Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-09-07
Misfellaneous.
THROUGH WIND AND BAIN.
BY THE AUTHOR OF .OLD MYDDLEToN's
MONEY"

Aes' tnal IS tne portrait OF the present
Squire Handsome! No. don't think we
old servants ever call him handsome.
dare say you are right. though. and il we'd
known him less, we might have spoken
OF his being handsome. We only know
him as the kindest master and tenderest
son in the whole world. Yet l daresav
you are right, lor when I'm here by N.Y.
self among the portraits (the servants
wondering why their old housekeeper
wanders over the house so much alone)
1t Is always to his face turn with the best
memories, and there is nothing there to
dim my spectacles, as there is when nv
eyes rest upon the portraits opposite
you see them the portraits of his father
and grandfather. II ffeol#
1t was just such night as this that
ushered in the new year five-and.twenty
years ago; and even now, thatevening Is
as clear in my memory as this has beer D..
though Wesmede to-day is filled with
guests and gayety, and the old house
echoes music and laughter, instead of that
one strange cry. Promised to tell you.
did L? Come nearer to the fire then, and
throw on another log. Many a night I've
sat just here to see the old year die.
Sometimes in the wonderful silence of
that starshine; sometimes in brilliant
moonlight, when that line of heath-road
beyond the park lay broad white ribbon
on the brown ! and sometimes, as it does
to-night-and did that other night lust
-and-twentv years ago-panting for it's
breath and dying in passionate tears. You
can see now how the poplars, far away
against the sky. there, bend like reeds;
and when the hurrying clouds fiy BY and
leave the young moon uncovered, you
can trace the bridle-path across the heath,
glistening like a shallow brook. Just
such night 1t was, wild, W ct and sgnsty,
when the old Squire and | stood watch
ing.
But how is this ought not to be in
the middle of my story before l begin.
Let me see-there's another New Years
Eve that can remember. fiftv years ago.
when the Squire held his newborn infant
in his arms, with such smile as we had
never seen upon his face before, and stood
there in dream until they reused him to
tell him his young wife could not live.
All la ali was the boy 10 bis father from
that very night, yet at first there was
sometimes fancy among US that our mas.
tefs great affection for his son came sec
ond to h s pride in his heir. He was
growing old. you see, and of course there
must have been times when he had feared
that the proud old name would die. and
the place he loved SO well 90 TO that dis.
tant branch of Capletons, OF which Can
tain Warder was the living representative
"a cold. middle-aged man, who the SQUIRE
never had liked. But now that the son
and heir was born. Mr.. Capleton with
some new feeing) turned round and
seemed to grow fond of his heir presump-e
tive-as they called him. But we didn't,
and there was conviction among US that
whenever he came to Wesmede it was
because he either wanted money in hur-
ry. or had nowhere else to go.
For years after the little heir was born,
Captain Warder didn't come to Wesmee}e
at all. He might have been too. angry. or
he might have been really abroad as it &
was reported. But gradually his visits
were resumed. and then. year bv year
they grew longer and more frequent
AT Wesmede everything went smooth
and happily for the Squire through hi,
sons oybood; for though, of course, MIR.
Will got into trouble sometimes, as school
boys will, the trouble never lasted: for
the boy was gentle and true-hearted, even
ii he had share of his fathers self-will,
80 the time went on until within a few
days of Mr.. WHIPS leaving college, when
he was to come home for a few weeks
and then join party of friends and travel
tor year before settling at Wesmede
and taking the Squire's duties upon him
self. just as We were dreading lest Mr..
Capleton should fret through his sons
long absence, distant connection of his
died. leaving an only daughter unprovid-
ed for. So the Squire, when he heard
this, went off at once to Scotland and
brought back the orphan with him.
Her portrait here (? or course it is. for
she was one of the Capletons, you know,
though she was SO poor that I've seen her
turn the bows of ribbon on her dress, and
patch the pages of her music. Beautiful?
don't know, because I've seen so many
different faces to be called beautiful. At
first the servants called her "puny," then
noticed that the maids grew to initiate
her, and dropped their voices when they
spoke of her. As for me, from the very
first moment that my eyes rested ON her.
saw what won my heart. Her face was
narrow and delicate. yet there was a sweet
and steadtast light upon it, which made Il
beautiful beyond what | had ever before
understood of the word. sYc
How we'll remember the day Mr.. win
came home from college and found her
standing shyly at his fathers side waiting
for him. Such a glance came into bis
eyes. that. though Id known them all his
life, | felt I'd never seen them properly
till then. OF course l could oniy guess
how he spent that evening. the first
through which he had ever had girl
companion at home; but before week
had passed had seen what had made me
sad enough.
''iI agnes does her duty. Will. heard
the Squire say one morning. while Mr..
Will stood against the low oak chimney
piece in the hall, with his face bent. II
shall give her a wedding portion aad
marry her to Warder. shall be doing
both OF them good turn. And that re-
minds me, Will, Luxleigh tells me his
daughter returns, from Paris next year to
take her place at the head OF his house,
No answer from Mr. viii. but the
Squire didn't notice il. and went on IN =