Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-05-24
NO. 1885,
Gales and Sketehss.
BOTH HER BOYS.
A STORY.


tween two almost impenetrable belts Of
gloomy towering trees. 1t was not
cheerful house externally, though Its gar
dens had more capital and labor invested
in them than was bestowed upon all the
grounds put together of the country round
within radius of ten miles. But nothing
throve on the Balyon estate. Regiments
OF standard roses were planted afresh
every year, and regularly as the next year,
came round they had to be removed. hav-
ing signally failed to fulfil the fair promise
they had made as to blooming. Myrtles
were brought in from the cottage gardens
in the villages, where they had fourished
without care or culture, and had vast
amount of both bestowed upon them by
the skillful horticulturists OF The Court.
They invariably faded, or refused to fow-
er, or dwindled down from imposing
looking shrubs to wretchedly stunted
plants. To be sure, now and then some
perversely hardy ANIMALS made q show
along the ribbon borders for short time,
but those that bloomed were always the
dullest colors and the most Insignificant
forms. So, though the gardens and the
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 al
together, and to pine for greenhouses and
conservatories, in which she could super
intend the efforts that were made, and try
her own hand at the graceful work Of
cultivating flowers. But the Balyons who
had gone before the present squire, her
husband, had been contented with flow
ers 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 fiowerless life, for Mr..
Balyon's manner OF refusing favors that
were asked OF him was,ito say the least,
depressing even to the dauntless, and
Mrs. Balyon was far from that.
No wonder that she pined for flowers,
or Tor anything else that was pretty, at
The Court. In spite of its vastuess, its
antiquity, its excellent preservation, its
boards OF old. valuable and well built fur
niture, in spite even of the beautiful
scenery in which it was placed. life at
this home Of the Balyons was as devoid
of prettiness as could we'll be imagined.
The suns rays rarely found their way in
to the rooms, brightly as he shines in that
fair western county, by reason OF the
house being in hollow, as has been said,
and of the trees overwhelming it on every
| side. And the furniture, handsome as it
was. belonged to the dark, gloomy order
| that requires to be frightened up with
massive, cleaning silver bowls and tank
ards, and with glistening-surfaced china.
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 room,
and the fair mistress of the house dared
...l1 ,ta
stronghold under penalty OF her husbands
displeasure. And rather than bring that
upon herself desgnedly she would have
left undisturbed an ugler life even than
that which rolled on monotonously at Tbs
Court. d e-t
Not that Mr.. Balyon ever brought his
heavy hand to bear physically upon his
wife, but he snarled at her, and brow beat
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 the man.
| tel-piece. or caress her dogs, or romp
| with the 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 vouch.
sated to her. She counted herself proud
and happy woman when she could man
age to forget her husband in the society
| OF her two handsome, spirited boys, Ru-
pert and Archie. They were all her own;
| like her in disposition and person, like her
| in generosity and affection. Fair, beauti-
ful, courageous, loving boys, they were
as unlike the black Balvon stock as it was
possible to conceive anything to be.
They were all her own Even their
names were of her choosing, for Mr. Bal
yon not having the faintest preference for
| one Christian name over another, had
magnanimously allowed her to call her
| sons by names that were dear 10 her be-
cause two of her brothers had borne them.
All the love of her heart was given 70
| these boys. All her hopes and pride were
| invested in them. The thought of their
future enabled her to bear her own desc
late present with something akin 10 cheer.
| fnlness, when they were away at school.
| And when they were home fer the holi.
days they infused certain amount Of
warmth and color into her chilled and
darkened life by the display of such love
| and tenderness, such devotion and Thought
| fulness, as she was sure no boys but hers
ever felt for mother. In word. she
worshipped Them. not because they were
better or more beautiful than other peo-
pies boys in reality but they were all her
own; her idols; the CLEAN of brightness
in what without them would have been .
painful, sunless path. -s-a,.,t..f
Rupert was twelve. and Archie eleven,
when Kathleen Bovne came to live at the
Court. Kathleen was wearing Grape at
the time, in remembrance of q grand.
mother for whom she had not entertained
any very deep affection while the lament-
ed lady lived. But she loved grandma
ma greatly for dying and being the cause
of sudden accession OF new black frocks.
Father and mother she had never known:
the one had died, and the other had better
have done so, poor. lost, unhappy crea-
ture, than have deserted home and hns-
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, inperlous queer Of apehild
Al. u