Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-01-26

good library, which I would speedily furnlsh
. myself with, would never be lonely, or find
lack of employment"
IT hope the price will suit you, so that you
can make the necessary arrangements at once, u
: said Mrs. May.
Mr.. Erskine, that very day, borrowed a
horse and rode to the nearest town, to see Mr..
!. Churchill's agent, who resided there. His ne
gotiations were satisfactory and he returned
the following morning with the announcement
that the place was his.
1t soon became evident that no restrictions,
in the way of expense, were to be laid IN the
way of all desirable improvements and rep9
on his new property. Carpenters, brlcklayers,
painters and gardeners were Immediately set
to work. and their combined exertions wrought
wonders in very short space of time. Mr..
Erskine took up his abode in the little turret,
Notwithstanding the request OF his friends
that he would continue to reside with them
until the house was fi,ished) and superintend.
ed everything himself. At the end of three
weeks all was in order. The shrubbery was
trimmed and cleared, the garden beautifully
laid out the house. outbuildings and fences
stood fresh and inviting in their new dress OF
paint, and nothing remained but the selection
of furniture to make the interior all that 1t
should be. This was the work in Which MI.
Erskine desired Mrs. Mays help it was in
dispensable, he said, to the comfort of house,
) that feminine taste should direct its appoint
ment and the whole party, including even
the Doctor, went to town on fixed day, and
visited furniture dealers, upholsterers carpet
and crockery stores, with most satisfactory re-
suits. The Mays thought that their new
neichbor must be very rich man. He was
certainly very liberal, and spent money with a
lavish hand.
1t was some diversion to Sophyto watch the
progress of these arrangements. 1t was such
an event. in that secluded spot, to have new
resident settle there, and especially one who
bid fair in every way to be such an advantage
to the neighborhood, that she could not out
feel interested, even while her heart still ached
with the sorrow of parting from her dearest
friend To her, Mr.. Erskines new house with
all its adornments seemed very sumptuous. 1t
pleased her to tread on the soft, tL.ck carpets,
contrasting as they did with the faded Brussels
on her fathers floors to admire the velvet
chairs and lounges, the gilded mirrors, and the
tasteful pictures and various nick-nacks Which
beautified the rooms. The library, which &C
cordinp to Mr.. Erskine's resolve he had lost
no time in fitting up, was to her source OF
especial qualification. On the oaken shelves
were ranged numbers of volumes OF every sort
and description Except that trashy-novel sort
for that the owner eschewed) and to these she
was offered free access an offer of which she
gladly took advantage, for books were her de-
light. The manner in which Mr.. Ersklne's
acquaintance with her family had heen lnau-
purated. and the friendliness and good feeling
which had characterized it from the first, soon
created degree of intimacy between them,
which mutual esteem ripened before long into
a warm friendship, and in six weeks they felt
as if they had known each other all their
lives. Quiet and simple in manner, with a
kind heart and generous disposition, refined
taste, and the inclination as well as the means
to contribute to the enjoyment OF others, it was
no wonder that he should easily win the regard
of those with with whom he was thrown into
contact, and soon obtain foothold in the
place which chance had Unexpectedly made MS
abode. lie sometimes remarked, smiling,
that it was seldom man derived such benefits
as he had from being shipwrecked and nearly
drowned in exchange for solitude, and an un-
satisfactory, nomadic life, he had gained
friends and home, and he declared his lnten-
tion of never travelling again, so we'll was ne
satisfied with his surroundings.
There was, indeed, no reason why ne should
ever seek other climes or scenes. SO much OF
his life he had spent in journeying both by land
and sea. that there were few parts OF the world
with which he was not to some extent familiar.
What he had in former years called his home
had long since been broken up and desolated.
Neither father nor mother, brother nor sister,
remained to welcome him to it's tireside. HIS
wife. the wife of his youth, also slept in hel
grave and what had earth to offer him beyond
the mere material comforts which, with wealth
at his command he could find as we'll here as
elsewhere The restless craving for novelty,
, for change, which had driven him to and fro,
urging him to seek in constant excitement
;, respite from the trouble which gnawed at his
heart, had died out, giving place to weary
:, feeling which made him find repose and tran
, guilty very sweet. He was no stole; no an
chorite in his tastes Luxury was pleasant to
him; graceful objects gratifed his eyes, and
he did not see why, because he lived alone,
he should live without those things that suited
his fancy, and contributed to his enjoyment OF
of life. Therefore, he surrounded himself
with books and ornaments, pictures and flow
ers. and even piano-this last, it must be
owned, chiefly on account of Sophy, who was
musical in modest way, and to whom ne had
apparently taken a most warm and fatherly
liking. lie interested himself in all her tastes
, and pursuits, and, finding that she had talent
for drawing, even offered to become her in
structor in that line. For, as it proved, he
was himself an artist of no small merit
though in an amateur way. Perhaps what
won her regard more successfully than any
thing else was the way in which he WoulC
talk to her of Harry, and of her engagement
he seemed to have such a complete sympathy
I with her feelings in regard to him, with hel
loneliness in his absence, that she could moi
, but respond to his kindly effort to elicit lel
confidence and soon found herself speaking tt
him of her plans for the future, as well as hel
o "reminiscences of the past, almost as freely a.
she would to her mother, or to Harrys uncle
, Moreover he brought to her from the village
post-office, IIarry's very first letter-and wlla
greater happiness could he have bestowed OF
her than this?
1 Amid all her other occupations, Sophy mad
e it her duty, as well as her pleasure, to devot