The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-05-31
Both Her Boys.

energetic class OF people. Advertisements
lnserte- as low as IN anv nrst-elass paper.
Both Her Boys.
A STBRT.
The house stood in a damp hollow,
regardless Of all sanitary considera-
tons, between two almost impeue-
trable belts Of gloomy towering trees.
It was not q cheerful house externally,
though its gardens had more capital
and labor invested in them than was
bestowed upon all the grounds put to-
gether Of the country round within q
radius Of ten miles. But nothing
throve on the Balyoa estate. Regi-
ments Of standard roses were planted
sfresh every year, and regularly IS the
next year came round they had 70 be
removed, having signally Jailed to full
fill the fair promise they bad made as
to blooming. MyTtles were brought
in from cottage gardens in the VII
lsges, where they had dourisbed with
out care or culture, and had a vast
amount Of both bestowed upon them
by the skilled hOrticulturists OF The
Court. They invariably faded, or re-
fused to flower, or dWindled down
from impOsing-looking shrubs to
wretchedly-stunted plants. To be
sure, now and again some perversely
hardy ANIMALS made q show along the
ribbon borders for a short time, but
those that blOomed We're always the
dullest colors and the most insignifi-
cant forms. So, though the gardens
and grounds were in admirable order,
and were brushed and cOmbed into
deafness, there was no beauty about
them, and poor Mrs. Bslyon began to
despair of them altogether, aud to
pine for greenhouses and conserva-
tories, in which she could superintend
the efforts that we're made, and try
her own hand at the graceful work or
eultivsting flowers. But the BaIyOns
who had gone before tine present
Squire, her husband, had been con-
tented "With flowers that were not
too good to grow in Gods open air."
he told her, when she asked that the
glass houses might be built; so,
though she pIned for them, she went
on leading q fOwerless life, for Mr..
BalyOn's manner of refusing favors
that were asked of him was, to say
the least of It, depressing even to the
dauntless, and Mrs. Balyon was far
from being that.
No wonder that she pined for flow
ers, or for anything else that was
pretty, at The Court. IN spite of its
vastness, its antiquity, its excellent
preservation, its boards of old, vRlua-
be, and well-built furniture, in spite
even of the beautiful scenery in which
it was placed, life at this home of the
Balyons was as devoid of all pretti-
ness as could well be imagined. The
SUMS rays rarely found their way into
the rooms, brightly as he shines in
that fair western country, by reason
of the house being in hollow, as has
been said, and OF the trees over
whelming it on every side. And the
furniture, handsome as it was, be-
lOnged to the dark, gloomy, heavy
order that requires to be frightened
up with massive cleaning silver
bowls and tankards, and with glisten-
ing-surfaced chins. But the silver in
The Court was Kept in the plate chest,
and the china lived in its own closet
that was the size of a room, and the
fair mistress of the house dared not
dislodge single article from its own
stronghold under penalty of her hus-
bands displeasure. And rather than
bring that upon herself designedIy
she would have left undisturbed an
uglier life than that which rolled
r,anWnNnnnnUo1-r oE fUt,r N-H.~N
Not that MIR. BalyOn ever brought
his heavy hand to bear physically up
on his wife, but he snsrled at her,
and broWbeat her, and terrified her.
with his rough looks and rough words,
till she came to look upon the hours
that be spent out Of toe house as the
only happy ones of her existence, the
only ones in which she felt at liberty
to pick up book, or alter the position
of an ornament on the mRntelpieee,
or caress her dogs, or rOmp with her
children.
For the poor Woman's lie was not
such an utterly arid plain as it would
have been, had not the blessing of
sons been vOuchsafed to her. She
counted herself proud and happy
woman when she could manage to
forget her husband in the society of
her two handsome, spirited boys,
Rupert and Archie. They were all
her own like her in disposition and
person, like her In generosity and af-
fection. Fair, beautiful, courageous,
loving boys, they were as unlike the
black Bslyon stock as it was possible
to conceive anything to be. They
all ho- Z
were of her choosing, for Mr.. Balyon
not having the faintest preference for
one Christian name over another, had
magnGnimOusly allowed her to call her
sons by names that were dear to her
because two of her brothers had borne
them. All the love Of her heart was
given to these boys. All her hopes
and pride were invested in them.
The thought of their future enabled
her to bear her own desolate present
with something akin to cheerfulness,
when they were away at school. And
when they were at home for the holi-
days they infused a certain amount Of
warmth and color into her chilled and
dRrkened life by the display OF such
love and Tenderness, such devotion
and thOughtfulness, as she was sure no
boys but hers ever felt for mother.
In q word, she Worshiped them, not
because they were better or more
beautiful than other peoples boys in
reality, but they were all her own !;
her idols the gleam of brightness in
what without them would have been
a painfully sunless path.
Rupert was twelve, and Archie
Il rryl,oVt TToNhIln,,-
to live at The Court. Kathleen was
wearing Grape at the time, in remem.
brRnce of 3 grandmother for whom
she had not entertained any very
deep affection while the ismented
lady lived. But she loved grand
mamma greatly for dying and being
the cause of a sudden accession OF
new black frOcks. Father and moth
sr she had never known; the one had
died, and the other had better
done so, poor, lost, unhappy creature,
| than have deserted home, and hus-
band, and child as she did, for the
sake Of man who, in turn, deserted
her.
Kathleen was just eight years old,
and sweet, little, imperiOus queen
of child. when circumstances threw
her upon the guardianship of Mr.. Bal
yon. He did not think it necessary
to explain to his wife what those cir
cumstsnces were, but briefly told heI
that such q child existed, and was
coming to live with them. He fur
ther added that the boys were to be
taught to regard Kathleen as their sis
ter, and, "as for you, madam, il you
coddle her up half as much as you dc
your poodle and the psupers in the
village, it's all shall ask OF you"
"T'll try to do my duty by her." the
sad-spirited woman replied, and con,
scientiously she Carried out hel
promise, No mother could have be.
slowed more care and love upon s
daughter than Mrs. Balyon gave free.
ly to Kathleen. The duty became s
pleasure as soon as she saw the bright
beautiful little girl, and, when Kath'
leen nestled in her arms and begged
her to be ''s real mamms, the gentle
hearted lady yesrned to the little one
and she pledged herself sOlemnly t.
ne to Kathleen what she prayed some
other good womsn would be to hel
bows il she were taken from them.