The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-02-26
s ESTABLISHED IN
I MARCH, 1917.

6tS was IIefIIdDIe. Lie IdUilef anu
mother were less easily cheered; but
life must go on even though death in
terrupts. The girls and boys could
not be made to sit like mutes around
a grave They had to rise up again.
and go on with their individual exist
ence. Lady Beresford, who was wise
mother, felt and acknowledged this,
though her heart was still bleeding.
Christmas was coming: and though
there could be no Christmas festivi-
ties in the ordinary sense of the word,
one or two old friends and connections
were invited. Sir Robert, for his part,
was opposed to the appearance of
strangers. He was never very fond
Of visitors. What do you want with
people here?" he said, with kind of
growl, in which he disguised his grief.
Surely once in way the girls might
get through Christmas without visit
ors. Christmas! the very idea of these
horrible merry Christmases that we
shall have to go through makes me
ill.,
Il should do without them only too
gladly, Robert; but the girls and the
boys are too young to be cooped up.
Grief is so monotonous, and they are
so young 1t is not that they love
HIM the less; but they must live-for
that matter, we must all go on living"
she said, keeping with an effort the
tears in her eyes. A mother who can
not give herself over to her sorrow,
who must work through all her little
daily round Of duties all the same, and
think Of the girls bonnets, and the
boots and the fannels Of the boys at
school, and onl Y now and then in a
spare moment can shut her door or
turn her face to the wall and weep a
little over her dead, the tears that
have been gathering slowly while she
has smiled and talked and kept every
thing going through the long day
has hard task when her troubles
come; but Lady Beresford bore her
burden as sweetly as a woman could,
holding up as long as was possible,
then stopping to have her cry out,and
rising and going on again. Sir Rob-
ert became morose with his grief; but
she had no time for self-indulgence.
And naturally she had her way, and
the few were invited whom it had
seemed to her good to invite. One of
them was Sir Edmund Coventry, who
had been a ward of Sir Robert, and
now in his manhood calculated upon
being a member of the Daintrey par
ty at all those periods which are spe-
cially dedicated to home. He was a
young man Of excellent character and
very fair fortune; and, if the truth
must be told, the heads Of the house
at Daintrey had concluded that he
would be a very convenient match for
Maud who was the second girl. Per-
haps it would be better to say that
one Of the heads of the house had al
ready perceived and accepted this
view. A matchmaking mother is
thing that is supposed on English soil
to be extremely Objectionable; and yet
if she does not think of the welfare of
her girls, who is to doit? The French
mother considers it her first duty. La
dy Beresford was a high-minded Eng
lishwoman, and not scheming NAM
ma; but she could not shut her eyes
to the fact that Edmund Coventry
was exactly suited to Maud. And so,
among the few who came to spend a
very quiet Christmas at Daintrey, and
'cheer a sad house" which was what
she said in her invitations, Edmund
was one of the first of whom she
thought.
Poor boyr' she said, ''he has al
ways come here. He has no other
place where he will care to go. OF
course he will know that it will not
be lively. But he is a good boy. |
do not think he will mind"
Il am sure, mamma, he will not
mind, said Susan, who was the eld-
est. Susan was going to make by
no means brilliant marriage. She
was to marry young man who was
in the diplomatic service, but had no
money, and was scarcely the sort of
man to be a diplomat; so that the
prizes of that profession seemed i'm
probable to him. And she thought it
very desirable that Maud and Edmund
Coventry should see a good deal of
each other. He will be glad to be
with us in our trouble" she said; she
was always fond Of Willie" Thus
the invitation was given half in love
and tender certainty of sympathy, yet
half with certain calculation too.
The other guests were of a very
quiet kinda brother Of Sir Roberts,
a lonely bachelor; widowed sister of
Lady Beresford's with her little boy
and girl; the former clergyman of the
parish, who had been Willie's tutor
once upon time; a nephew who was
an orphan, and had no home to spend
his Christmas in, and Edmund. He
will be the only little bit Of liveliness.
He will help to cheer us up" Susan
said. Her attache was to come too,
but only for few days. He was one
of those to whom social duties were
important, and he had a great many
visits to pay. But for this mourning
they would have been married before
now.
Edmund Coventry was a young
man who was very well off, and very
greatly esteemed. He was twenty
seven-no longer a boy. He had a
very nice estate, and house in town,
and no relations to speak of He was
very well-looking, without being hand
some, which is perhaps the sort of COM
promise with nature which is most
approved in England. There are
great many people who do not care for
unusually handsome men. Beauty is
an extravaganza, they feel, in the male
portion of the world. But Edmund's
good looks did not go the length of
beauty. He was not tall, muscular