Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-01-17

just hate to think of her being put upon
with too much work"
81 shall take care that she isnot," rejoined
Mr.. Warren cheerfully. "You think, then,
that you will apply for the situation at Mrs.
Mansfeld's?"
''By no means," promptly replied Miss
Latimer. "You couldn't hire me to live
with Mrs. Mansfield at any price. Besides,
l guess don't care about another situation;
rve got a little money put up, and L
thought if ever I left here / would hire a
small house and take a boarder or two. l
could get on pretty we'll that way"
II have no doubt you could, as you are
so well known. OF course you would re-
main in Sandville?"
"Oh yes-it's my home now, though it
amt the prettiest place in the world. Pm
like an old cat don't like to hunt up new
quarters"
So it was definitely arranged that at the
end of the month the Warrens would begin
housekeeping on a new system and Miss
Latimer herself undertook to hunt up a Ca
pable girl who would be satisfied with mod
crate wages, and willing to relieve Celestine
of the heaviest share of the work. It was
easier to find such one now than it would
have been in more prosperous times, and
she was fortunate enough to secure the eld-
est daughter of German family, warrant
ed honest and obliging, who on the strength
of not being Inexperienced" agreed to enter
upon her new service for a very moderate
consideration.
Never did little woman enter more
cheerfully on the not over-pleasing task of
universal retrenchment, than did Celestine
now, in assuming the duties she had un-
fees she could make without consulting
her husband, and this she did not hesitate to
do ; and if he did not know that she gave
up her daily reading, which she delighted
in, in order to make time, for less interesting
occupations, or that she taught herself to
drink her coffee without cream or sugar, or
that she starched and ironed her snowy col
lars and cuffs to reduce their washing bill
little, it gave her all the greater satisfaction
to feel that there was something she could
help him in without having him worry over
her fancied hardships. She studied the most
economical methods of cooking, and taught
her young handmade careful and prudent
habits and while making the family funds
90 as far as possible, she kept everything
about the house sOneat, comfortable and at
tractive, that no one would have guessed
what rigid system ofself-denial lay under
meath this bright and pleasant exterior.
It troubled her, however, to observe that
her husbands face grew constantly graVer,
and his manner more pre-Oecupled. In truth,
he felt the pressure of increasing cares which
all her efforts could not tighten. Still, he
hoped against hope, and forbore to cloud
her cheerful spirit by the confession of his
deepening anxiety for their future.
Every body was thankful when the dreary
winter months came to an end, and Spring
commenced; and though it was cold late,
disagreeable Spring, without the fresh beau
f1, of hot
were longer, and less light and fuel were
needed, and the pressure Of poverty SEEM
ed less stringent, or at least easier to bear.
About May, however, some cases of ma
larial fever broke out in the lower end OF
the town, which was badly drained, people
said, though some thought the vicinity OF
swamp lands in that direction had much
to do with its unhealthy condition.
The Board of Health held meetings, and
sanitary measures were devised and carried
out; but notwithstanding these precautions
the fever continued to spread, and several
deaths occurred.
"This is very bad," said Silas Warren,
coming in one afternoon with a tired, ia
ded look, after a round of visiting in the
sickly quarter. 'sThere is no telling where
it is going to end"
''Is the fever spreading?' anXiously ask
ed Celestine.
eyes. To-day there are ti':e fresh cases,
and three out of the five very bad. James
Morris is one.
"How unfortunate, said Celestine. "His
family are badly enough off, as it is"
Gladly enough, indeed. You would have
thought 50 if you could have seen them to-
day. The children were going around with
out shoes or stockings, the little ones abso-
lutely in rags, and the poor mother seemed
worked almost to death. And he is such a
decent, industrious man, and always has
been. Now that he is down, it is hard to
say what will become Of them."
"Can't we help them little, dear ~
Silas was silent for moment.
"That is easier said than done," he an
swered, presently. 1--WE must think some
what of ourselves"
"Celestine looked at him in surprise. His
tone was unusual.
ave always have little to spare" she
said, gently. "And they have SO much less
than we have"
'sThe time is coming, am afraid, when
there will be few here who will have less than
ourselves" he rejoined. "Oh! Celestine, l
hate to distress you, but the truth may as
well come out at once. | have lost nearly
all have in the world. That failure of Bar
ton Graves has ruined me-"
w llal ltlluIe. htu lioe o'Sii heeA" va
it,"
ssThe whole account of it was in Thurs
DAYS paper. | wrote Immediately to find
out if it was as bad as the statement made
out, and the answer | received confirmed
the ACCOUNT
"Well," said Celestine, drawing a long
breath, 81 suppose that is bad. Still, things
might be worse"
"HOW?" asked her husband.
easily. In the first place, you and are
both quite strong and we'll, are we not ?"
eyes, thank God"
'sWell, that is blessing number one. In
the next, we are not a bit lazy, are We?
81 think not" he answered, smiling lit
tie in spite of himself.
"BleSsing number two. We are willing
to help ourselves. Some people, you know,
are neither able nor willing, and such cases
are very deplorable. Then, another good
thing is, the winter is past, and it is SO much
easier to get on in warm weather. Then we
have hosts of friends, and they are sure to
stand by us. five opened school, or any
thing of that sort, you could count on their
help. Then we have no little children to
worry about"
'It's the first time have heard you count
that as blessing, Celestine."
"Ah, yes, l know" she, replied, with
something between q smile and a culver OF
the lips. "But since God has kept them
from us, don't you see, dear, we should be
thankful now, because we have only our
selves to think for. 1t must be sad to see
children want what you can't give them.
And last but not least-and l dare say there
are lots of other blessings too, only it would
take too long to count them all up now-last
but not least, we have each other, YOU and
=; and we love each other, and will help