Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1879-01-22
OLD ELSPA.

l was alone In the world, or l thought
l was, which amounted to pretty much
the same in its mental and moral effects.
Ny mother died when / was 30 young
that had only . shadowy remembrance
OF . pale face, and q long, last clasp to
the loving heart. / had been my faith
ers pet and darling, and now he was
dead, too, and his will had consigned
me, just like . bale of goods, to the care
and guardianship of his brother, q doc
tor. whose home lay among the pictur-
esque mountains of Cumberland.
was "too impulsive," said the will.
and would "throw myself and my
money away before I knew the value Of
either, if ! had no one to take care of
me;'" and 80, when my poor father died
In the south of France, where we had
gone to winter, Uncle Ritson, who came
barely in time TO lay him in the foreign
grave, carried me off at once to his house
on the bleak hillside, gave me q kiss as
he lifted me out of the stuffy vehicle
which had conveyed us from the station,
presented me to my aunt and cousins
with . "Well, here's Adela" and told
me to consider myself cat home"
It was the beginning of January, in
tensely cold. The sudden change from
. warmer climate had sensibly affected
me; / was chilled under all my furs, and
perhaps more chilled by the restraining
influence of my fathers will, having
pondered the "too impulsive" all
through the journey.
Certainly, | was not too impulsive"
on my entrance to my new "home."
Aunt and cousins had met me on the
threshold with warm welcome, pressed
to remove my wraps and to make me
comfortable. There was q huge fire
blazing on the hearth, a tea.table piled
with north country luxuries, and all
thxt should have made me feel at home;
but something was wanting, and in
stead OF responding to their greetings in
my own natural fashion, l dropped into
seat, after my first glance around. and,
covering my face with my hands, burst
into tears.
! have small, thin, quick ears. lover
heard Aunt Ritson whisper to Bella and
Winnie as she drew them back:
"Hushi It's but natural, POOL BARN!
Leave your cousin alone, lasses; she will
come to herself all the sooner"
And ! did come to myself: but whether
my tears had fallen frostily on their hot
hearth, or we travellers had brought a
chill In with US, OF my own manner did
o invite effusion, q certain air of re-
straint seemed to grow upon US; and
when | wa shown to the room set apart
for me, and left to myself, I flung myself
upon my bed and sobbed in passionate
grief for my dead father, declaring that
WA alone in the world, utterly alone.
And this feeling grew upon me.
Looking back, I am conscious that it was
much my OWE fault that l had not re.
sponded with sufficient warmth and
gratitude to the relatives who had made
room in their household for one they
had not seen since she was q baby, and
he'd mot with open arms and hearts.
They had heard that 1 was gushing
o exnberant, q creature of impulse,
and finding me reserved and languid.
concluded that !, accustomed to elegance
and luxury, could not brook the home
illness and retirement of my new life.
l was rich, and they were not. They
mistook my morbid melancholy for
pride, and ceased to press their society
or attentions upon me, lest I should at
tribute them to mercenary motives.
| zee it all now, but then / was blind.
| had another grief at my heart besides
sorrow for my dead parent, and I fear
whenever my thoughts few to that lone
y grave among the Pyrenees, / ques-
tioued the policy which had isolated me
from the w0rld-the world in which nv
hsro lived and moved-and prisoned my
free soul among those unresponsive walls
of stone.
In this rhapsody I did not a~postrophixe
alone the four walls of the solid stone
house that, set against the mountain
side, with . background of pine, larch
and mountain ash, looked 60 cold and
grey, staring with its many lidless eyes
fr0m it, rocky perch above the struggling
Lake village, on the steep, unguarded
roadway in front, and the narrow strips
OF garden ground stretching like green
arms on either side.
No, | held converse with the noun.
tainA They were to me the barrier be-
tween love and life and happiness, but
Il Vas only on their solitary heights that
teit free 70 give the feeling u~tterance.
The thrifty household ways of my aunt
and coustnab which kept them ever busy,
wers strange TO me; my dainty fingers
oed M acquaintance with ro)ling-pin OF
p~aste-boArd. IT wa not / which kept g
bright the mirror in which I saw nv own
beauty-aye, and my own unhappiness-
Ieaeoted. ! VA supposed to be mourn.
~ end, with mistaken delicacy, wa
~ g do-pothiDr.
I'D UBeee Ritscn Known Il, Or how
po0t nv 6rne. ~ vnnA No. .heI.~