Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-07-10
NO. 1G5.
Gales ano skcttbrs.
SWANSD0Wy VILLA. .

comfort. Live in somewhat 0uieter style
than your income might fairly allow, and
! vou have Il margin. Ostentation is a very
nice thing for people who like, hut it ne
ce'sitateS pulling at your expenditure To
make ends meet and then, if the income
tax is doubled or another child comes,
YOU are worried and perplexed. We have
two children and an aunt, aud desire no
increase to our family. On the aunt side
we are pretty safe ; on the child side we
hope for the best. but there is no knowing.
The rising generation is very perverse,
andcrops mp occasionally insthe most I'M
expected way.
b Aunt Sarah has lived With us ever;since
the second yeai.sofJ our maria ge, when
she had the misfortune to lose her Fido;
and being Of an affectionate disposition.
bound to love something, she fixed upon
our baby as a hit object for attaclment.
She has her two rooms and her ownmaid,
and can be as Independent as she pleases.
| OF course, the fact makes no difference in
our Feelings toward her or in our desire
for her comfort, but | may mention inci-
! dentally that her money is entirely at her
own disposal, and that she has a good deal
OF it. She is only my aunt by marriage,
but am quite as fond of her as / could
be of blood relation, perhaps more so,
for since it is notorious that man loves
his wife better than himself (or ought toy,
it seems TO follow by analogy that he
must also prefer her family to his own,
especially anv member Of it to whom he
feels grateful for what she will very plob-
ably do for him or for his children some
day. ~sigs,ss If - aHrW
Aunt Sarah liked our home. 1t was
close to London; vet park where almost
as fresh rs country air could be breathed
was within short walk. Water, too,
was visible from the drawing room WIN
dows; and as the happiest portion of her
life had been spent on the banks of the
Severn, she was partial to water and liked
to watch the vessels passing to and fro
1t is true that our substitute for a river
was but the canal in Regents Park, but
still ii pleased her; ; and probably we should
never have left the suburb of Art ii we
hak not been pretty nearly blown out Of it
by the famous g,,npowder explosion which
created such a panic early one morning a
few years ago When the powder barge
blew up it shattered our windows and
| Aunt Sarah's nerves. w .a5 ia f.ha1..
When my wife had assured herself that
the children were safe, she went to Aunt
Sarah's room, and presently her voice rose
in wild alarm: Charles. Charles. Aunt
Sarah $ gone - / was much shocked
| thinking she alluded to a fatal effect
And you must go after her directly
This was even a harder blow, for | fan
cied my spouse had been frightened out of
her wits. $50 after her =, exclaimed
Yes; the hall-door is OPEN she must
have run ont into the road Oh do follow
her at oncer' ,l'Fo
| obeyed without DELAY. though nv
costume was crotesotlef and insufficient.
and taking fortunately. the riobt turnino
came presently uuon the old lady. who
was standingbewildered at a street corner
with bed-candle in her hand. I knew
her bv instinct, or | should never have
RECOGNIZED her in her nipht-attire which
consisted of a variety of wraps and the
most portentous night-eap that ina sination
can conjure up. It was some minutes be-
fore could coax her back: and when At
LENGTH SHE took nv arm and allowed me
To lead her away. the spectaelc we pre-
sented must have been cnrious
The effect uuou this event of Aunt
Sarah's nerves was so serious that she
could not bear to remain in the same
neiphborhood. 1t was in vain that rela.
ted to her the precautions of that leoenda-
nv mathematician who happening to he on
board a frigate during naval, action thrust
his head into the first shot-hoIe and remain.
ed in tbotposition Ikea nant;calnst,ieb t;u
the firing was over, having made rapid
calculation of the enormous odds apainst
two balls striking the hull in precisely the
same SPOT. She only replied that he was
very wicked man to tempt Providence
and for her part she would stay with the
Weadles. at Tunbridge Wells. until we
could gct settled in a less explosive neioh.
borhood.
Now Mrs. Weadle was another niece
an innocent woman enonoh by natnre. Inn,
married 10 n desioning husband who
nodded her plastic Character as he willed
They had often invited Aunt Sarah TO STAY
with them and proGAssed 4 strong a,tocb-
ment to her; buf it is nav sad Suspicion
that they were actuated by mercenarv no.
tives alone II Was mnch to he feared
that they might ineratiate themselves I'M.
lnlv in the coprSc Of !, very lone v,si,