And the time and
the manner Of his coming were SO unlocked
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 remember
had been told to her by her mother, about
90 Cousin Eihu' 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 fortunate
woman would possess who would one day
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 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 hilltop
toward the village graveyard, where the
village beauty was now lying, 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.
| Elhu 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 queen
ly and self-possessed young woman, the
thought would sometimes occur to her. as
she stood before the mirror braiding her
dark hair, " If he should come back, would
he think me pretty, now that Rosanna is
dead?" The broad, low brow, the oval
cheeks and dimpled chin answered; the
heathful color, the deep, dark ewes, the
sudden, bright, bewildering smile, said,
than Rosanna's pink white loveliness
had ever been, and the treasures of her
mind and heart might well have won an
| older and wiser man to love her long be-
fore Elihu came home.
And now she drew long breath, and set
herself to recall all the incidents of that
sudden and startling return.
| Tea was over-the milk was strained
and they were all sitting on 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 knit
| ting; her sister Grace was lining hat, and
/ har xph a
boat from a bit of wood, while she, Sara,
sat beside 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 their 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, a
small trunk was lifted down and left be-
side the gate. Then the carriage door was
opened and tall figure descended, and,
directly after, Ben, who had followed his
father in fit of boyish curiosity, gallop,
ed back with distended eyes, whispering
loudly:
And he has lost every cent of his property
down south. / heard the driver tell father
so! And they have sent him off up here
alone, because they thought he was going
to be sick; and there he is, you see, lean
ing on father and the driver, and he CAM
but lust walk. Isn't it blamed shame o.
those southerners ."
"Mercy" exclaimed Ben's step-mother
rising, as they all rose, when the tall, slen
der figure approached.
Sara looked up with her heart in he
eyes, to greet him also-no less hero t.
her for the pitiful history of loss and ruiz
that she had just heard
He was tall, upright, elegant looking
man, with fair complexion, large melan
choly blue eyes, long straight nose, droop
ing eyebrows, fine lips, and firmly round
ed chin, that somewhat counteracted th
listless sadness of the face. His hair wa
turning gray, and the heavy, geden-brow
moustache had one or two threads of silver
but with that exception he wore no look 0
age.
Elihu was well but plainly dressed in
travelling suit of gray. He removed hi
hat as he drew near the ladies, with
courteous grace; but he looked in vain 70
the warm welcome from the second Mrs
Holmes and her daughter Grace that Ii
would have received from his own cous
had she been alive.
Mrs. Holmes bowed to him coldly thong
civilly; and Grace, angry with him and wit
herself for the sudden collapsing of sun
dry ambitious hopes which she had cor
lided to no one except her mother, sweI
him her latest dancing school courtesy, an
affected not to see the hand he held out.
Elihu colored slightly, and turned t
Sara, whose large dark eyes were fixe
with look of tender pity upon his refine'
and melancholy face.
k "You have face that | ought to know,
he said to her, gently. "You are IN
cousins child, dear Sara. | hoped sll