Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-06-25
THE LAIED's PROMISE.

U q sect ieG PARISH IN the ftlI0la0us
of Scotland there stood. and still stands.
clumsy subStantially-bui edifice
which the country people around call
the Mansion House of Rochard. 1t is
situated at the head of a long valley
running down from the mountains, and
Is surrounded by large plantations of
fir. which. if they afford shelter, impart
also to the adjacent landscape an ar of
uuhroken solitude and melancholy
gloom Half a lifetime back, when
The wild hsathS around this lonely house
were all aglOw with beauty, Its then
master, widONe er with one child, a
bOv. brought 10 1t a new mistress whom
be had found at the quiet hearth of an
adjacent manSe. The new bride had
few personal charms she was little
pale. meek. brown-eyed woman, in all
respects a contrast to her predecessor,
who. IN her magnificent beauty, looked
down upon the newcomer out of the
lOngfiles Of family portraits that adorned
the walls of the dining-rOOm at Roch-
ard. Tall, far, red-lipped, with the
clear beauty of an auburn blonde, with
full blue eyes, keen. naughty, and over
flowing with ScOrnful light, the first
Mrs. ROchard seemed to meet the sec
Ond with a smile of defiance, as she
shTinkiugly entered her husbands din
ing-roOm for the first time, and walked
with some secret mlSgiving and fear to
what had been the dead wOman's place
at the head Of the table.
"And vet, sUre,n thought the little
meek woman whom the death of her
father had left alone in the world, 81
mean II do her no wrong | will love
the Laird as much as he will let me, and
would 50 lOve-oh. so dearly love to
lie real, true mother to her boy ~
ut was surely because she had so
few TO love all her life," the neighbors
SAID, that she seemed to make so much
at all times of the Laird's stupid boy"
William ROchard was an ungainly
boy, Self-cOntained and reticeBt, slow
to receive impressions, and still slower
to forget them. He had been been dis
pleased by his fathers second marriage,
and, after his own fashion, he resented
1t. He was not cross to his step-mo-
ther, but he would not be friends with
nJA LN NttS lOO ulSst W
but he woGld not call her mamma, "
or mother" or Mrs. Rochard' even;
he would speak of her only as ''papa's
Wife" Sometimes the Laird who grew
TO love his gentle Mary passing well,
would get angry at the boys obStinacy,
and be on the point of furnishing him I;
but Mrs. ROchard always interpoSed.
SO the more gloomy and sullen her step
son was, the more she redOubled her
sweet tenderness, her gracious cares.
hoping, praying, eagerly watching for
some sign of sOftening in bis obdurate
heart.
Matters were in this state when the
Lard went out one day, hale and well,
10 superinteRd the blasting of piece OF
rock IN the quarry, and was brought
back, scarcely an hour afterwards,
mangled bleeding corpse. 1t was ter
rible homecoming for the poor wife who
lived only in his smile-and indeed she
seemed stunned by the blow. She did
not cry, TO the great wonder of the
sympathetic servants, but sat holding
the dead mans hand in her owH. and
looking into his face without ever she'd
ding tear. Her demeanor was equally
calm when the friends and neighbors
came to bury him. She uttered no
Shrek she only went to the window
and watched as long as she could the
long black-rObed tram winding away
down the valley between the pines. She
was still there when her step-son came
back, and in his isolation and misery
cfept close to her and called her ''mO-
ther." At that dear name her unnat-
ural stiffness broke down, and she
ourSt into such passion of tears that
The lad was dismayed but she babe him
let her cry on, for every tear she shed
eased her poor brain, which seemed as
II 1t were girdled round by a banl of
iron.
Then came days of weakness and
pam, IN which the sullen boy was, after
MS Silent fashion, always trying to
serve her. Just as often as otherwise,
MS attempts at kindness ended in some
trouble or inconvenience to her; but
she never seemed to see that or to be
conscious of anything but the kindly
motive. Weary, heart broken as she
- "ilo Adu Always Il SdU SLlllo lOI
mn. She had won his heart. it seemed.
az last, but, oh, at what a price Thus
tIe heavy weeks went on until her only
ehlid was born. After that she seemed
70 Tally little, her eyes frightened, and
d lalnt tinge of color came into her
cneeks at the sight of her baby-boy (;
ana, as she held him in her arms, and !
.eit the new strange bliss of motherhood |
tthrlllIng through every vein. she could |
ua'e wished so to enfold HIM for ever,
mus TO shield him from all the worlds |
''o surely coming misery and care.
Alas, poor mother, that joy, so exqui- |
SlIe, was of short duration She was
~ Ss ing: and dying quickly too, for the
I'd! after her baby was born she began |
s 20 SINK. All that it was possible to do
tia. t4l ier they did, with the sad convic-
nv non that 1t was in vain. Then a wild |
;el ;;errlDie anxiety began to take possess
,on s Oh her. Who would care for her
,r 10y When she was gone-who? And,
a mntl anpoal 81 hnr uol axac ha