Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-09-25
The. LANDsTREETs.
A STORY OF THE PEACH COUNTRY,
M... BY
OSCAR DALE.
nn.rra,rhtnh l,u Thu Eunr,r E,,ennr pnhahlnn On
CHAPTER Nv.
MOTHER AND SON.
OSCAR DALE.
Copyrighted by The Every Evening Publishing oc

. MOTHER AND SON.
In one Of the upper rooms OF large
boarding honse near Washington Square,
once highly fashionable portion Of New
York, sat handsome woman Of probably
over thirty years mendinR a boys torn
Jacket. Her face was not happy one,
though marked by no sign Of sour dis
content. Her surroundings indicated
literary tastes and habits. A we'll filed
open-shelved book case occupied nearly
all Of one side Of the room while a
writing table standing In the centre Of
the room was piled up with books aud
papers. As the woman finished her task
hoy tf thirteen years, large for his age
and carrying numerous school books
strapped slightly together, bounded into
the room with the irrevarent sslutation,
"hsllo, nanny, how are you 7" following
mp the salute with resounding kiss.
"Tom, shall never teach you 10 be
less boisterous l" exclaimed the lady,
though her rebuke manifestly counted
for little, as she returned the kiss with
interest, bending on the boy q look that
drove from her face every trace OF aught
save happy love.
az don't know" responded the young
hopeful, ''would you rather have me
sissy boy like Archie Lowell Z"
emo, Tom, would net have you other
than you are for sll the world" incon
sistently answered the fond mother, "you
would not be my father's grandson II you
were tame one."
''I wish had known my grandfather, !"
said the boy.
$50 do l." she replied, she was one
amongst thousand.
This was Margaret Leland and her son
Tom, and the latter had never known
any other home than New York. He
was sturdy, mAnly fellow, the Joy and
comfort, as we'll as the care OF his
worshipping mother.
Nearly fourteen years before Mrs.
Leland had arrived In New York wearing
the somber gRrb Of widowhood, 80 common
In those days, and having but few
hundreds OF dollars to carry her through
her approaching trouble and peril. She
had found lodgings with 3 poor Irish
woman In an humble tenement house
and there Tom was born. The mother
shortly afterwards obtained employment
In mandatory Of military goods, and,
private orders being frequently received
At tu0 6bbhDllbuLh0ht u6UUEhhou babh6b
and artistically ingenious corps badges,
60, she had displayed talent for
embroidery which attracted the attention
Of her employers. To this she added q
research through engravings for quaint
and sometimes ancient military designs
that added to her reputation and
usefulness so that In those "aush timss"
che soon became the recipient Of q
generous salary, enabling her before
long TO take room in the house In which
we find her. As the years rolled on
and the bloodiest chapters of our
country's history were at last completed,
the proprietors Of the factory In which
Mrs. Leland had first found employment
adapted their business to the coming
change and became purvsyors TO the
newly awakened demand for artistic
notions Of all sorts and she found con-
genial employment, not only in looking
up designs and models but in writing
descriptions Of the completed works, and
these, being effective advertisements,
were naturally paid for at more re-,
numerative rates than purely literary
productions often command. Practice In
this work he'd developed 8 certain
latent literary talent and at the time she
Ia introduced to the reader Mrs. Leland
had added to her salary from the
business house by which she was em-
ploy,d q fair income from her oontribu
tions to ladies' magazines and Sunday
papers, and had now and then ventured
on poem for more ambitious literary
publications.
Always too industrious for brooding,
her face nevertheless wore for years q
look OF settled melancholy which still
left trace behind 1t whenever her
features we're In rsposs. She had many
friends and might have had lovers had
she no. hsughtily repelled the faiutsst
manifestation OF growing tenderness on tht
part Of any man with whom she was
brought into oontsct. Her boy was bei
idol, her friends declared, and many o
them we're disposed TO admit that Thomas
Grantley LELAND, as the youngster wal
somewhat fond Of calling himself Was 1
son of whom q mother might well b.
proud.
Mrs. Leland was now able to afford the
neatly furnished sitting room in which w
have found her, and two small chamber
for herself and son, and she regarded
herself as q prosperous woman, with al
that ought to be demanded to make hei
happy, and yet when alone she was offer
prey Of torturing thoughts, for her
was q strange story in which sorrow AM
shame were mingled.
Thirty years before our story open
Margaret Leland had been q pretty bab.
girl named Margaret Leland Landstreet
playing about the knees Of old Tor
Landstrest, then his only daughter ant
bearing his mothers name. She ha
some years after Kstie's birth been sen
to Wilmington for that schooling whio
Mrs. Landstreet with quiet determination
insisted that all her children shoul
have and at the age OF eighteen just a
the great civil war broke out she hR
returned to her home 30 gay an
beautiful that her father called he
"An improved copy Of Maria" whiol
was high praise indeed for him, an,
gave her absolution in advance for th
intensely "loyal'' sentiments she ha
brought hack from Wilmington. He eve
tried to tone down his swearing q littl
when he found that his oaths grated o
the unaooustomed ears OF his besutifr
daughter. There was something almol
romantic in the rough old mans worshi
of his darling Maggie.
His love was generously returned
the warm hearted girl and she gradual
settled down Into the old home ways an
rapidly became tAvorits and eve
something of a belle In the neighborhoot
but as none OF her woosrs managed
make any impression on her susceptib
heart the opinion amongst them vi
that she had left that part Of her
Wilmington. Such however was not Il
cAss and when In the second year
the was o regiment of Union soldie
were qusrtered In Durham county
assist the "loyal" minority in oarryiI
an election, handsome Harry Grsntle.
the lieutenant in command OF Il
company stationed at Bsgdad' had lit
dificulty in winning the affections OF u
beautiful young daughter Of the 80
rebel" who so bitterly denounced Il
presence OF troops in the State for such
purpose.
Tom Lapdstreet heard hints and SO
signs OF Maggie's growing intimacy vi
the young lieutenant, and he forgot |
about the girls sensitiveness to oat
when demonstrating with her about
He finally forbade her ever to speak
the lieutenant again and swore savage
that II the fellow ever came around
house he would shoot him II he had to
hanged for It. The high spirited g
was by this time thoroughly In love 3
as the only objection urged by her faith
was the fact that her lover was sold
in the cause TO which she was hers'
romantioally devoted she felt as thou
patriotism as we'll Of love justified her
resisting her parents commands, but
nevertheless had enough faith in