The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-11-15


Yets shere this thoukht after an
Rerns may fade md feayes may fall.
Al nay Eok = these woods do
1h0ukh sd Autumn here u gwen.
eun& time awaits DE- Just in Heaven
-Efd1a1<rs' Journal.
MAJOR HAHMOXDsS RING.
whats this?'' cried Miss Ham
mond, breaking open letter Just hand
Cd to her by q servant. You read
it, Maggie; your eyes are better than
mine.
Small wonder at that, indeed, seeing
that Maggie is aged about eighteen,
and the other sixty-five at the very
least, > pleasant-looking. well-pre-
served spinster, with q brown, resolute
face and sausage curls over the fore
head. Maggie, handsome modern
girl, sits down and reads:
MADAN-The parishiorers Of St Crispin,
Gfggiesham, in yestry assembled, have deter
mined to rebuild their parish church, Fro
nounced unsafe BY the surveyors Contribu-
tons are, earnestly requested The altera-
tions VIII necessitafe the removal Of many
vaults and graves: among Others, that Of the
Hzmraond family 1t is the wish OF the
ChErchwardens to respect the wishes of sur
vivors and s.thers III the disposal of the re-
mains Any directions you NAV have to give.
you viii be good enough to communicate TO
dent servants, THOMAS TKUscoTT,
WILLIAM BONNER
Churchwariens-
The two Misses Hammond (Marga-
ret and Ellen) are joint proprietors of
the comfortable estate of Westbury.
near Gigglesham, and of the handsome
mansion thereto belonging. Maggie,
the young girl, is distant consin-al-
though she calls them IS aunt''-and
lives with them. There is also yeung
man, Ralph Grant, somewhere about
the place. of whom more anon.
Old Tom Hammond, the father of the
maiden sisters, was born in the year
1740, and might have seen the heads
over Temple Bar after the rising of
1745. He lived till 1880. He had mar
ried late in life, and left only these
two daughters. Thus two generations
bridged over space of time generally
occupied by many successive lives, as
in the case OF another branch of the
family, the founder of which, Mai.
Richard Hammond (the uncle of the
two old ladies), who had been at the
capture of Quebec when Gen. Wolfe
was killed. being the great-grandfathe
of Maggie Lauderdale and Ralph Grant.
Mai. Hammond was the elder of the
two brothers, and should have inherited
the Westbury estate: but he offended
his father, Gen. John Hammond, by
what was called low marriage, and
was disinherited in consequence.
Tom Hammond had done his best to
remedy his father injustice, as far as
he could without injuring himself and
his own. by making settlement of the
estate, in failure of his own issue, upon
the lawful descendants of Mai. Ham,
mond, his brother; providing that if the
issue of his elder brother should fail,
the estate should go to the issue of
younger brother Henry, who. BY the
way, had been well provided for by the
small estate of Easfbury. This brother
Henry was now represented through
the female line by a Mr.. Boobies. of
Doodle Court, who now also held the
Eastbury estate.
The descendants of Maj. Hammond
are now confined 10 these two young
people, Maggie and Ralph. They are
both orphans and without means, their
ancestors having been mostly in the
soldering and official lines. Ralph is
n Lieutenan. in the artillery, and his
battery is now in India; but he is home
on sick-leaye; and he has taken adyant-
age of his furlough to win the affections
of his fair cousin. As the Westbury
estate would come to be eventually d.
yided between them. it was considered
a most fortunate thing that the young
people had come to an understanding.
Ralph was to leave the service when he
was married, and take the home-farm.
By-and-bv he would fall naturally into
his position as country squire: and it
was arranged that eventually he should
assume the name of Hammond; hoping
to continue the old line.
This preamble being necessary, let
us return to the comfortable old-fash-
Toned drawing-room at Westbury.
What do you think of that, Ellen?''
cried Miss Hammond, having read over
once more the circular to herself with
subdued emphasis. Miss Ellen was
sitting looking into the fire, her great
wooden knitting pins and bright colored
woods lying idle on her lap. as she
shook her head while talking gently to
herself.
''Do you hear, Ellen27' cried Miss
Hammond more sharply. What do
you think of that letter from Truscott?'
Il don't like the idea at all, Marga-
ret. No, not at all. Why can't they
leave our ancestors alone? And l am
sure always looked forward TO being
buried there myself
LA. don't talk about that, Ellen,
and you FIVE years the youngerr' said
Miss Hammond, briskly; and as we
can't prevent its being done we must
make the best of it. Ralph had better
go and see to it.
Every well, sister; as you like
said Ellen. Presently she resumed:
+" Sister I've been thinking that this
would be a good chance to try to get
back Uncle Richard Hammond ring
Uncle Hammond's ring?' repeated |
the eldest sister. 81 don't understand
You must have heard our father |
talk about it. The family ring that |
ought to have gone with the estates-a |
ruby and sapphire that Gen Hammond |
home from Ceylon''
II ought to know all about it, Ellen,
daresay: but You were so much more |
with my poor father, and had more pa
tieace with his stories
my father often tried to get the |
ring, and had offered to give Mai. |
Hammond large sum for it. But he |