Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-02-23
The Absent Cousin.

full OF Dcalbn anu NiSois apu us luo
and kind Of heart as he was when he
went away, you wouldn't let his want
of money stand in the way OF your
marriage, would you?"
You talk. Ida, as though l was
solemnly betrothed to him."
mo. no, nos that. dear Bella; but
YOU know it was tho dearest wish of
YOUR mother thas you should grow to
womanhood and become Philips wife.
oh, bother! what does that amount
TOP"
1T would amount TO much to me,
Bella. A reverence for my mothers
memory"
"Your mothers fiddle-stick, Miss
Propriety! You are in love with Phil
Trevor yourself! And / tell you plain
~, Ida. if he comes home with penny
less than ten thousand you may have
him and welcome.
.'Oh, Bella, you do not mean that! L
did love Phillip. but never with a
thought of marrying him. We were
but children ut the time. l was only
twelve years OLD. and in short frocks;
and Phil was great, stout. handsome
young man of sixteen
"And | was fourteen. Quite mar
riagcaEle age, WASH I it?"
"You were certainly old enough TO
know whether you liked youth like
Philip Trevor or not"
We'll, didn't care that for HIM"
"a snap of the finger and thumb. and .
panse) Still | might have arrived at
that stage where good fat bank ac-
count would have turned the scale.
Bella, don't let Aunt Martha hear
Won talk Ike that. She regards Philip
as her own flesh and blood; and, though
he has been gone eight years. she
thinks of him continually. and is now
counting the hours until his homecom-
ng."
"A tfg for Aunt Martha. and II fig for
Your preaching! Wait till the hero
comes. shall claim The right of first
choice. Should he be worth less than
well. say ten thousand. you may have
him and welcome. All! Who are you?
What are you do ny hcrc?'
The foregoing conversation had been
90 ny on in II httIe vine clad harbor. i'll
Mrs. Marlh Cooper's garden. Mrs.
Cooper was Il widow, still III the prime
OF fc-say. about tiftv-lIvIng very
comfortably on the income of her small.
uneuucmberod property, and Wild
ow 5 pension-widow of II colonel who
had lost his life IN battle. The speak.
iy-twO, aud Ida Smelling, aged twenty
Ida's mother and Aunt Martha hat
been sisters. Bella's mother had beer
Aunt Marsha'S cousin. And the father
of the Philip Trevor of whom they la,
, been speaking had also been cousin
german 10 Aunt Martha, and the sam,
, to Bela's mother; so that he, Philip
l and Bella were only second consinS
Ida held the same relation to Philip
through her mother, that Belle did oil
, her fathers side.
Though Philip Trevor's father an,
: Bella MaSou's mother had been onl.
5 cousins, lhey had loved one anothe
; like brother and sister; and for scvera
/ years after the death of her husban
4 Mrs. Mason had found a home wit
her Cousin Trevor.
The two-Mrs. Mason and Charlie
Trevor-had died in the same year
when Philip was fifteen and Bella THU
teen-and. as Ida had imtimated, it la
been Mrs. MasOE's earnest wish an
hope that her child might becom
Philips wife for she had read the boy
character deeply and critically. al
felt assured of his sterling manhood.
And Charles Trevor. though not s
earnest in the matter as was his cousin
vet was pleased with the thought TIL
Bella Mason would be his sons wife,
Mr. Trevor had died first, leaving h
little property so encountered that
the time the estate was settled only
few hundred pounds were left
They kept the house, however. viii
Mrs Mason lived, and when she h;
passed away, Philip found himself
his sixteenth year. and wel-nigh pc
less.
Shortly thereafter Bella went to Ii
with Aunt Martha; and six mont
later Philip went abroad.
He kissed Aunt Martha, and wept
her bosom; for she had been as
h mother to Ia III since he could RENE
Der. He also kissed Bella; and VIII
laugh Come home rich. Phil
and / II be your wife"
And when he had looked for |,
Where was she? ALI! He found her
length out in the little orchard. sitti
under pear-tree, crying bitterly.
had chung to him when he had kiss
her. and smiling through her tea
4 earnestly prayed, MAY God and
/! good angels bless you, Philip, {
bring you back safe and well. y
And then he had gone. They ]
heard from him many t'mes-most
4 Ii letters however, had been TO A
D Muriha-but never II word of what
!, was doing. or how. At one time
q would be here; at another there;
81 al still another somewhere else.
81 His last letter. received by A
:. Martha only the day previous to
on which we find the girls III the s
den arbor. had said that he should V
M soon start for the old home. He
=" written that he WIS WELL and that
L. had worked hard; but not Il word
. a svllablc-about whether he was ric
ms poor.
One word more in relation to Il
II two girls. Bella Mason had !
AZ. with good Aunt Martha ever since
OF MOTHER death. and the only labor
49, performed was 10 help 1.-THE dear
soul that was her aunt-about