Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-25
Both Her Boys.

The house stood in damp hollow, regard
less of all sanitary considerations, between
two almost impenetrable belts of gloomy,
towering trees. 1t was not cheerful house
externally, though its gardens had more
capital and labor invested in them than was
bestowed upon all the ground put together
of the country round within radius of ten
miles. But nothing throve on the Balyon
estate. Regiments of standard roses We're
planted afresh every year, and regularly as
the next year came they had to be removed.
Myrtles were brought in from cottage gar
dens in the villages, where they had -four
ished without care or culture They invaria-
bly, faded. or refused to flower. So, though
the gardens and grounds were in admirable
order, and were brushed and combed into
neatness, there was no beauty about them
and poor Mrs. Balyon began to despair of
them altogether, and to pine for green
houses and conservatories in which she
could superintend the efforts that were
made, and try her own hand at the graceful
work of cutivating flowers. But the Bal
yons who had gone before the present
squire, her husband, had been contented
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 flowerless life, for Mr..
Balyon's manner of refusing favors that were
asked of him was, to say the least of it, de-
pressing even to the dauntless, and Mrs.
Balyon was far from being that.
No wonder that she pined for flowers, or
for anything else that was pretty, at The
Court. In spite of its vastness, its antiquity,
its excellent preservation, its boards of old
t,,lnnIla ,l .Ya1l h,,ilt f,r IN, IN
even of the beautiful scenery in which it
vas placed, life at this home of the Balyons
was as devoid of all prettiness as could well
be imagined 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, aud the fair mistress dared not dis
lodge a single article from its own strong
hold under penalty of her husbands dis
pleasure
Not that Mr. Balyon ever brought his
heavy hand to bear physically upon his wife,
but he snarled at her, and browbeat her,
and terrified her with his rough looks and
rough words, till she came to LOOK upon the
hours that he spent out of the house as the
only happy ones of her existence, the only
ones in which she felt at liberty to pick up a
book, or alter the position of an ornament
on a mantlepiece or caress her dogs, or
romp with her children.
For the poor woman's life 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 "A 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 disposi'
ton and person, like her i'll generosity and
affection. Fair, beautiful, courageous, low
ing boys, they were as unlike the black
Balyon stock as it was possible to conceive
anything to be. They were all her own
Even their names were OF her choosing, foi
Mr. Balyon not having the taintest prefer
ence for one Christian name over another
had magnanimously allowed her to call hel
sons by names that We're dear to her because
two OF her brothers had borne them. Al
the love of her heart was given to these
boys. All her hopes and pride were invested
in them. The thought of her future en-
abled her to bear her own desolate present
with something akin to cheertulness, whel
they were away at school. And when they
were home for the holidays they infused /
certain amount of warmth aud color int
her chilled and darkened life by the display
of such love and tenderness, such devotion
and thoughtfuness, as she was sure no boy
but hers ever felt for a mother. In II word
she worshipped them not because they wer
better or more beautiful than other people
boys in reality, but they were all her own
her idols; the CLEAN of brightness in wha
without them would have been Il painful
sunless path.
Rupert was twelve, and Archie eleven
when Kathleen Boyne came 10 live at Th
Court. Father aud mother she had neve
known the one had died, and the other ha
better have done so, poor, lost, unhappy cres
ture, than have deserted home, and husband
and child, as she did, for the sake of ma
who, in turn, deserted her.
Kathleen was just eight years old, and
sweet little imperious queen of a chile
when circumstances threw her upon tn
guardianship of Mr.. Balyon lie did nc
think it necessary to explain TO his viii
what those circumstances were, but brieil
told her that such child existed, and wa
coming to live with them. lie furthe
added that the boys We're to be taught t
regard Kathleen as their sister, and las fc
you, madam, if you coddle her up half a
much as you do your poodle and the paupel
in the village, it's all shall ask OF you"
"l'll try 10 do my duty by her." the sa,
spirited woman replied, and Conscientious
she carried out her promise. No moth,
could have bestowed more care and love upo
daughter than Mrs. Balyou gave freely /
Kathleen. The duty became pleasure
soon as she saw the bright beautiful htt
girl, and, when Kathleen nestled in her arm
aud begged her 10 be "a real mamma" ii
gentle-hearted lady yearned to the little ON
and she pledged herself solemnly TO be
, | ,l.t l.. ..,.,