The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1875-04-17
2niscellaneoms.
Wheu ELiI.aG Comes Home


nance. 1t began and ended with these words ::
"When 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 bed
room and looked out upon the moonlight fields,
that she had been living one or two centuries
in this world, and all the time dreaming gold
en- dreams of Elihu. only to find them shivered
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 moon
light, saying to herself, "He is here, need new
er watch or wait for him again. In the next
chamber to mine he is sleeping-that is If he
can sleep, poor Ellhu Inc earnest 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 time when fortunes could yet oe 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, satns and velvets that fortunate woman
would possess who would one day become Eli
hu's bride.
Other girls had heard these stories also, aud
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 re-
suit would follow for which she looked, no girl
among them all doubted, for even "the mas
ter's" stern face softened and smiled upon Ro-
sanna 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 top 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. 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
Sslf-possessed young woman, 3e thought
would sometimes occur to her, as sne stood be-
fore the mirror braiding her dark hair, off he
should come back, would he think me pretty,
now that Rosanna is gomez" The broad, lew
brow, the oval cheeks and dimpled chin an
swered; the healthful color, the deep, dark
eyes, the sudden, bright, bewildering smile,
said, eyes" For hers was now higher beau
ty than Resanna's pink and white leveliness
had ever been, and the treasures of her mind
and heart might well have won an older and
wiser man to love her long before Elihu came
home
And now she drew long breath, and set
herself to recall all the incidents of that sud-
den 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 pa
per 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 beside him and held
his tools as he needed them, and lost herself in
a 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, small trunk was lift
ed down and left beside the gate. Then the
carriage door was opened and tall figure de-
scended and, directly after, Ben, who had fol-
lowed his father in fit of boyish curiosity,
galloped back with distended eyes, whisper
ing loudly:
"Mother-girls Cousin Elihu has come =
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, be-
cause they thought he was going to be sick !;
and there he is, see, leaning on father and the
driver, and he can't but Just walk. Isn't it a
blamed shame of these southerners?"
"Mercy!' exclaimed Ben's step mother, ris
figure approached.
Sara looked up with her heart in her eyes, to
greet her hero-no less hero to her for the
pitiful historySof loss and ruin that she had
Just heard.
He was tall, upright, elegant looking man,
with fair com plexion, large melancholy blue
eyes, a long straight nose, dropping eyebrows,
fine lips, and a firmly rounded chin, that's some
what counteracted the listless sadness of the
face. His hair was turning gray, and the
heavy, golden brown moustache had one or two
threads of silver, but with that exception he
wore no look of age
Elihu was we'll but plainly dressed in trav-
cling suit of gray. He removed his hat as he
drew near the ladies, with courteous grace
but he looked in vain for the warm welcome
from the second Mrs. Holmes and her daughter
Grace that he would have received from his
own cousin had she been alive.
Mrs. Holmes bowed TO him c0ldly though
civilly; and Grace, angry with him and with
herself for the sudden collapsing of sundry
ambitious hopes which she had never confded
to any one except her mother, swept him her
latest dancing school courtesy, and affected not
| to see the hand he held out.
| Elihu colored slightly and turned to Sara,
| whose large dark eyes were fixed with look
of tender pity upon his refined and melancho-
| ly face.
"You have face that ought to known" he
said to her, gently. "You are my cousins
child, dear Sara hoped she would be here
to meet me when l came home at last''
| Sara's heart was already full, and this refer
| ence to her dead mother caused her tears to
overflow,
| "Dear Cousin Elihu," said she, taking his
hand in both Of hers, "my mother remem ber-
ed and loved you to the last day of her life.-
She would have been glad indeed to see you
here once more; am glad, too. All my life
long have looked forward to your coming"
"But you did not expect to see me return SO
poor" said Elihu, signing.
"Poor or rich, it matters little" replied Sara
fervently: "You are here at home once more
! and that is enough to make us all rejoice"
"Aye," said Elihu, looking from her beamine
| countenance to the cold faces of the rest 81
should have been glad to bring gold enough to
make me welcome. But what is done is done
and do not wish to complain. Cousin Joshua
| for my cousins sake of the old times when you
and were boys together, suppose you will
| let nae stay at the old homestead for few
days"
| "Eh? Oh, to be sure Stay and welcome p
stammered the farmer, who feeling the eyes Of
his wife and his daughter Sara fixed upon him
| was like man between two fires,
| So it was settled, and Sara few about like a
| good fairy to prepare supper for the wanderer
| and afterward, to set In order his room and bed
| At nine o'clock he retired, and then the storm
| burst forth,
The second Mrs. Holmes inquired shrilly, II
their house was to be turned into "poor farm y
and made the abiding place of every shiftless
creature who had wasted his substance In riot
| auc 1iv;n0 noou0 Gthoua parrnasV orIxx l.