Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-08-27

II
There were four Of these swaying Grim
son and yellow cradles hanging In the
balmy air from the huge limbs Of this
massive tree; and IL was characteristic
Of these luxury-loving Bronsons that
they had lounged here, looking up into
It's vast emerald dome, through the shin
ing leaves Of which filtered an occa-
sional arrow Of sunshine, while the
clear-voiced church bell, only few rods
away, was summOning other people in
carriages and on foot for miles from
farm and hill and meadow.
The mother and three sisters, four
stylish society women, were all beaming
now upon this black-whiskered Adonis
who was their idol.
"What should you have said," he
asked, indifferently, after lying for a
long time with his eyes closed aud his
white hands clasped beneath his shapely
head, q" If | had married my accountant; (;
the woman who has been Tor so long in
our Office, you knowP"
There was a little rustic of drapery
and flutter of fans, then Marie, the
youngest sister, began an indignant pro-
test, which her brother checked by say
ing:
"Don't excite yourself, Marie; the
ideamerely occurred to me as was about
to announce TO you that she has been
called away"
" Is it possiblel" exclaimed his moth
er, settling her gray frizzes and finger
puffs which the fresh breeze had slight
ly disarranged. "What was her nameP
l never saw her, but remember of hear
ing her spoken of in the matter of set
tling your poor fathers estate as faith
full creature"
81 should think So" interrupted the
young man; "she saved the estate from
bankruptcy, and your daughters from
going out into the world in some ca
pacity to earn their own living, as she
did when her father died insolYent, leay-
ing her without relatives"
Mrs Bronson ignored the point and
went on in exactly the same key as be-
fore. "lt is very unfortunate. What
will you do, my sonP"
81 have already hired a young man
to fill the vacancy"
"Ten yearsP" said Adelaide the old
est sister, she has fairly grown gray
in our SERVICE"
"Do you mean that white-faced girl
in No. 6?" asked Sarah, and Marie, who
was swinging in the same airy couch as
the second sister, added, al never
anything about her."
81 thought you looked worn out"
said his mother, "and heard you up in
the night, walking about your room.
When did it happenP
Yesterday"
Suddenly"
every" And the young man dis.
missed the subject. They exchanged
glances and smiles and let him alone
while he was thinking, al didn't say
what had called her away, or where she
had gone. Am 1 to blame that they
think she is deadp"
Mr.. Bronson took it upon himself all
through the late summer and early
to open the mail. As usual,
there were plenty of business letters
from Sturtevant & Co., but none "Per
c." After a time he ventured an in
quiry, in a postscript, and received in
reply: "'Per c. is recruiting"
After that the morning mail was left
Tor the new clerk, who, happily, was all
that had been represented. Yet Mr..
Bronson found an unwonted wearisome-
ness about the business that seemed to
him would wear his very life out. Night
after night he lay in his luxurious rooms
1t the st. Nicholas, for he had entirely
given up going up the Hudson now, and
1reamed that he climbed the long, hard
stairs up to No. with light, hopeful
step, and sitting down by his desk look
I'D up over the bisected back to meet
,he soft, blue, faithful eyes, that had
never failed him; and then the fair face
and smooth brown hair turned into a
white lily, or rose, or frost flower, or
NOW wreath, and faded away.
" always into some emblem of purity,
md titly, too, " he cried one night, when
,hese dream pictures continually haunt
I'd and deluded him, leaving him in an
agony of remorseful sorrow. "What
I'm to doP The old times can never
'eturn."
Ripe summer wore into autumn, and
IS the golden days grew gray and chill, |
Mrs. Bronson and her daughters re-
urned to the thoroughly renovated !
amily mansion on Murray Hill. The |
our women were all shocked at the pale
ace and languid air of the son and
)rother.
"He must have a change. He must
70 journey. Either one or all of the |
listers would accompany and take care
# him" But he refused to entertain |
heir offer, and would "look out for
himself, he said, should he decide upon
my place to go.
Passing through No. the next morn
ng to his place in his own curtained
liche, he CHANGED to glance over Mr..
Walkers shoulder, and caught sight of
n order from Sturtevant & Co., in
Per C.'s " wellknown, clear-cut char
cters.
He took the bill and studied it, from
he Chicago, Oct. 1870 the "Per
}" in the lower right-hand corner.
The blood danced through his veins,
lis heart throbbed with an exultant Joy,
rs very fingers tingled. He was slim
lated out of his languor as he had some-
ines been by the freshening breeze
ghen sailing down the harbor on sui
ry morning, or by finding himself in a
ool, woodland dell, surrounded by the
romatic fragrance of wild azalias after
brisk, warm walk.
&c have decided TO start on the 8 d.
n. express for Chicago, " he announced,
D the surprise of the household, after
e had already surprised them by ap-
caring at lunch, which they were en-
1ying with two or three lady friends.
After a rapid journey for person in
ursuit of rest and enjoyment, he found
imself on a clear, crisp October morn
lg in the vestibule of the business quar-
ers of Sturtevant & Co.
60 Mr. St1rteVantp 0na di0bt No