Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-10-18

promise of your boy yhood. You, Absalom
/ had your mothers smile, and you, Abijah
your mothers kindly eyes. l will believ
that you both inherit your mothers tende
heart. At any rate this is my only hope
Under heaven / have nowhere else to turn
/ am dying in a strange place, of slow de
cline, going to join my husband. have N
near friends or kindred to look to-onl.
you. am not harrassed by any anXietie
for myself. My soul is at rest, for know
in whom have believed. I have propert,
enough to make my last days comfortable
and to leave provision for my only child
my daughter Margaret, who was namet
for your mother. 1t is in her behalf that
appeal to you. She is not much over TWEEN
ty, for I was not married till late in life
some years after your mother died. Sh'
has gentle, loving nature, which, save a
her fathers death, has never yet beer
subjected to any of the harsh discipline 0
life. 1t is from this time that beg you tt
save. She will not suffer from any bodily
wants, but do not let her soul starve. Dom
let her feel herself friendless, lonely anc
loveless in life. BY this time one or botf
of you must surely have chosen some gentle
woman to bless your home, who will no
refuse mothers welcome to Margare
Chelmsford. I will not urge my entreaty
kLlOW UIldU W llldhc IL dl w SOul iloUi
er's son will be sufficient, if you have it II
to write no more, but hope to hear from
you before 1 60 hence. Address Mary
Chelmsford, at Oswego, New York"
We were of one mind and one heart ii
the matter, my brother and l. If Mrs
Chelmsford would confide her to our care
the daughter to our mothers friend shoulC
seek no further for home. do not thinE
the prospect, at first afforded either of u:
much pleasure. n young lady in our very
house would sadly disturb our wonteC
quiet, especially if she were fond of gayety
and wanted to 60 into society. But neither
Of us felt any hesitation as to what was tx
be done. We resolved not to trust to the
delays and chances of a letter. One of u!
would remain at home, to superintend busi
ness and make ready for the reception O
the young lady, and her mother, if we
found Mrs. Chelmsford able to travel. The
other was to proceed at once to OsWego
My brother insisted that this latter duty be-
longed to me as the elder, and began my
Journey the next morning.
lakes, 1 found the invalid more feeble thar
I had expected. She had evidently moi
very many days to live. I resolved to re-
main till all was over. She welcomed mt
with feverish eagerness entrusted to my
care all the papers which concerned hel
daughters inheritance, leaving the settle
ment of her affairs in my hands. l ha(
some hesitation in proposing to her thai
Margaret should reside, henceforth, with
my brother and myself; some doubt as tt
whether she would not think us too young
to receive such ward. was glad to fine
that she saw no impropricty in it. sup
pose didn look at thirty-siX, very dan
gerously youthful. She accepted my offel
with tears Of joy and many thanks. Ii
seemed to have been the one pang of hel
death-struggle that she must leave hel
daughter so lonely in the world. Now
she was ready to depart.
81 know you will be a brother to her,
she said, holding my hand, on the day
she died. "I have no fears about her, ano
l am very glad to go. Life is weary enough
at best, and SO many whom loved have gone
before-my husband, the little boy, my frs
child, who died in babyhOod, and my moth
here"
1t was my place to console Margaret
She grieved for her mother, at first, with
an intensity of anguish which no words
could portray, but after the funeral wa:
over she grew calm amid her sadness, ano
began, with serene patience, to take ur
again her burden of life. l remained with
her at Oswego until / had completed the
settlement of her mothers affairs. They
had been badly managed, and l found that
when they were reduced to a system there
would be scarcely enough left for Margaret
to keep gloves on her pretty hands. l was
very glad when l made this discovery
that and no other had the charge of this
business. Now | could spare her from any
feeling of dependence. Every quarter
expenses, in such a manner that she should
receive it as the income of her own proper.
ty. | would not have her feel under q
feathers weight of obligations to me.
When all our arrangements were satlsfac,
torily completed, | wrote to apprise my
brother of our coming, and we started tOl
home. Abijah met us at the depot.
''My other cousin?" Margaret said, pleas
antly, as she extended her hand, removing
all restraint with her graceful womanly
tact. She had called me "COusin Absa'
lOm," from the first.
/ found that my brother had worked won
ders during my absence. Our old home nc
longer looked gloomy abode, even for 4
young girl. Fresh, bright paper was on the
walls, carpets of warm, rich hues covered the
floors, tasteful furniture was disposed about
the apartments, and 8; room, leading from
the little parlOr especially designed for oul
guest, had been transformed into conser-
vatOry, and was already gay with flowers
With one consent we entreated Miss Chelms'
ford to assume the office of housekeeper, as
neither of us felt competent to regulate any
longer the affairs Of a household which was
to number such member. She promised
with her customary sweetness, to comply
with our request, and presently our domes-
tic arrangements put on an order and beauty
they had never known before.
When we were fairly settled at home
had leisure to study Margaret Chelmsford
the first young lady with whom l had ever
been familiarly associated. Until then had
not observed, what affected me strangely
now, her remarkable resemblance to my
memories of my mother; to the ideal hao
SO long cherished of my future wife. Here
was the 1.-the, graceful figure, the brOWnlsl
blue eve, the low sweet voice, the winning
smile; here, and my heart thrilled as it had
never thrilled before, was the woman | could
love. Thirty-siX began to seem very old tc
me. Sixteen years between me and the
Young life longed to link to my own.
did not mention these thoughts to my broth.
er. For the first time in lives there was
a shadow between us; a fine indetinablf
ice of reserve. | think it rose, not on my
part, not from any unwillingness that he
should read my heart, but from a secret
fear, as bitter as secret, lest he might recog'
niZe in her the ideal we had both so long
cherished, and love her as | loved her
Besides, had so little hope, it seemed use
less to talk about it.
She made no distinction in the mani
festation of her regard between my brother
and me. TO us both she was uniformly all
that a Young sister could have been; the