South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1891-05-15

had been passed. left there rs mistress
IF it. All my friends said, Now
Frances will certainty marry But
hal too much to do; ,hs besgar
vas at the gate in more ways than
one. l net only had one family, as
a IN 'ther and wife does TO look after.
but l had several. sometimes had
to couvince Jeanette that Chsrlis
dld'nt mean to hurt her feelings when
he lief, her in the morning vi bout
kissing her. had To strai hten out
The snarl into which two sisters had
gotten through misunderstanding
about some tr fe. In reality be-
came . feminine arbitrator In tho
family.
One day thoie came along a sutton
before whom I felt I could how. he
was q man well-knOwn in the world
OF letters, whose life wac irrepro,ch-
able, and who. as companion.
seemed 10 be all thu, was desirable.
We t. ought alike in most things. W,
read the same books, We liked the
same music, we ak the same belief
anu yet, alter a while and during the
time | had asked that might think
before answering, ! found the Little
rift within the utes and it hal a bad
nnme-it was sel6shness. Once hi,
wife l should be nothing ell e. NV
world would BE- narrowed down to the
house In which We dwelt, His thou hts
must be niue. his friend, mine ~aod
his 8 ,ciety all that / should require.
Now | would be Willing TO Accept all
that In way, but the eopIe tina, I
love. must come in too. Thi, is mt
marriage which demands that a wo.
man shall blot out her pas, If, "a if
it had been a Wicked ole. Itisa
servitude> and as l had been the
daughter of an American father I
cou d not go into that. l wonldbaye
nursed the man l loved until be.
came shadow; would have work
Ell for one who was helpless; / would
have adapted myself to the friends
and associations OF the one who was
we'll and strong, but that I should
never see my own people, that [
should have no love for tue babies
who believed so implicitly in Aunt
Frances-why, that was impossible.
| wollin't have been q woman il |
could have done this.
never married. because I n-v.,
met man whose love covered the
tauiis In his character which 7 was
sure would make me unhappy. Inc.
yer marr;ei because since I have been
twenty five years old life has been
full OF so much that it seemed nv
duty to do. that / did not believe that
marfisge was the main part of myex.
istence. dill not marry bccausa /
would have left lonely two old people
because they woU Id have heard n 9TH
inJ OF the outer world but for me /:
they would have never been induced
to go out In the sunshine unless / had
been here to persuade, and Of course
they thought that no band was as
soothing as that Of Frances when III
ness came, that no cup OF tea tasted
quite so good as the one that Franc,s
made FOR them. and that nohoiy re.
ally cared as much for them as did
Frances. BY other sisters lad bus-
bands and children, CO ,seouen,l,
father and pooiher could not com,
first. But every Sunday as | knal, In
church, that one commandment Han
or thy father and mother, and th,
days shall be long In tie land wbici
The Lord thy Col hath given ,bge.
seemed written especially for me-.
Now, my dear sisters, you who lear
against come bo1est mans hart
wonder, perhaps, " my life isn't COLI
ana bare. II duty after all is as goo
as love, but YOU Simply do not snos
how much love there is in my life.
| One day. a few years ago, .her,
came to my door che woman vino A. a,
married the man Who 6rJt askel m,
to be bis wife. Her life had bee,
what found, and che, alone in tb,
world, was dying az much from nee
lect aud heart sickness rs from tbo
deadly blight, consumption. Sb,
came 70 talk over old times with mo
l determined TO make Few iimes H.
her, so / asked her TO come with be
little son and daughter apf pay me ,
visit made my loveIiest oues
chamber more cheerful and nreltie,
than ever. | put new toys in the OLD
nursery, for ] knew that this y. ii
wonld be one that would last up,i
dea'h came to release her from be,
pains, and that this boy and Dir
would Dc miue-mine 10 love, 10 car,
To-, and to be happy With.
These children are here-almo,t Al
my elbow as write. They know
that ! am not their mother, They
never saw Der after death had set hi.
seal upon her forehead, for I believe
That little children, above all otbers
shoull remember those who have eone
away ss they Sere in life, and NOT
surrounded by TIE trappin9s Of woe
and the b'ackness We seem In tbi, b
necessary when death calls at the door
They know am Aunt Frances thew
love me and believe in me. am 90.
ing to nake that boy what lis mother
would have wished him TO have bean
with all Of his fathers good traits and
none OF bis wesk ones am going
TO make tha, girl, please God. hat I
would have hOpei my own daughter
TO bave been, and 90 you think there
is a better duty in the world for me
than tbis3 Do you think that throu n
all the years God did not sec where
Il.