Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-02-05
AUNT CAROLINE'S PRESENT.
rmE n,sr suonr STORY OF ruE SEASON
Edward Everett Hale In iiarpcrs Monthly.
IConclnded.l


q over, and aftor wc had returned thom, there
canc n certain hull. In the midst Of II Flea
nor made a little visit oi forty-eight hours 10
Miss Stearns her deur old school.mistress.
Improved the occasion, and sont for Top
perhead, the village upholsterer, and with
4 his aid | moved the Prodigal into the din
Ing room. The first time Aunt Caroline
called she looked Tor u In its usual place,
Il and her hce fell. But | told her boldly that
{ the light was hcttor IN the dining room, and
that thought the fostivity which was sug-
gcsted by the picture was appropriate to That
n altar ofthc appuiites. boar Aunt Caroline
4 she also had perfect confidence In my good
taste IN fine art, aud she ,abjectiy ana
motlcstly asSrntcd. So that when my dear
wife came home she could rccoivo morning
visit without terror.
4 but when one saves at the spigot, one may
lose at the bung. Your skirmishers arc sue
cessf,ii, ~but Just In their flush OF victory
your centre IL forced, aud tho battle II lost
4 While wo trinmphel In the serenity OF
morning calls IL happened that had to give
4 "a little dinner Iarty To Sir William Hartley,
& the distinguished botnnist, who had brought
mo letters from Professor Sabbati ! had
sent To Cincinnati for the L'Estrangos To
4 come up and meet him, Armstrong had been
very good aud had ridden over from the
4 college, Elcanor's pretty sister Grace was
I staying with us, and We had tho two Carter
girls, Felix Carriers twin daughters
do not say that Eleanor and had for
! gotten. That IL impossible. But ] always
JSu with my back to It, and she with her
right sido to IL, aud we had fallen into the
habit of leaving tho room without looking
at It, In summer wo had light gauze
hung over IT, To keep of the ilie-
But IL was iust before Christmas that Sir
. William came with the letter OF introduc-
. tion. No flies then. The most agreeable OF
travellers was he. And all the others came,
rs nice as they could he. He took Eleanor in
10 dinner, ! took in Sarah Carter. and the
others were arranged Just ~ they liked. Ho
was telling n very merry story about the
Ameer of Cabool ~ he ate his SOUP and he
had Just como to the point when Bridget
took his plate away, and as he looked up ho
saw the pigs and the fOrlorn Prodigai.
Well bred rs ho was, he lost command OF
himself lie flltcrcd and for moment said
nothing. Then he turned to Eleanor with
an agonizod smile, and said, II beg your
pardon, | was saying-oh yes II was the
oWciHdiis not the martina, but the two
resemble each other closely"
All the other people stared OF course
every one on his side looked up at the wall
to sec what had dashed him so.
Eleanor declared, ~ she cried about IL
anorward. that from that moment no talked
tn her as if she were an idiot. And when he
went away from Nethorstone without 40
much ~ calling on her, she said: ~ should
not think no would should not think ho
would want TO see anybody that had such
denominations on her walls"
So, when Eleanor went to her mothers AT
lNAnlhs, 1 uA'I 'bll"Enthi LUIS
time We moved the hateful thing into my
study. packed up some hundred and fifty
books took down one sot OF shelves, moved
all the encyclopedias into the closet and old
Copperhead and hung the Prodisal on the
vacant wall | thus gained. There was an
awful cross light, but this was 50 much the
better | turned my own desk 40 that my
back should see II ~ | wrote. As for the Wis
itors, | hoped thcir good angels would bo
with them.
\unt t',rnIjpn r,u,p In 10 AGO Elpnnar IN
her return. IL was New Years day. She
went in tn lunch with us. 1t was so lately
that had told her how good tho light was
In the dining room that my heart sank with
my modification whom, ~ sho sat at Eloanor's
right, Just where Sir William Hartley had
sat, saw her look mp at the wall, whore we
had hung Ncruc's "Gideon," in place Of the
Prodgas.
The surprise on her face was very distinct
hut the good woman said nothing
We have moved the picture--your pie
ture--thc 'Prodigal,' into my study I
said. AGd then, with the audacity of des.
pair, ! added, by a sudden impulse. 81
am going to have my Bible class there to
sec it."
Aunt Caroline said nothing, but hoped
she was not displeased.
Before I slept / atoned for that awful lie.
wrote note 10 each Of the Bible class, and
asked them To take tol with us Thursday
evening and they came.
I received them in the parloT. ! am
always afraid of them on sunday, when
have prepared the lesson. How much more
afraid was | now! But | asked after their
fathers and mothers. Mr. Clarkson, the
superintendent, was most cordial and aiiablc.
Eleanor, dear soul, showed photographs,
and at last the welcome announcement of
supper took us all to tho table. Meat and
drink warm all hearts. | loitered at the
meal ~ long as | dared. But when tho last
boy had eaten the last bonhona warning look
across the table from my wifo compelled me
to act.
work-room, and--and see my great picture OF
the 'Prodigal SOn'?' Thus far | had not
lied.
"oh yes, sir "oh yes, sir" ''Mrs.
Ames told me all about it." "Mrs. Wences-
laus was speaking of itn
| knew that these two people represented
two classes of critics. Woe is mel
We filed through the hall into my library.
The picture was well lighted. The young
people arranged themselves Mr.. Clarkson
happened to be at one end of the platoon, and
was at the other. think two girls gigglod,
but shall never know,
l cleared my throat. '"Tbe picture is partly
what is called realistic and partly allegorical.
In the middle YOU SOC the great columns di-
vide what may be called the picture of the
present from the other pictures, which may
be called the pictures of the past In the
right-hand picture of the past you see the
poor young prodiga, pale to show no is hun
ErN, eagerly ai lue lou
kow the swine are eating them, just as the
Bible says. Then in the background, in the
picture of the present, you see the dancers !;
those persons in tho gallery are the band of
music"
/ thought should die as went through
with this galimatias. Mr.. Clarkson with "A
rod pointed out the different figures AZ / al
luded TO them.
No boy spofe, and no girl.
There was silence deep as death
As drifted on my path,
And the boldcst held his breath.
For time"
II became oppressive Even the boys and
girls felt that something must be said, and
Jabez Proctor, invariably silent in the Sab
bath school when any subject OF ethics
or Of faith was discussed, with one
great effort asked: - BE them hogs Berk-
shires or natives The tails is too tight
twisted for natives, and the legs is long for
Berkshires,"
Mr.. Clarkson, with bold invention, of
wnich was not guilty, said, These are the
hogs of the breed of Edom," but he was
hardly heard. 4 loud gutfaw burst through
all tho ranks, and but little that was edify-
ing came from the study of Aunt Carolme's
picture that evening.
The slow world turned still on its axis. AT
last nine o'clock came, and the children
went away.
Iv.-wHAT THEY DID THEN.
This is only one instance in hundred Of
the annoyance given me, and more often
given Eleanor, by present meant most
kindly. 1t is provoking to have such a
presence in the house asserting itself almost
: every hour of every day. You may
say one should he philosophical and
forget it. | only wish you would try.
Fortunately for Eleanor and me, March was
very warm month and ! really saw, on