Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-10-18
MISS ASHBELL.

tcT l. ldu IuSU IcCClNcu lTUlu dtiHG.
The group consisted of myself
Mary, eldest daughter of the house am
hearth---brown, dark eyed tall, and eight
cen; Helen, not quite as brown, hazle
eyed, almost as tall, and sixteen; VIII
brown, darker-eyes, a head shorter, ant
ten; and Carroll, towering above us all
blue-eyed, fair haired, gold-mustached
and twenty-one.
Aunt was IN fact, our great aunt
sister of our fathers mother, but tn
only aunt, great or little, that we nat
ever known. We had met her but tw,
or three times during our lives, as sh'
lived in far-away Illinois, and was to,
much occnpied with grains and herd
to think of frequently visiting, and We
well, we were too poorly provided will
gold and silver to be able to take lon!
and expensive journeys. SO what littl
visiting there had been had been OIL
aunt's side, with one exception, ant
then was the visitor. 1t was when
was about fifteen this short but memo
rable visit took place. Yielding tt
aunt's repeated solicitations was he
namesake-I started from home witt
the intention of spending the summer
months on the Illinois farm. arrived
there safely, was welcomed heartily, anC
was entertained right royalty; but be
fore week had passed away | haC
grown so tired of the seeming bound
lessness of everything, and longed 81
for the little cottage and LilliputiaI
garden where grew my three rose bush
es-one red, one white, and one ;
cream yellow-that aunt, seeing tn,
longing in my eyes, said, Child, you
must 90 back, y and back [ came Ions
before | was expected, but my deal
father and mother assured me not q
moment too soon.
We children had always heard twice
year from aunt-once collectively al
Christmas, and once respectively OF
our birthdays-and each time the kind
ly note which exhorted us to BE good
industrious, and self-reliant, incloset
a check larger or smaller according to
aunts gains Of the preceding year
These notes we had been taught to an
swer with many wishes for the ole
lady's welfare, and thanks for her kind
nesses, and hope for speedy meeting
in short. in manner betitting the only
nieces and nephews of the Carmo dy
family when replying to the friendly
epistles OF their aunt, to say nothing OF
that aunt being the wealthiest and mos,
influential member of that family,
A few days before our father died he
called us together, and, MY children, i,
isn't at all likely to occur, but if youl
aunt should ask favor Of you, grant il
at no matter what Inconvenience. She
has been my best and dearest friend.
Poor father. suspect aunt had Otter
helped him out of pecuniary circum
stances. lie was an impractical dreamy
sort of a man, fond of birds, poetry
and flowers, and didn't succeed very vel
in life But, in spite of his dreaminess
and his want of worldly tact, and his
being so totally unlike her in most
ways, he was great favorite of aunt s
and when we telcgraphed his serious
illness to her she left her vast posses
sions without a captain at moment 5
notice, and FASTENED to his side, making
her appearance in bonnet that imme
diately suggested the prairies, it was 81
unlimited as to size and so bare of orna
ment, and which grotesquely obtrude(
itself into the remembrance Of that sac
time forever after.
Since fathers death things hadn'
been very bright with us. In fact, moi
bright at all.
We found there was good deal ot
money owing, and what remained OF the
5000 aunt gave us on the day OF the
funeral-she bade us good-by the instant
the ceremonies were over-after ou
very cheap mourning was paid for, went
to the butcher, grocer and shoemaker
We were all willing to do. and did
whatever we could toward supporting
the household; but dear! dear! tall
about weeds! | never saw anything
grow like bills.
Carroll, who had an aristocratic turn
of mind, struggled with it, and |, wht
had dress making turn of mind, strug
gled with that, and Helen struggled
with her books, hoping to become ;
teacher in time, and little Will strug
gled with somebody else's books, for h'
went into publishing house as erranC
boy-poor fellow.
Besides the struggles, we had mothe
on our minds. A few weeks after W.
lost our father we lost our baby sister
A beautiful child she was, as bright a:
diamond and as fair as pearl, ant
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 sunshiny ener
getic, busy woman, she become listlcs
and apathetic, sitting in her room da!
after day gazing upon the pictures 0!
the loved ones, or rocking back and
forth, her hands clasped before her
looking with dry eyes upon vacancy.
20 that she could be made to weep
that she could be reused from thi
dreadful, speechlcss gloom, into whicl
she had fallen" was our continual pray
er, for the terrible thought came to u
often that we should lose our mother
in much worse way than we had ou1
father and sister-that her brain woult
at last give way beneath its weight O
heavy, despairing thoughts.
Well, the exchequer was low enough
and mother had one of her very bat
spells; and lady customer had just
been and abused me-yes, abused; | cal
use no other word; women do fly in sucl
tempers at their dress-makers-a -abou
the fit of her dress, declaring it to bt
utterly ruined" when it only wanted
taking up a little on one shoulder anC
letting down an inch or so in front; ant
Wills right arm was almost disabled
from heavy load Of books he had car
ried long distance the day befor
chow men can have the heart to give
mans burden to child ! can't see) whel
aunt's letter fell like a bomb-shell int
our nearly disheartened little camp.
Dear Folks-A friend of mine-al
Inglishman" (aunt's language was cor
rect enough, but at times her spelling
was somewhat peculiar who cam
here purposing to start in business, tool
the feayor, fingered few months, AM
died, leaving, Heaven knows why, hi
only child, a daughter, who will event