The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-03-03
For THE News AND HERALD !
MY AUNT MARY.


loved her. 1t has now been more
than two years since we laid her in
her silent tomb.
often wondered, when I was q
child, why Aunt Mary would go to
a particular spot in the yard, and at
certain hour every evening. ]
noticed, too, that her brown ewes
were always filled with tears rs She
left that place, [ once heard my
mother say to her, in u low tone
'S1stcr Mary, why will you go there,
when you know it saddens you so
much?"
ut helps me to bear my heavy
burden" was the reply.
L asked Aunt Mary once why she
had never married. ...
"N1y darling," she said, swat
until you are old enough, and then
[ will tell you the secret of my life"
Years passed by, my Aunt Mary
growing dearer and dearer to us all
every day. But l noticed that she
began to fade very rapidly. She
had that fell diseasc-consumption
which keeps ono lingering so long
III dying condition. 1t filled me
with sadness whenever L looked
upon that sweet, peaceful counter,
ance, that emaciated form. One
day when she was able to sit up for
some little time, she called me to
her. went, sat upon u stool near
her, and laid my head on her lap.
Lilly, she said, 'you remember
L told you several years ago that
when you were old enough, + would
tell you the secret of my life. You
are now sixteen, and L will keep my
promise.
"There were only three of us
your mother, Brother Will and T..
We all lived very happily together,
we were SO fond of one another.
You know your mother is much
older than I, and she married when
Twas quite young. After she left
and Brother Will went off to school,
was very lonely indeed, but 1 had
governess, and managed to while
away the time.
,ssa After q time, when Brother came
home he brought young man with
He' was Is6 s66 GaaHHidssommtSS ME ahdd> hhdd>YnSdiGRSHt
from the first moment wo met
loved him.A Oh that summer vaca-
tion-how happy it was to me But
IN our most joyful moments some.
thing mars our happiness. In look
ing forward to our separation, +
heartily wished that days were
weeks. 1t seemed that all my Joy
would vanish when he should leave.
At last the time for parting came.
They returned to college, and I was
left alone. But then he was
coming back with the flowers, he
said, and I had that to look forward
to.
81 longed for the winter months
to fly.
The next spring Edward came
back. Before he loft he told me
that old, old story. Oh! my heart
throbs now as [ recall those words
Mary, my own, I love YOU So we
ware engaged. He thought it best
to seek his fortune before he took
his bride, and determined to go to
some city and get into business.
Il would have married him then,
but he said, Il am too poor for us to
begin ife's battle together yet.
I'VE corresponded after he left.
Oh! those precious letters-how
anxiously looked and longcd for
them. / received one regularly
every week. Time passed on. I
was happy-for did 1 not hear from
him often, and did he not many
times in his letters tell me of his
great love? ..
Gone night was at q party, and
as 1 was promenading tho room
with Mr.-, L saw two young
men talking very earnestly together.
Presently / heard one of them say,
1T cannot be true, for he is engaged
to Miss Mary Seaton.'
"'Yes, but it is true, the other
replied. Edward Gray was mar
ried last month to Miss Annot
Lyle ~ Ur ~n.t ........... E...I =.
'It was my Edward they were
speaking of, 1 knew. Oh! how my
heart ached. A strange feeling
passed over me-. I became insonsi-
bic. When I became conscious, T
was lying in my. own room, anxious
faces bonding over mo. L was i'll
| For two yuooko op1 ,1,,c;no, +bot in, q