Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-08-12
THE SINS OF THE FATHERS

We Vineyards are large family At Christ
mas when We are all at home with our various
husbands, wives and babies, even the rambling
OLD Grange is filled to overfiowing. and | observe
our dear father looking at us occasionally
when we happen, say. to be collected i'm one
rOom-Wlth an expression of benevolent and
pleased beWilderment. But, at the time of
which am going TO write, we were not so nIl-
meTous; We were none OF US married and only
lom the second boy, was engaged. Eva Dem
Ms, his betrothed. had come from her Yorkshire
home to spend Christmas with us, but she was
the only visitor. Our mother had not been
we'll. and We wished to keen things as Quiet as
possible. ana We were rather dreading the ar
rival OF the three boys and two girls who were
away at school, their spirits were certain to be I'M
c0ntrollable- Therefore we elders loohed rather
grave when. one morning about a fortnight be-
lore Christmas. our father read out letter from
Mao at school. implOring permission to bring
nome with her her dearest friend Bessie Beale.
WHO would otherwise spend her holiday shut up
in In" schoOlroom alone. for she wa an orphan
The LAST word was underlined in MAIDS letter
half dozen times
Dear. Kind little Nab" exclaimed mother
induIgently
We were not SO pleased; we looked at each
other dOubttully. Surely charity began at
home.
Laurie do you know anything of this Miss
Beale :" inquired father.
had left the same school only about year.
''NO." said. shaking MY head. There was
no Bessie Beale when | was there-uRiess per-
haps she is 4 little one. | did not know the
names of all the little ones"
There Is no time to ask Miss Parsons any
questions about her" proceeded father; land
one child more OF less would not make much
difference as to the noise. Poor little thing,
hat dc you say. girls? We must not be selfish
Mother. what do you say -
OF course mother went and wrote directly to
Nab. telling her that she might bring her friend
and at the same time sent a formal letter to
Miss Parsons, inviting Miss Beale to spend the
holidays with us.
As for Anna and myself. we agreed that father
was right. and that one more child would not
! make much difference. Eva Dennis always
agreed TO everything, and found all things
pleasant Tom indifferent: he appeared to
think that. as Eva was In the house it mattered
very little who was out of it. Gilbert. cur
fathers right -"deputy-gOvernor'' we
called him-was inclined to @rumble a little for
mothers sake and for his own dignity.
Miss Parsons aiwered mothers letter by re-
turn Of post. Miss Beale accepted our kind in
vitat!on with pleasure; and Miss Parsons was
delighted to Get rid of her. and thanked us TOR
our kindness to the lonely child.
''She tells Us nothing at all about Miss Beaie"
1
pose. however she would hardly he Mab's dear
est friend if she We're younger than thirteen or
fourteen. She Will not mind sharing Mab's
room, Anna dare say. Arrange it SO, dear
at least. till we see her.
Anna ami kept house each amOntf by turns;
II made change. as Gilbert remarked. since We
did not pcrp2trate the same plumbers. After
punctual bad dinners in Annals reign it was a
relief to encounter unpunctual good ones in
mine Anna economical over the housekeeping
so carefully that she always had some of her
money to hand back to mother III triumph: but
unfortunately. ! spent too much. and Annals
savings We're Invariably needed to make up''
during my last weCk-t0 her great disgust. But
mothers patience was everlasting. This Christ
mas all was on Annals shoulders and so mother
h3nued over the arrangements for our visitor to
her.
The Grange our beloved home was a large
Old-laSliOled rambling place half farmhouse
and half hall. The Vineyards had built it, and
lived III 1t for seven generations eldest son sue
ceednG eldest son with perfect regularity.
There had always been large families. and COu-
sins many times removed, anu i'll all sorts of
social positions. Were thickly planted over our
own and nei@hborng counties. 1t was my
fathers happy boast that the farm had neither
increased nor decreased by one acre in all those
years OF possession and that none OF the Wyn-
yards, men or women. had disgraced them
selves, or been connected, ever so remotely
with the disgrace of others. He would some
any failure on our parts TO do our duty would
be. dOubly disgracefu since we inherited from
this line of honest men and women strong and
healthy bodies clear brains. and minds biased
by long association. towards the right: and he
would say to Us elder ones that when the time
came for Us to choose husbands and wives for
ourselves we should bear this in mind. SO as to
hand down to future generations the blessings
We ourselves possessed.
Christmas day fell on Friday that year and
In 81 har trip and and 1lt-,, 20,
the previous Monday. The three school boys
Lenny, liOn-twins-an Walter came down on
Saturday in uproariOus spirits. Not even their
love for mother could check their noise. Never
had they been SO bOisterOus. Luckily she
seemed just then to take turn for the better
perhaps in consequence of the delight OF seeing
her chicks again. all so well and strong and
happy.
On Monday morning Gilbert started off alone
In the wagonette to fetch the girls We were
waiting in the front sitting-roOm off the hall
when he drove up with Ely and the luggage
but no Nab. and no Miss Beae.
where are Nab and the little girl?" inquired
Anna, astOnshed, when we had duly Rugged
lOng-legged. thirteen year-old Ely
The little girl" echoed Ely, with round
eyes. "Why, Bessie Beale is
shut up" said Gilbert. Let them see for
themselves"
and in few moments we saw. walking up the
drive on Mab's arm, tall young lady evidently
over twenty dressed in robin-redbreast colors.
brown and crimson. The brown was richest
velvet and fur. and the crimson. satin. She
wore a lovely velvet hat. with halo OF crimson
lining; round her neck was thick gold chain.
Her face was marvelOusiy pretty, with lovely
peach-like cheeks aud red lips and sparkingly
hazel eyes. We did not see the waves of glossy
nut-brown hair till afterwards, but they were
there.
We were little con1ounded. | shrank back:
but Anna. VINO has our mothers heart. stepped
forward and kissed our visitor warmly. Then
we all followed suit; and then Mabe had to be
embraced and congratulated on her growth
When | again looked at Miss Beale she was
laughing and chatting, the center Of the group
perfectly at home. 1t was impossible to feel i'll
at ease with her. We all began to call her .'Bes-
sie' directly; she was the kind of girl whom it
Is impossible to address as Miss OF course
Tom and Gibbie did sO but even they called her
Miss Bessie, and not Miss Beale'
After few minutes she went off with Anna
10 our mothers room; and while she was away
we passed with acclamatiOns favorable YER
diet on the new arrival
Presently Mabel and Ely came down from
their visit TO mother. We began eagerly to
question them.
Who is she. Nab % asked Gilbert
Who:" said Nab. in naive astOnishment
''What do you mean? Oh you mean who is her
fat hnp fnl Won 1nr cha