Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-09-06
The Rented Portrait.


woman in the world; but in these dark
days she was grieving sorely for her
dead husband, so sorely that her good
hearted brother-in-law, Edward Elting,
made up his mind that it was part of
his mission in life to live near her, so
that he might be able to look after the
little widow and attend TO her affairs.
He announced his intention in the
following words: "Jeannie, L want
house, and L have an idea about the
little brown stone next door. Tom
Harris is going to Europe; he told me
he expected to sail sometime in May.
He closes his house, no doubt. Now it
occurs TO me that for such tenants as
mother and myself shall send for
mother-he will be willing to rent the
place until he returns next fall. l
should he close at hand, my girl, and
be able to keep an eye on you and the
children"
The convenient Tom Harris, who had
not thought of the possibility of renting
his house in summer, and who was
looking anxiously for responsible per-
son to leave in charge, gladly accepted
Edward Elting's proposal to rent the
premises for six months. By the mid
die of May the widow Elting and her
son were comfortably established there.
Poor JEANNE was wonderfully sus-
tanned by the affectionate arrangement
of next door, She cleaned upon IL,
she said; but to Edward Elting there
was something very lonely about the
strange house, with its strange furni-
ture. that lacked all the old associations
which could make il seem like home.
One evening in late September, when
the heavy storm, the "equinoctial' had
brought a keen autumnal chill, while
musing in the freight of his chamber,
he remembered that flippant proverb,
Lucky in cards, unlucky in love"
Not that he played cards, or that he
was in love. But the adage started up
whimsically and reflected upon his life.
Rarely had ''self-made man" attained
so easily, by such honorable means,
fair fortune before middle age; and
rarely had man so capable of tender
affection reached Elting's age of thirty
six without taste of true love. To be
sure. circumstances in part explained
this: there had been so many helpless
ones dependent upon him, there had
seemed no time to think of self.
The half good of the fiippant proverb
brought no smile to Elting's face this
lowering September night. No; all
summer long. and at its close, when
the sad scene shrouded his brothers
home. there had been growing in his
heart. even while he comforted others,
a longing for something nearer and
dearer than the love of sister and
mother and brother.
Perhaps the room which he occupied
in the rented house had exerted some
influence to the effect. If walls have
ears, why should they not have mouths! !!
And these walls had much to say of
delectable affection and happy married
condolences.
Elting himself ascribed the pheno-
menon TO the influence of a picture
the picture of a woman's face that hung
above the fireplace directly opposite
his bed. Every morning that sweet,
grave face was the first object that met
his ewes. At night, as he closed his
Bible, and was about to eXtinguish the
lamp of the reading-stand, he gave one
parting glance to the expressive can
vas. Actually the pictured countence
had Influenced his summer "How
must the heart OF man repose itself" ,"
he thought, with sigh, "upon a wo-
man whose soul should prove soberly
sweet and daintily compassionate, like
the face in the picture?'
He arose from his musing, fastened
together some little packages he had
brought up town for the children, and
presently, all selfish dreaming cast
aside, appeared i'm the expectant parlor
''neXt door"
Mrs. Peter T. Perricastle was crea-
ture of impulse, and some of her i'm
pulses were kind. 1t was one of her
kind impulses that induced her to in
yite TO the Perricastle summer-place, as
guest for week in July, 'poor Miss
Dexter" the teacher in town of select
infant class, of which the infant ferrl-
castles were members.
"The truth is" said Mrs. Z. to her
audience of neighbors, "the girls pale
face haunts me. Besides" she added,
with unconscious mixture Of motive,
''she is of excellent family-related to
the Dexters of u; and just now no
one is with me but Sally Deyereaux,