Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-09-26


when our aunt's letter fell like a
/ bomb shell into our nearly disheart-
ened camp.
"DLAR FoLKs.-A friend of mine an In
/ glishman' (aunt's language was correct enough
but at times her spelling was somewhat pecus
har)-"who came here purposng to start in
business, took the few err fingered few months
and died, leaving, Heaven knows why, his on,
| ly child, laughter, who will eventually be a
MOTTO b. niifed at airess, to my care. Hay-
ing been delicately reared in the midst of de-
votion and tenderness, this place, only suited
to bold strong natures, is a little too ruff for
her. So she desires-at least desire for her
IA home in the North, and / wish that home
| to be with YOU
| My niece Mary, who inherits the DISPOSE
ton of her father to great degree-and he
would have gone out of his way any day to
| give even dumb brute pleasure-will, am
sure be kind to her. Carol will love her for
her beauty, if for nothing else. and the rest OF
| you will love her because she is lovable. Her
maid will accompany her.
present her affairs are in tangle, but |
| hope to unravel them IN the course of a few
months, and then you win be recompensed for
whatever extra expense she may cause YOU.
would enclose check at present writing, but
all my funds are invested in a speculation from
| which expect to reap much profit. Do The
| best you can until you hear from me again,
when viii farther unfold my plans in regard
to Miss Ashbell, who by-the>bye, starts to-
morrow. 9AUNrn
No wonder CONSERVATION and dis
may were depicted on every coun-
tenanee when | ceased reading this
letter. No wonder we looked gasp
ingly at each other. What in tie
world were we to do with this fine
young lady in our humble home :?
What could aunt be thinking
about? True she did not know ex.
actly how poor we were, for we'd
been too proud to acknowledge our
extreme poverty in our few and far
between letters. On the contrary
am afraid we had led hor to be-
lievc that we were in quite a -four
ishing condition. But for all that.
she ought to have known that we
were not fourishing enough to sup.
| port delicate and beautiful school
girl, used to luxury, tenderness and
devotion, for even few months.
Was ever any thing so malapropos
and vexatious? Or course Miss Ash.
| bell would look with scorn on our
seven roomed dwelling, with a back
garden twenty-five by twenty-five,
and court yard ten by ten. And
| suppose-as aunt, with short sight
edness, very unusual to hsr, oompla-
| Gently remarked-Carrol should fall
in love with her? The proud En-
glish girl would no doubt regard
him as fortune hunter, and invidi-
ously compare his frank impnlsive.
rather brusque manners with the re-.
pose and awful dignity of the Ian.
guild swells of her own land.
Aud somebody else might be at
tracted towards her-men are so sus.
ceptable to woman's beauty-some-
body who now thought ma brown
face sweetest in the world. The very
thought made my heart stop beat
ing.
And the maid? Even if we conld
make arrangements to accommodate
her-and 1t seemed utterly impossi.
| BILE tor US TO do so-Betty, our faith
full servant for the last fifteen wears.
would look upon her in the light of
an interioper, and treat her as such.
Betty had been used to being mon.
arch of ali she surveyed. Even in
house cleaning times-those times
that try mems souls and women's
| solos-she scorned the idea of an as i.
sistant
No, ma'am, I'll have no strangers
| pokiL roun' me- When Pm not able
to do the work of this house alone
I'll CO.
And mother-dear, shrinking.
grief-stricken mother-how would
she bear the advent of this dainty
Miss Ashbell2 But we could do
nothing TO avert the impending mis-
fortune. Even if we had the thought
of disobeying our fathers last com
mand, and refusing aunt the favor
she had not asked, but in her usual
decisive way, taken for granted, the
young lady was on Der way, and
would be here in day or two.
Tho news must be Immediately
broken to~mother and Betty. I, be-
ing the nousekeeper, undertook to
face the latter. [ will confess [ did
it with fear and trembling. She
heard me grimly, never ceasing to
pare the potatoes she held in her
lap, and when l bad ended, looked
up with sharp nod of her head, and
said, slowly and emphaticaIly, Bet
| ty'll have to go now, sure. She
can't stand no fine young ladies and
sassy young ladies' maids about for
| nothin'.'
Helen went to mother, put her
arms about her neck, and with kiss
and smile told her of the expected
visitor, adding with assumption of
gayety She sha'n't come near you
at all, mamma, dear, if you don't
want her; but you know aunt has
been so kind to US, and father loved
her so dearly, it would be impossible
to refuse the first favor she ever ask.
cd of u.s.
Mother said never word but be-
gan brushing her hair back from her
temples with both hands in q nervous
way she had when anything grieved
and annoyed her.
And then we began preparing for
Miss Ashbell. Willis room was to be
given up to her, and Will Carols
room was scarcely large enough for
himself and bis art traps as he called
| them) was to be slowed away in the
loft-a proceeding which be viewed
| with immense dissatisfaction. sIll
smother up there in hot weather. he
said, with wry face. ooh, wish
there wasn't any Miss AshbelI. Why
don't she 60 to hotel?'
Why don't she p echoed 1.
said we began to prepare for her,
but for lack of the before. mentioned
silver and gold our preparations were
of the simplest kina. Carol made
and put up two pretty brackets, and
hung with sigh--for be hated to
par. with them-what pictures he
possessed on the walls. l looped
back the white curtains( freshly wash