Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-09-19
MISS ASHBELL,

MISS lASHBELL.
CONSERVATION was depicted on the
faces OF the family group assembled to
hear it, when I finished reading the let
ter | had just received from aunt.
The group consisted of myself-Mary
eldest daughter of the house and hearth
brown, dark-eyed, tall and eighteen
Helen, not quite as brown, hazel-eyed,
almost as tall, and sixteen; Will, brown
er, darker-eyed, a head shorter, and ten
and Carroll, towering above us all, blue
eyed, fair-haired, gold mustached, and
.5wenty-one.
Aunt was, in fact, our great-aunt, sis.
ter OF our fathers mother, but the only
aunt, great or little, that we had ever
known. We had met her but two o1
three times during our lives, as she lived
IN far-away Illinois, and was too much
occupied with grains and herds to think
of frequent visiting, and we-well, we
were too poorly provided with gold and
silver to be able to take long and expen.
sive journeys. So what little visiting
there had been had been on aunt's side,
with one exception, and then was the
visitor. 1t was when was about fifteen
this short but memorable visit took
place. Yielding to aunt's repeated go
llcltations-l was her namesake-l
started from home with the intention of
spending the summer months on the IL
linois farm. [ arrived there safely, was
welcomed heartily, and entertained right
q ho6
away | had grown so tired of the seeming
boundlessness of everything, and longed
so for the little cottage and lilliputian
garden where grew my three rose-bushes
one red, one white, and one creamy
yellow-that aunt, seeing the longing in
my eyes, said, Child, you must go
back" and back I came long before was
expected, but my dear father and mother
assured me not moment too soon..
We children had always heard twice q
year from aunt-once collectively at
christmas, and once respectively on ou1
birthdays-and each time the kindly
note which exhorted US to /" be good, in
dustrious and self-reliant," inclosed a
check larger or. smaller according to
aunt's gains OF the preceding year.
These notes we had been taught to an
swer with many wishes for the old lady's
welfare, and thanks for her kindnesses,
and hopes for a speedy meeting; in
short, in a manner beftting. the only
nieces and nephews of the Carmody
family when replying to the friendly
epistles of their only aunt, to say moth
ing of that aunt being the wealthiest
and the most influential member of that
family.
A few days before our father died he
called US together, and said, "My chill
dren, it isn't at all likely to occur, but if
your aunt should ask a favor of you,
grant it, at no matter what inconveni-
ence. She has been my best and dearest
friend"
Poor father! suspect aunt had often
helped him out of pecuniary difficulties.
He was an impractical, dreamy sort of
man, fond Of birds, poetry and flowers,
and didn't succeed very we'll in life.
But, in spite Of his dreaminess and want
of worldly tact, and his being so totally
unlike her in most ways, he was great
tavorite Of aunt's, and when we tele-
graphed his serious illness to her she left
her vast possessions without captain at
moments notice, and fastened to his
side, making her appearance in bonnet
that Immediately suggested the prairies,
1t was SO unlimited as to size and SO bare
of ornament, and which grotesquely OBJ
trlded itself into the remembrance of
that sad time forever after.
Since fathers death things hadn't
been very bright with us. In fact, they
hadn't been bright at all.
We found there was a good deal OF
money owing, and what remained of the
5000 aunt gave us on the day of the
funeral-she babe US goodbye the mo-
ment the ceremonies were over-afte1
our very cheap mourning was paid for,
went to the butcher, grocer and shoe.
maker.
We were all willing to do, and did,
whatever we could toward supporting the
household; but, dear! dear! talk about
weeds! | saw anything grow like bills.
Carroll, who had an aristocratic turn
OF mind, struggled with it, and I, who
had dress-making turn of mind, strug-
gled with that, and Helen struggled with
her books, hoping to become q teacher
in time and little Will struppled with
somebody else's books. for he went into q
PNNAAoAAAo AOuoC as CTIduO DOV-DOOt
fellow!
Besides the struggles, we had mother
on our minds. A few weeks after we
lost our father, we lost our baby sister.
A beautiful child she was, as bright as a
diamond and as fair as pearl, and the
pride and darling of us all. Already
sinking beneath the blow of her hus.
bands death, when her little daughter
died too, my mothers heart was nearly
broken; From being a sunshiny, ener.
getlc, busy woman, she became listlese
and apathetic, sitting in a room. day after
day gazing upon the pictures Of the
loved ones, or rocking back and forth,
her hands clasped before her, glookine
with dry eyes upon vacancy.
90 that she could be made tn vaanl
that she could be reused from this dread.
full, speechless gloom into which she I'M
fallen! was our continual prayer. IA
the terrible thought came to us often
that we should lose our mother in much
worse way than we had our father and
sister that her brain would at last give
way beneath its weight of heavy, de
spalrlng thoughts.