The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-02-07
MISS EULALIE,s ELM.TREB.

1t was a magnificent work of nature,
Miss Eulalie's elm-tree; so tall and grace
ful, overhanging the street with its
green banner, lending a charming shade
to her little parlor, which gave it the air
of dim, cool recess in the woods on 5
summers day. Miss Eulalie loved it,
and, except for her gay young ward, it
would seem as If she had little else to
love. Her grandfather had planted it;
It was a sort of heirloom. She had pas
sed her youth beneath its boughs; her
name was carved on its stem. She
never looked at the tree without think
ing of the one who had carved it there;
of the still, moonlight nights they had
spent together in its shadow. 1t gave
her both pain and pleasure-pleasure,
because it reminded her that he had loved
her once; pain, that he loved her no lon
ger. She could not guess why he had
never returned to her; what had es-
tranged him was still as great mystery to
her as in those early days of her bereave-
ment. when sorrow and suspense had
been her daily companions, rising up
and sitting down with her. Perhaps
some fairer woman had enslaved him.
perhaps he had never really loved her
at all, and she experienced pang of
mortified pride when she reflected that
she had possibly been vain enough TO
make the mistake, Year by year she
watched the tender green Of the elm
thicken into dark masses of leaves; year
by year she watched them fading and
falling, like her own hopes and illusions;
it was poem to her; and vet. after all;
1t was only Miss Eulalie's elm-tree by
permission. The home of her ancestors
had fallen into other hands; she had only
returned to it by happy chance, not rs
its owner. Mrs. Vaughn, the purchaser,
had daughter to be educated, and Miss
Eulahe had taken the situation. When
Mrs. Vaughn died, she devised that Miss
Eulalie should make home with Isabel;
be mother, sister, and teacher, all in
one, to that wayward young person, till
she should marry-in short, stand in the
gap. Miss Eulalie had been used to
standing in gaps all her life; this was
nothing new. And it was home-her
old home where she had dreamed
dreams. When she walked at twilight
beneath the old elm its leaves seemed to
whisper, "Just here he kissed you first, -
and '.Here you said good-by." No
wonder she loved the old treei
Dangerous thing" said Captain VAL
entine. tapping its trunk with his cane
as hawalked by; T" hollow-hearted as q
jilt, Miss Eulalie.''
You are mistaken" she reioined;
"it is as sound as NUT
80 But It must come down." he added,
as if his word were law.
&c Never, while live, Captain Valen.
tine"
You forget that am man of prop.
erty; that pay more taxes than any one
in Littleford; that can buy ever tree in
the place, and cut it down if 1 choose. "
Then it is only from pure good.
nature that you beg my consent to cut
down this exquisite tree? Do you know
have loved it from child; my grand.
father planted it"
81 know that Miss Isabel owns the
whole estate, and / know that this bone
of contention, this tree, obstructs the
view from my windows, Miss Eulalie
which is more to the point-that iti
boughs leap into the air so high and
spread their branches so wide that il
blots out the view of tho sea, the oper
sea-" and he passed on up the long
green lawn to his new home, with it;
marble steps and broad balconies, which
made its humble neighbor seem forlorr
and shabby. Miss Eulalie looked at the
imposing structure, ut the parterres OF
brilliant flowers, at the fountain tossing
its jets into the sunlight, the velvet ter
races and lawn, and smiled. Why haC
Captain Valentine chosen to build hi.
palace so near her home? Why had ht
built Mt all, at his time Of life, with nc
family to inherit, and no wife to do it:
honO~S? How lonely he must be, she
thought, in the spacious mansion. with
nobody but the servants to speak with
Why had he never married? In the hui
mility of her heart Miss Eulalie nevel
dreamed that it was because she woulC
not marry him. That had happened 81
many years ago, before be and Ansor
Andrews had sailed together in the Wate
Witch. How angry he had been then
how jealous of Ansoni How bitterly ht
had sworn that the day should come wher
she would give her hearts blood to re
call the words-when she should regre
her folly in dust and ashesl But, o
course, he had forgotten all that-th'
rawlings Of an untamed nature. He haC
been only second mate then, with littl,
or nothing ahead in the world; to-day h
was Captain Valentine, with the worlC
at his feet; the richest man in town, per
haps.
"You might have been mistress uE
there, Miss Eulalie," he had reminded
her one day, pausing at her gateway af
ter the house was done. 'tRut you tool
your choioe-you took your choice, and
-laughing-"theS tell us that beggar:
shouldn't be chosers."
From the very first Captain Valentino
had raised a hue and cry about Mis-.
Eulalie's elm-tree; it almost seemed a
If he had selected the site to tease her
rs if he wished to strip her of everything
/ she lnr,.d sinna She danlinad tn Low