The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-05-07
From the Albany Argus.
CONDOLENCES.
THE STORY OF AN EVERY DAY LIFE.


bachelor, brought home to the College town q
bride Of eighteen Boston summers, all of the
good folks said that he must have made some
mistake.
The young thing was pretty, shy, demure
aud delicate; and all agree that as humming-
birds are not fit to be in eagles eyries she was
not worthy to be the mistress of the great
scholars home. Tho President said it, the
minister said it, and Mary Smith said it. Mary
had hoped to become Mrs Ransom but week
after she had pronounced on the Professors
blunder, she had married Joe Blake, the engi
ncer. This was another mistake, people said.
for Mary was plump. matronly girl, and Joe
was too much in love with his bottle to have o
very deep affection for wife.
But the modern gossip is removed some WAYS
from prophet, and oil in duo time Mrs. Pro-
fessor Ransom proved herself worthy of her
position, and Joe Blake demonstrated the fact
that no could be good husband. Of course
the Professors wife never did make light bread,
and Joe spent no small part of his time at the.
ale-house, but, taken all in oil, the Ransoms
and Bakes got on very nicely. The last
shadow Of the gossip was removed when Mrs
Ransom stopped her carriage on the street to
ask Joe what he had named the baby and
some months later when Professor Ransom
called at Mrs. Blakes and compared the wee
thing In tho engineers arms with his own little
one.
After this the Professor bought the little cot
tage across tho way from his own fine house,
and sold it to Joe and Mrs. Blake did sewing
for Mrs. Ransom and Hattie Blake and Tom
Ransom
Seven summers had been purified by seven
winters, and in the eighth there came chill and
dreary day. The day had = freezing night, and
out Of its sky silvery moon looked upon the
cold, white face of the Professors wife, dead,
and tiny infant but week old by her side
Mary Blake went through the snow to robe
the lady for burial, and sat by the body through
the night. Then the morning came, and with
1t came an electric pulsation of the thrill Of
sorrow. There had been on accident out on
the Central, and the engineer had met fright
full death. Joseph Blake aged forty-two-and
Profv Ransom sent the widow message Of con-
dolence.
Mrs. Blake went forth to the coming years a
wise woman. She had the mortgage, and she
had her child ska paid the NOR, saeo,. and shs
strength. Over the way the Professors Yer
mont sister was installed, aud the master was
far away in foreign lands. The babe was Aunt
PhGbe's charge, and Tom was growing u boy
who had heart for mischief and hand for
youthful will. Grave and refined like his
father, and with his mothers features and
sunny hair, he was q child, and yet had not q
childhood. He had played with Hattie Blake
but before he had passed into his teens the two
studied together. and the boy led the girl
through the mazes OF school-day life. The
widows daughter did not love her books but
learned easily, and the boy had to recognize
her at the head of the seminary class. A fairy
girl, she quiet lad, he.
The widow had planned Hattie's future as
teaching. The Professor had marked out the
law for his son. And the two children were in
accord with both Of these plans.
Tom was fifteen when his father came homo
from his foreign wanderings, and took up his
former work at the College.
"There are two things to come" the Pro-
fsssor said to his sister, methodically. "Tom
must leave school, and be fitted for College by
my own hand, and must marry again.
Inc Two things came Tom was disappoint-
ed because Of his private tutelage but he had
nothing to say. He wanted to become the man
his father wished to see him, and he had no
idea of any way Of objection. And the
matter Of marriage was as we'll up 10 the fine
fact.
Mrs. Worthngton st. Clair was lady of
Paris, Of fashion, and Of wealth q lady quite
vvan faA ho tba ,bo ola a,ia
one said that the Professor had bluudered this
time. The minister called at an carly day the
President commended the Professors choice
and Mary Blake lent the cook the receipts for
her best gold-and-silver cake. All went on
smoothly.
Tom liked the lady from the first, ani she
liked him. If he was o model step-son, she
was model step-mother, and there was not the
least friction between them. He had respect
for her ways, her manners, and her friends,
with one exception. Aud she liked the lad,
and all that was his and Of him, with but one
exception. She made some plans of her own
before she had been Mrs. Ransom a twelve.
month. In her opinion Hattie Blake wa, not
fit person for Tom to be intimate with,
and in Toms opinion, Marion Flint
his step-mothers niece, was not worth q
thought.
But Mrs Ransom had foreordained that Tom
should marry Marion-and Marion was an
heiIess.
The Professor landed his son in the Sopho-
more class, and had the pleasure Of seeing him
do brave and noble work in his course. Mrs.
Ransom had induced Aunt Pho ebe to take Mrs.
Blake and her daughter with her to her Green
Mountain home. And Mrs. Ransom was