Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-09-02
Victims of Circumstances

At that memorable period in the early
history of the United States when Amer
lean citizens resented the tyranny of
George the Third and his Parliament by
destroying a cargo of taxed tea. a Bristol
trader arrived in the harbor of Boston,
having one passenger Oh board. This
person was a young English woman,
named Esther Calvert, daughter of a
shopkeeper at Cheltenham, and niece of
the captain of the ship.
Some years before her departure from
England, Esther had suffered an aff1ic>
tion-associated with deplorable pub
lie event-which had shaken her attach
ment to her native land. Free, at later
period, to choose for herself, she resolv-
ed on leaving England, as soon as en-
ployment could be found for her in an+
other country. After a weary interval
of expectation, the sea captain had OBJ.
tained situation for his niece. as house
keeper in the family of Mrs. AnderkiD
"a widow living in Boston.
Esther had been we'll practiced in do
mestic duties during the long illness of
her mother. Intelligent, modest and
sweet-tempered, she soon became IA
vorite with Mrs. Anderkin and the mem
bers Of her young family. The children
found but one fault With the new house
keeper; she dressed invariably in dismal
black; and it was impossible to prevail
upon her to give the cause. 1t was
known that she was an orphan, and had
acknowledged that no relations of hers
had recently died-and yet, she persist
ed in wearing mourning. Some great
grief had evidently evershadowed the
life of the gentle English housekeeper.
In her intervals of leisure, she soon
became the chosen friend of Mrs. An
derkin's children; always ready to teach
them new games, clever at dressing the
girls dolls and at mending the boys toys,
Esther was in one respect only not in
sympathy with her young friends-she
never laughed. One day they boldly put
the question to her: When we are all
laughing, whip don't you laugh, too?"
Esther took the right way to silence
children whose earliest lessons had
taught them the golden rule: Do unto
others as you would they should do unto
you. She only replied in these words:
Il should think it kind of you if you
won't ask me that question again.
The young people deserved her conf
dence in them; they never mentioned the
subject from that time forth.
But there was another member of the
family, whose desire to know something
of the housekeeper's history was, from
motives of delicacy, concealed from Es
ther herself. This was the governess-
Mrs. Anderkin's we'll loved friend, as
well as the teacher of her children.
On the day before Re sailed on his
hemeward voyage. the sea captain called
to take leave of his niece-and then ask
ed ii he could also pay his respects to
Mrs. Anderkin. He was Informed that
the lady of the house had gone out, but
that the governess would be happy to
receive him. At the interview which
followed, they talked of Esther, and
agreed so we'll in their good opinion of
her, that the captain paid long visit
The goyer1ess had persuaded him to tell
the story of his niece's wasted life.
But he insisted on one condition.
"If We had been in England" he said,
81 should have kept the matter secret, for
the sake of the family. Here, in Amer
ica, Esther is stranger-here she will
stay-and no slur will be cast on the
family name at home. But mind one
thing! trust to your honor to take no
one Into your conidence-excepting on
ly the mistress of the house,
More than one hundred years have
passed since these words were spoken.
Esther's sad story may be harmlessIy
told now.
In the year 1862 young man named
John Jennings, employed as waiter at
Yorkshire inn, astonished his master
by announcing that he was engaged to
be married. and that he proposed retir-
ing from service on next quarter day.
Further inquiry showed that the
young weman's name was Esther CAL
vert, and that Jennings was greatly her
inferior in social rank. Her fathers
consent to the marriage depended on her
lovers success in rising in the world.
Friends with money were inclined to
trust Jennings, and to help him to start
business of his own, if Miss Calvert's
father would do something for the young
people on bis side. He made no objec-