The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-12-02
lRl FATHERS victim.
4 STORY OF
WESTERN LIFE
BY
gEONAs 3. MONFORg.
CHAPTER Xxx.
ACNT MITCHELL SPEAKS.

or rambling in his conscience. For
several weeks everything went along
smoothly With him, and every day he fell
more and more in love with his charit-
able qualities and his Christian virtues.
Hiram Blatchford was not q man TO
give way to any insignificant feeling,
and he did not allow conscience to de-
ter him for any great length OF time.
he at one time felt that lie hadn't al
ways done just right, but he managed
to shift the blame of his wrong actions
to some other. persons shoulders, and
-Sacceeded, TO his own satisfaction, in
exonerating himself completely.
But another bombshell was destined
to fall in the Blatchford camp, and it fell
with terrible effect. This bombshen
canein the shape OF an elderly maiden
lady known as Miss Mitchell Blatchford,
sister to Hiram, who for some years
had lived entirely isolated from her
brother. She decided to pay Hiram a
visit, and, accordingly, one day some
weeks after the Christian aid society
meeting she alighted at Hiram's door.
Hiram was not particularly glad to
see his sister, Tor 10 tell the truth she
had an uncomfortable way OF speaking
her mind that Hiram did not like. He
distinctly remembered several occasions
when she had freely spent her opinion
of him and his way of doing, and She
had not always considered him in the
light of an injured innocent. He
knew that she would soon discover the
relation existing between himself and
his daughter, and he felt morally Ger
tain ti,asrher sympathies would be Wit,
the. latter. and that :; blowing up" for
him would be the result.
Sarah was not glad to see Miss
Blatchford either: and she not only
shared in Hiram's feelings, but she was
inclined to look upon any OF his people
Is interlopcrs when they presumed to
visit the house that ought TO be sacred
TO the Spicklers. She feared, moreover,
that this strong-ninded woman would
Jar on her nerves, for she had under
stood from her husband how Miss
Mitchell was inclined to give vent, II
10 uncertain terms, to her honest opin-
ions. Sarah felt that she was a good,
sanity creature; yet she was not anxious
that anyone should speak the truth
about her in her presence. If she could
have had her desire in the matter, she
would have had Miss Mitchelrs visit
postponed indefinitely.
OF course Hiram and Sarah made an
effort to welcome her, but the effort
was very much constrained, and was
lacking in warmth and feeling. Miss
Mitchell either did not notice this, or
ignored it for reasons OF, her own, and
proceeded 10 make herself at home in
her brothers house after her own Pc
culiar fashion.
Aunt Mitchell, as she was usually
called by those who knew acr well, was
of cold, taciturn disposition. She was
distant and unsocial toward those who
were her best friends, and toward
strangers, or those whom she dislised,
she was frig;d to the last degree. She
had knaclS Of forming a pretty correct
estimate Of people on first sight, and
her frst-formed opinion of Mrs. Batch
ford was anything bat aattering to that
lady's Christian character Mr. Batch
ford attempted tomalie up to hcrerratic
sister-in-law, but on each occasion met
with such cold repulse that She soon
gave up the effort.
Aunt Mitchell preserved a quiet, cold
dignity in her Geportnent to her
brother and his wife, and avoided their
society as mach as possible. When She
was forced into their presence, how
ever, she maintained the bearing Of one
who is making a strong effort to hold
herself in check. BY her constrained
manner, she not only succeeded in
masking an icy atmosphere in the house,
but she caused the household to feel
uncomfortable, and gave Hiram spell
Of nervous fits. Every one felt that she
would not keep up this rigid deport-
ment for many days, and they were as
sured that when she did break loose
there would be terrible explosion.
Thus for week Aunt Mitchell kept
the family on the needles of suspense.
Mrs Blatchford grew so nervous in the
meantime that every unusual noise
caused her heart to cease beating.
Blatchford worked himself up to such a
point of uneaSinesS that he stood in mo-
mentary dread Of some great misfor-
tune. AS for old Mrs. Spiclzler, Aunt
Mitchell knocked her clear out Of the
ring at first sight. The icy bow and the
piercing look she gare that old lady
on the occasion Of their introduction
,-was sufficient to terrorize her for all
.&me to come. Mrs. Spickler was the
of considerable spirit, and
sany people had quailed before her
gaze, but she was not equal to Aunt
Mitchell's cutting glance. She tried to
avoid Aunt Mitchclrs eyes after that
FIRST meeting, and if by chance She did
catch o glance from them she wilted
and shrank until she felt that she was
but an atom of humanity-amere speck
Of flesh and blood.
One morning the Blatchford house
hold were assembled at breakfast,
when Aunt Mitchell came IN little
late. A glance at her face as she cold
" nodded her salutation was enough TO
reveal the fact that her feelings were
struggling vehcmcntly to break loose.
She sat down to the table with snap,
and putting herself in the most rigid at
dtude, preserved a perfect silence.
Blatchford was detailing to his wife the
particulars ofsa plan for the repainting
and repairing Of the church.
''It can be done for a hundred dogs-
lars" he said, "and that amount can be
easily raised
''I should think So" replied Sarah.