Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-02-23
but now I am willing to submit, since He

will have it 80. But can't De forced lnt'
giving up what is most sacred to me, or benz
my will to consent to what my soul revolts at
My heart was given to Harry. I loved hin
from my childhood. We were lovers lont
before any one dreamed of it !; and never can
love any one else. Mr.. Erskine knows al
this I told him so once, before dreamed hi
cared about me. If he chose to ask for what
he ought to have been perfectly sure / coult
not give him, I can't help his disappointment
OF course am very sorry, if it gives him st
much pain.''
"You ought to be sorry to give him pain
I am sure he loves you dearly. He has been
very good and self-sacrifcing," said Mrs. May
sinking back wearily upon her pillow. "But
1 have already talked too much for my own
good. feel too exhausted to say any more. D
Sophy was all anxiety directly, perceivine
that her mother looked indeed quite worn out.
She forgot her own feelings, in mimsterlng to
her and trying to make her comfortable. She
remembered what the doctor had once told
her, and what he had several times repeated
since, that it was all-important that his pa
tient should be kept tranquil and composed ;
and she feared now that she had been too i'm
petuous and positive in her manner for her
mothers good.
"Everything goes wrong" she said, bitterly
to herself II don't believe there is another
person in the whole world who has so much
trouble as I have. It is bad enough for Mr..
Erskine to wish an impossible thing, and make
me more unhappy than was before but for
mamma to add her persuasions to his, is worse
still. Iwish 1 were dead, and there would be
an end of it all. But no, I cannot wish to
leave mamma my poor darling mother, who
is weak and i'll, and cannot be expected to see
everything as want her to. She is not to
blame she wants to make me happy. But
oh how useless for her to try %
And full of compunction for her enforced
opposition to her mothers will, she became
tender, more attentive, more desirous toplease
her than ever.
Mrs. Mays mind had taken hold of the SUBJ
ject, which had caused the argument between
them, and clung to it with all the persistency
of weakness, which engrosses itself with cares
that hang more transiently and lightly on those
who are healthy and a tive in body and mind.
She pictured to herself Sophy as Mr.. Erskine's
wife. She saw her beloved, honored, surround.
ed by all the appliances of wealth, by all the
comforts of happy home-a home which she
did not think she could fail to find happy
one, if once established in it. She saw her as
she was now, worn by hundred daily ankle
ties, oppressed by painful remembrances, her
youth and bloom slipping away under the pres
sure of poverty and care. Her heart ached to
look forward to continuance Of this dull,
dreary existence. Her child, once bright, beau
| tiful, the sunbeam of the house, had seemed
born only to happiness, and how completely
had her prospects been changed Esteeming
as highly as she did the man whose heart was
so entirely her daughters, who desired 50 ear
nestly to surround her with all that his love
could lavish upon her, she could not but long
for the realization Of her dreams. While the
smallest likelihood remained of Harry being
alive, she had clung to the idea almost as
fondly as Sophy, for was not her life now bound
up in the welfare of the latter But every
thing had gone to prove that such a hope was
utterly vain and could she see Sophy cherish
delusion, waste her existence on mere shad-
ow, when living, tangible reality, full of
promise, was offered to herr What lonely,
cheerless fate would be hers, when left utterly
alone in the world, bereft of all kindred ties
| Nothing more, however, was said immedi-
ately on the subject, which both seemed, by
mutual consent, to avoid. But it was no light
ening of Sophy's burden to know that deep,
though unspoken longing lay in her mothers
heart, which she had the ability but not the
will to crafty. 1t was no solace to her, to
think that within her reach lay abundance,
which would add greatly to her mothers COM
fort in her illness-for she was necessarily
compelled to do without many little luXuries
which are valuable in a sick-rOOm-and that
she refrained from putting out her hand and
taking it, simply of her own accord Mrs.
May had never breathed syllable Of whatever
personal benefit she might derive from Sophy
acceptance of Mr.. Erskine. Indeed, such con-
siderations had not entered her thoughts She
was concerned for her daughters welfare
alone. But Sophy could not Danish the idea
when once it had assailed her, and it was tor
ment to her. Suppose that, with means at
her disposal, she might be instrumental in re-
storing her mothers health ? Perhaps jour-
ney, or something else, equally expensive and
out of their power, would do her good who
could tell /? Mr. Erskine, she knew, only
wanted the right to place his purse at their
disposal but he had already done enough for
them to shrink from having him do more.
Even now, their table was almost daily sup
piled with delicacies which his thoughtfulness
provided choice vegetables, or hot-house fruit,
or some daintily concocted dish, which his
house-keeper had expended her skill on; and
sometimes rarities which neither his garden
or hot-house could furnish, and of which So
phy neither guessed the cost nor the difficulty
of procuring them. These favors distressed
her now, far more than they had done OF old ;
but her anxiety to keep him from discovering
this made her carefully refrain from giving it
expression. Moreover, her mother needed
such things and what could she do, knowing
that otherwise she could not obtain them?
One day, however, when particularly fine
pineapple had been brought over by a SER
want, with Mr.. Erskine's regards, Mrs May
remarked
"Sophy, I cannot bear to have this so on.
We must find some way of stopping it, if we
can"
"What, mamma ?"
ssThese attentions of Mr.. Erskine. 1t is
not right that he should do so much for us.
We have no claim upon him."
''He considers that our friendship gives him
a right to do such things" said Sophy, in a
low tone.
s.But it does not. 1t distresses me to have