The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-01-19
Srlett StOrg.
COUSIN PAT.

-AtfG y a iitsEN 1i ueMS tHF N9Ar @AltHr
said Mrs. CSntwell. Of the Laurels one
morning as she sat cnshrincd in the family
bower, surrounded by her four fair daugh-
ters-'-a letter from Young Pat Cantwcll,
your poor uncle Philip's only sou, announc-
ing his arrival in England after twenty
years absence 10 South Australia : He
SAYS he intends coming to scc Us at oEee,
We being the only relatives be has on this
side Of the world had forgotten his
very existence
ale IS not cur 6rs, cousin, Is be, moth
err
Ne. his father and your father were
only halfbroshsrs But they we're devoted
to each other.
Il wonder what be viii be GkeG mu>sd
the eldest Miss CantWcn
~.Awfally Coleaial. you may be SURE,
sighed Ethel
Why. yes, fear 50, said Mrs. Can't
we'll Il can barely remember him as q
little fsir.haired boy in kaickCrbockcrs
You know his people al cmigra,Oi few
years after | married your Poor father. /
have never held communication With any
Of them since nv widawhood However,
Pat now informs me iha, bis father and
mother have bcea dead some years, aud his
only SISTER is s,.ltle<l in Van Diemcu's Land.
How time aisS
~Was il no' Uaele Philip, uso;her who
was so kind 20 yon whea--wheu poor papa
got iato such ;roable asked Kitty Cant
well
@Yos; be and BIS wife Rose did their bet
Tor as, though iadcei that was not much
for thsy were always 10 difficulties them
selves, poor peoplc 4 careless, spcad-
thru, good. Tor noihing rses were those
CaEtwells, every one them. as ! ean tell
to my cost. Al. ar dear girls, continued
the mother fccliugiy. 'lss me ncveE cea~s
iuiTryssing on yca the Sarnieg Of my fate
If you value your fatnre-if yoa care for
peace, pleasure, happiness 10 this World
never marry poor man
mo, mother, VIC never will the girls
replied, in a sweet treble chorus.
Mrs. Cantzell of the I.aurcls had bcen
Left an almost pennilsss widow al the age Of
thirty, barlenod with hve little girls She
had married for love, sgaias, the eonscnt of
all her people, q guod-lookiag young Irish
man Of hopeful happy nature, bur ol ex-
trcmely improyijent habits; aud she had
lived bitterly 20 repent ber choicc-liyed 70
repent il during the long wcaFisome sgrug-
rle ia which she bad wasted the best years
of her life. Yet she had fought a brave
fghl 10 the sacred cause of motherhood,
had eoAxed, csjole,i, intrigued, made friends
with the rich and powerful bad stopped 10
conquer, aud had sacceeded.
The young Coloaist arrived at the Lau
rels one vet evening when the giris were
al assembled together. reading, working and
painting, 10 their pretty sittingFo IN. The
first startled glance revealed to the family
that their worst saFn.iscs were fally realized
Cousin Pat was certainly rather an alarm
ing apparition rs be stood GA the threshold,
blocking up the whole framework Of the
dvor-a young man Of almos; colossal pro
portions, clothed in garments that were
woefully Colonial with great red hands aud
large terTibly-shod feet. His bright bold
face was sunbuTnt TO a most vivid brick
color, and further inhamed BY mass Of
tawuy hair, covering his lips, cheeks, chin,
and even streaming down the back Of his
coat
Mrs. Cantwell was the first to recover
from the shock Of his appearance aud she
advanced hastily 10 meet him.
MY dear Pat, can this BE- really You 2
What an immense fellow you have grown!
should never have known YOU
Nor | you, returned Pat, with more
frankness than consideration, as be warmly
embraced his relative by joye, my dear
aunt, you have changed, too Iremember
you such a-a-'
"Well, well, here are my girls, Pat-per-
haps they will recall my youthful looks
pleasantly to you. Mend, Ethel, Cathe-
rine, Griselda--your cousin Pa
But cousin Pat required no further pre-
sentation, for, before the startled maidens
could retreat or utter the faintest remon-
STRANGE, he had borne down on them and
had swept each delicate cheek in turn with
the full luxurianee of his tawny moustache.
Then, 7aizing the fimsiest Queen Anne
chair in the room, and throwing his mighty
legs astride it, he sat, his arms resting on
the quivering back, facing the astonished
group, smiling on them u smile of perfect
contentment and entire appreciation, while
he entertained them in loud clear voice
with an account of his voyage.
When at last, in obedience to some 'oc-
cult sign from headquarters, the girls each
in turn escaped from his presence and as
sembled in the dining they surveyed
each other grimly for few moments, and
then broke forth
Il say, isn't he awful?"-"A regular
Bushman r
"a perfect orang-outang!"-What will
people think of him p
''Such a coat l''-"Such boots !"-"Sueh
a voice T.
'And such impudenee l"added Kitty.
wasn't it Impertinent of him p
Il was never so taken aback in my lifel
"a good thing for him Sydney wasn't
present. said the engaged Miss Cantwell
sAnd yet, continued Kitty musingly
! ''if you pick him to pieces, he is not an alb