The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-01-26
affecting Ae9lster.
A MADMAN'S FATAL SHOT,
AN OLD MAIDS STORY.

Yes. dearest MsIdIe, Tomorrow morn
ing will see you Richard Saunders wife,
CD willing; and may every blessing
Heaven can shed fallupon you aid your
Young husband, and may you DO spared
10 each other during many, many happy
years. A.
We shall miss your face from the
family circle by the fire Maudle; circle
which changes every year.
You asked me just now to tell you a
story, so your last memory OF the OLD
home might always remind you Of the
DAYS when you and your brothers and
sisters sat In open eyed and mouthed
wonderment at the story of cinderella
and other dear old nursery tales; and
when you grew older, in the winter even
in % your flesh has crept at some dread
full ghost story, and you have glanced
frequently round TO make sure no terrible
goblin sat behind you. Now, however,
YOU are all too old to care for the one or
tremble at the otheri and L have repeat
cd every story know so often, you must
know it rs well as, if not better than, L
do; for my memory is not as it once was.
Yet there is one-one connected WIZ
myself, and which is really the history OF
nv life-which since it occurred, has
never been alluded to by me or IN my
presence, and that is over fifty years ago.
Yes, do not profess to be anything but
an old woman; but l .dare,sy l seem
older to all OF you than seem to myself.
The nrst bitter agony is gone now; but
Al aching void, no love or tenderness
has been able to fill, remains in my old
neart, and l suppose Will until death
Joins our hands in heaven.
1 was only five years old when Alfred
Layton FIRST came TO Mosscroit. his
parents died of fever within q few weeks
of each other, and my father-your
grsndfsther-wss left his sole guardian.
He was couple OF years my senior, q
slightly made, delicate-complexloned boy,
with large dark eyes, silky black hair,
good features, An oval face, and a weak,
irresolute mouth. Alas, ali too plain an
index of his character.
| had no companions near my own
age. Your mother-my s!ster-who Is
eighteen years my junior, was still I'M
born SO il seemed quite godscnd when
my father brought Alfred homo to be my
playfellow and as that, no girl could
have been more perfect, and it Is hard to
say which felt the greatest pleasure IN
dressing, undressing, and generally es'
corting our dolls during day OF doll ll!e'
! How we'll l remember when my father
| ordained that Albert was too Old TO share
nv lessons, and must 60 to school! How
we wept farewell in each others arms,
| and how nothing would console me for
MS loss-not even fortune spent in toy
until kitten black as jet and so as
down, was placed in my armsl Then my
| tears ceased, and l lavished on II all my
,psre embraces.
Regularly every week Alfred and my
self exchanged letters once. l have
some of his letters now and you would
laugh to see how ill.spelt and written they
are.
With what longing did we both look
forward to his first holidsys-we did not
call them vacations then, and schools col
leges-snd what rapture our meeting
wasl how innocontly happy we were
when the days were fine, and, with our
lunches in basket, we wandered away
for a day in the woods, and ate so many
blackberriesl
Alfred never spoke of his school-life
with pleasure, as heard other boys. lie
complained that his schoolfellows were
rough, and had nick-named him Miss
Dolly. l was furiously indignant at
them for this, as l termed it, cowardly
cruelty to my poor boy; but when L
complained to my father no treated 1t as
a good joke, and said 1t would do him
good and make msa of him; but even
|, who forgave every fault, felt little
ashamed when he confessed that be had
more than once hidden himself rather
than fight.
When he next returned to school | had
less time to mourn his absence. l was
provided with French governess, who
could not understand child ever wanted
to play. l suppose she never was one
herself.
On Alfred's holidays approaching, he
asked permission TO bring schoolie!!Cw
with him, one Of the very few friends he
had ever made, and my father heartily
asscnled.
Ralph Burns was his nsmc, and in
looks and character he and Alfred were
as different as it was possible to be, and
what sympathy made them friends 81
WAYS puzzled me. was then ten, Al
fred twelve, and Ralph fifteen, and as
broad and tall rs Alfred was short and
spare. He had crisp, curly hair, cluster
ing above a pleasant, handsome face;
handsome despite the regular features,
tor his mouth was always laughing, aud
his clear blue eyes looked so honestly at
those he addressed, no one could have
hesitated to trust him. He laughed at me
Cavly when l, in my innocence Of heart,
brought out my dolls for his amusement,
and l strsightway condemned them to
perpetual Punishment In the nursery cup
board, where they remained until yodr
mother brought them out and broke
them. In return for this sacrifice he
taught me many things, among which
was skating, with unrivalled kindness
and care.
Rslph's father, q wealthy merchant,
was in India, and bis mother was dead
so instead Of passing Christmas in the
old deserted school-house, with its empty
rooms, he was thankful TO spend it in our
cheerful home, and was the lie and soul
of every one and everything, from my
mother down TO the kitchen msid, and
from stirring the Christmas pudding to
eating it, and acting chsrades, for both
which latter accomplishments he pos
sessed a perfect genius; and mean
while Alfred mcped about like sick
canary, and did his best to prove wet
blanket, in which he would certainly
have succeeded but for the sunshine
Ralph seemed 10 carry about with him.
After that we sll grew so attached to
Ralph that he spent every holidsy with
us, and my isther received most CRATE
O., Df tbapEa from, Mr. Rurns and