The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-01-11
TWO NEW YEARS EYES.

TWO NEW YEARS EYES.
Richard Dolton, my great grandfather
on my mothers side, was tho Youngest
son of an English lord He was educated
at Oxford, and boing unusually gifted,
stood near the head of his class when
1t graduated; but ho Sowed so many
Wild oats during the term, that tho place
was uncomfortable for him, and ho
deemed it wise to leave the country.
Ho came to America, and fell in love
with pretty little Puritan. The sun Of
her gentle eyes foil upon the good seed
buried in his wayward heart, causing it
to spring into life and develop a hardy
plant. They married, and, going east
ward, settled III the green hills Of Vor-
mont, where, as years passed, they
trained their small family of three boys
i'll the way they should 20. The mother
who was endowed with o rare voice,
and soul full of music, taught their
young hearts to expand in reverence to
God. by means of cradle song and
evening hymn, and developed within
them the simplicity of conscious recti-
tude, sustained by holy faith, as q guide
their training in her hands, yet brought
thorough education, feeding their
bright intellects with crumbs from
the great feast spread by his alma
Mater. Their eldest son, Martin, married
Hermina Vanderslice, whom he met
while she was visiting her aunt in tho
vicinity of his home. Hcrmina's homo
was in the Catskills, where her father
owned broad acres of field and forest
land. She being an only child, would
only marry Martin on condition he
would live with her father, and gradual
ly relieve him of the cares which he
was growing too old to bear. SO they
settled in the Vanderslice homestead.
Their family never exceeded two daugh-
ters-one OF these died within year of
her wedding, leaving q little daughter
TO take her place in the family. The
other, my mother, married my father,
who died when was two years of AGE;
when [ was twelve, she married again
gentleman who lived in San Francisco
and l went to Grandma Dolton's to
live, with which arrangement | was
much pleased, for there I should have q
young companion-my cousin Nina,
named alter grandma. She was not
quite year older than /; yet under my
grandfather s instruction she was read
ing Horace and Shakespeare, and study
ing the history of England and the
United States. This would have been
great modification to me had she been
less lovely; but as it was, she gave mo
30 much help p and encouragement, that
Oy tho timo was fourteen we wero
nearly even in our studies. Grandpa
soon discovered I had his mother 8
voice, and "a deal" OF his father
n
grandpa's nephews camo from
Vermont to 500 us, bringing with
him ono Of his motherless daugh-
ters. l don't know what the girl' 8
charm WAS; but wo oil became very
fond of her. She seemed to have no
particular talent, but was universally
capable. The trait OF character most
marked was ambition; not wicked
ambition, however. We became SO
much attached to each other, that hor
father finally went homo, leaving her
with us. The following winter wo
were fifteen, sixteen and seventeen
years of age--1 being the youngest and
| Hildegard the oldest. We had lots of
country swans, and q very morry
time Hildegard had como in tho
| spring, and riding and driving had
been succeeded by husking parties, and
these by quilting and apple bees, SO
| that there had been no cessation Of fun
till an early fall Of snow brought win
| ter's pleasures to us. There were no
girls for miles around that received as
much attention that winter as wo did.
A circumstance that contributed to this
in no small degree was the locating
near us of handsome and wealthy
Widowcr, n MIR. Farquhar, from New
York. He had come on account of tho
delicate health of his Oldest child-a
young girl about Mina's age. But the
daughter had quite recovered, and vet
they fingered away into tho winter.
Nina and this charming little city girl,
Adele had become quite good friends,
and through this friendship we received
many little pleasures. On Christmas
Eve VIC were going carOlng; but
heavy snow-st0rm prevented. The
boys, unwilling to loso tho fun.
proposed betlScHntcglcre party for New
Years s eve, when we would Scrcnadc a
few OF our neighbors, have somo coast
ing, and then gather at our house &c
watch the Old Year out and the New
Year in. The programme wM success.
fully carried out. and after the last
guest had departed, we three girls
kissed our grandparents good night, re.
peated our hearty wishes that they
might enjoy another happy year, and
fastened to our room, where, rolled in
our wrappers, and tumbled upon n great
robe in front of an open w0od-fre, we
proceeded TO chat over the evening 9
merry-making
"Well, girls" said Nina, "Pm go.
Ing to leave you" 1t was hard to tell
! whethor the tones were those of sorrow
or gladness. ...