The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-09-05
MISS ASHBELL.

CONSERVATION was depicted on the
faces of the family group assembled to
hear it, when 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, head shorter, and ten
and Carol, towering above us all, blue.
eyed, fair haired, golden -mustached, and
twenty-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 or
three times during our lives, as she live d
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 ex-
pensive journeys. So what little visiting
there had been had been on our aunt's
side, with one exception, and then 1 was
the visitor. 1t was when I was about
fifteen this short but memorable visit
took place. Yielding to aunt's repeated
solicitations-I was her namesake--I
started from home with the intention OF
spending the summer months on the
Illinois farm. I arrived there safely.
was welcomed heartily, and entertained
right royalty; but before week had
passed away had crown 80 tired of the
seeming boundlessness of every thing,
and longed SO for the little cottage and
Lilliputian garden where grew my three
rose -bushes-one red, one white, and one
a creamy yellow-that aunt, seeing the
longing in my eyes, said, "Child, you
must go back" and back I came long
before I was expected, but my dear
father and mother assured me not a
moment too soon.
We children had always heard twice
year from aunt-once collectively at
Christmas, and once respectively on our
birthdays-and each time the kindly
note which e4horted us to "be good,
industrious, and self-reliant," inclosed
check larger or smaller, according to
aunt's gains the preceding year. These
notes we had been taught to answer with
many wishes for the old lady's welfare,
and thanks for her kindnesses, and hopes
for speedy meeting: in short, in a
manner bettting the only nieces and
nephews of the Carmody family when
replying to the friendly epistles of their
only aunt, to say nothing 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
X oh 1g
grant it, at no matter what inconven-
fence: She has been my best and dear
est friend"
Poor father I suspect aunt had
often helped him out of pecuniary
difficulties. He was an impractical,
dreamy sort of man, fond of birds and
poetry and flowers, and didn't succeed
very well in life. But, in spite of his
dreaminess and his want of worldly tact,
and his being 80 totally unlike her in
most ways, he was a great favorite of
aunt's, and when we telegraphed his
serious illness to her she left her vast
possessions without captain at mo-
nent's notice, and fastened to his side, |
making her appearance in bonnet that |
suggested the prairies, it |
was SO unlimited as to size and 80 bare |
of ornament, and which grotesquely |
,btruded itself into the remembrance of |
hat sad time forever after.
Since fathers death things hadn't |
,een very bright with us. In fact, they
hadn't been bright at all.
We found there was good deal of |
money owing, and what remained of the |
wo hundred dollars aunt gave us on the |
10 nf "a finn eI.a ID &C
oye" the instant the ceremonies were
'ver-after cur very cheap mourning
vas paid for, went to the butcher,
grocer and shoemaker.
We were all willing to do, and all did,
whatever we could toward supporting
he household; but, dear dear !! talk
bout weeds. 1 never saw anything
row like bills.
Uarrol, who had an artistic turn of
mind, struggled with it, and I, who had
dressmaking turn of mind, struggled
nth that, and Helen struggled with her
'ooks, hoping to become q teacher in
ime. and little Will struggled with
omebody else's books, for he went into
publishing house as errand-boy-poor
Besides the struggles, we had mother
N our minds. A few weeks after we
ost our father we lost our baby sister.
beautiful child she was, as bright as a
liamond and as fair as pearl, and the
ride and darling of us all. Already
linking beneath the blow of her hus-
,and's death, when her little daughter
lied, too, my mothers heart was almost
'roken. From being q sunshiny. en-.
rgetic, busy woman, she became Iistless
nd apathetic, sitting in her room dav
fter day gazing upon the pictures Of
he loved ones, or rocking back and
orth, her hands clasped before her
ooking with dry eyes upon vacancy.
80 that she could be made to weep