Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-09-18
MISS ASHBELL.
Harner' S w eeklY


CONSERVATION was depicted on the
faces of the family group assembled to
hear it, when / finished reading the
letter [ had just received from aunt.
The group consisted Of myself-Mary,
eldest daughter of the house and hearth
brown, dark-eyed, tall and IS; Helen,
not quite as brown, hazel-eyed, almost
as tail, and Is; Will, browner, dark
eyed, head shorter, and 10; and Carol,
towering above Us all, blue-eyed, fair
headed, golden-mOustached, and 21.g
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 or
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
we'll, we were too poorly provided with
gold and silver to be able to take long
and expensive Journeys. So what little
visiting there had been had been on
aunts side, with one exception, and
then | was the visitor 1t was when [
was about 15 this short but memora-
bic visit took place Yielding to aunt S
repeated sOlicitations-I was her name
sake--I started from home with the in
tention Of spending the summer
months on the Illinois farm. | arrived
there safely, was welcomed hearty,
and entertained right royalty. but be-
fore a week had passed away [ had
grown so tired Of the seeming bound
lessness of everything, and longed SO
for the little cottage and Lilliputian
garden where grew my three rose
bushes red, one white, and one
a cream yellow-that aunt, seeing the
longing in my eye, said, " Child, you
must go back" and back [ came long
before was expected, but my dear
father and mother assured me not q
moment too soon.
We children had always heard twice
a year from ,aunt-once collectively on
our birthdays-and each time the
kindly note which exhorted US to g " be
good industrious and selfreliant.""
inclosed q check, larger or smaller. &C
cordng to aunt's gains of the preceding
year. r. These notes we had been taught
to answer, with many wishes for the
old lady's welfare, and thanks for her
Kindness. andhopes for speedy meet
ing; IN short, in d manner befitting 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 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 ever aunt should ask favor Of you,
grant 1t, at no matter what inconven-
fence. She has been my best and dear
est friend"
Poor father. suspect aunt had often
helped him out Of pecuniary difficulties.
lie was al impractical, dreamy sort
of man, fond of birds and poetry and
flowers, and idn'tsucceed very well in
life. But, III spite of his dreaminess and
his want Of worldly tact, and his being
totally unlike her in most ways, he was
q great favOrite of aunt's. and when he
telegraphed his serious illness to her
she left her vast possessions without a
captain at moments notice, and hast
ened to his side, making her appear
ance III a bonnet that immediately
suggested prairies, it was so unlimited
as to size and SO bare of orname nt, and
which grOtesquely obtruded itself into
the remembrance of that sad time for
ever after.
Since fathers death things hadn't
been very bright at all.
We found there was a good deal of
money owing, and what remained of
the $500 aunt gave us on the day of the
funeral-she babe us goodbye the in
slant the ceremonies were over-after
our very cheap mourning was paid for,
went to the butcher. grocer and shoe
maker.
We were all willing to do, and all did
whatever we could toward supporting
the household;f but, dear! dear! talk
about weeds. / never saw anything
grow like bills.
Carol, who had an artistic turn of
mind, struggled with it, and I, who had
a dressmaking turn of mind, struggled
with that, and Helen struggled with
her books, hoping to become teacher
in time, and little Will struggled with
somebody else's books, for he went into
q publishing house as an errand boy
poor fellow.
Besides the struggles, we had mother