Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-05-24
50 NEARLY WON,

81 NEARLY WUM
The carIiagc was Just turning the
corner Of the drive where the tall ever
greens grow thckest, the final shower
of rice and the last old satir slipper
were falling far bchindlt, when James
Grafton realised for the first time that
Lettie was gone indeed, and had left
him there alone and unprotected. For
him the bright June day seemed sud
denly overclouded, and his cHn little
domestic world strangely empty in
spite of the merry chattering groups of
bridal guests on his sunny lawn. In
another instant the carriage had disap-
pcHred; the bridesmaids and their at
tendant swains turned laughingly
away, and sauntCred on mostly in
couples; for one wedding is very pro-
vocativc of another, few things being
more infections than love making.
James Grafton went toward his
house with 4 very grave face Che had
been standing on the path that he
might watch the carriage TO the very
lasU, and on the doorstep he met his
two Sisters,in-law, Mrs. Charles and
Mrs. Harry, both widows, and arrayed
in different shades of irOn-gray silk. 1t
was awful 10 have to face them alone
without that good, kind, brave bcttic
who had hitherto looked so well after
him and his interests, who had always
stood between him and the WidOws.
They seemed 10 have come fcarfully
near to him all at once. We're they
going to crush him completelyP Would
they eat him up and pick his bones?
What would they do TO him?
James Grafton was bachelor of
forty or thorcabout. Lettic, his only
sister, whom he had couple of hours
ago most unsellishly given away to Col.
RathbOnc at the little white church at
the foot of the hill, although many
years younger than himself had always
fought his domestic battles for him,
and had been quite equal to the task OF
defending him from any number of ag.
grcs,ivG relatives. And James Grafton
needed u protector badly, for he was
the only man of his family who had
ever made any money; while his broth,
crs, after trying hard to ruin him as
well as themselves, had died pennicss
leaving him thirteen rcphews and
niecCS TO care for, us well rs two wild
ows, whose only jOintucs were {
couple of very different, but to Jane,
Grafton equally Objectionable, tempcrs
A heavy burden truly; but he and Let
tie had taken it up bravcly and cheer
fully, and had done very much NOR,
than their duty.
But now James Grafton had river
Lctte away; she was rome, and The
widows were standing on the Doorstep
saving all sorts of pretty things aoouI
| the pretty wedding and charming brdc
There was great blank where LdtiC
had been. Oh, then, surely the wid.
ows and the thirteen children couli fill
it! Everything his friends said brought
this thought TO James Grafton's mpd
but that only made the blank kok
blankcr. Mrs. Charles and Mrs. Harry
did not love each other. How cold
they, being the mothers of two RIA
clans of children? THAT woman
was the term by which the one inli
Gated the other in u general way; ouI
to-day, as each tried to excel the ohel
in doing the honors OF James Grafion''
very picturesque little house, no one
except the kcenest observer, could havt
told that open war ragged permanently
between the two smiling ladies who re
, ceived so graciously the parting con
gratulations of the wedding guests
james Grafton, howcvcL knew tn,
, state of affairs only too we'll, and as h,
watched the groups on tlb lawn thin
ming, and carriage after carriage driv
ing off, his heart sank down and down
and the blackness of darkness settle,
= upon him.
AT length all had depirted except tb
= sister.in.law and ,heil elder children
Mrs. Charles at once b,pan to eynlor
I the house, which durilf Lettie's reic,
she had never been abb to do quite I,
her hearts content; an Uarr,
= followed her stealthily d,c do
n tectiye might watch n SIS ~ nief
a AS for James Grafton, h, ned hi
wav into his library.
"uo, what's bispr ~ oxo,o;mo
with sudden ioy ne his o,Io soil n1' ,',nn
y ~o,n " Iv;nn nno1 ,T bis Jost .Trouip ~ upTn u,
Is tioi 0 6snrs s sgirIl III How tLouahtfuIi'i II II
= ooco,I,, ou, JT" toTo o,on Tho "rvcI'a" 7, Il
d r"sJv onneoraJ to him os sbo ba' "
v boon % g6nc some centuses ~ RI m
. . Toto ot boS heer scrihhIcS in Sosnorot
70 haste hast and excitemcnt Mt iE hrom%b
q hano hone and courago with il Nv dsa,
IS nsf nyp old linn =" E ran. "be fH C%, now
Il or Won are lost forever. [ * Tho