The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-09-30

and after leaving school my time used to
be divided between Uncle Toms house
in the city and Aunt Lizzie's in the
country. / was always with Aunt
Lizzie in the summer, and it was while
on visit to her that it happened.
She lived quite in the mountains, on
large farm two miles from the rariway
station, and at least twenty from town.
The country was thinly settled, the farms
all being large, with few exceptions, and
we had no near neighbors besides the
tenants on the place. MY aunt, an
elderly woman in delicate health, made
no attempt to keep up anything except
the garden and the grounds around the
house; she kept only two regular SER
wants, girl, the daughter of one of the
colored tenants, who went home every
night, and half-grown boy who slept
in an clubhouse.
The house was an old-fashioned brick
one with a Ouscment, uud vvn,issva -vf u
hall, entered from small front porch, a
room on either side, and an ell with two
rooms running back from it and opening
upon large back porch. Upstairs the
same arrangement was repeated; my
room was the front room upstairs over
the parlor, while my aunt's was down
stairs in the ell, with small, enclosed
stairway running from it into the room
above, in which her son, my cousin
James, generally slept. But at the time
OF which speak James had been away
for week, and was not expected back
for several days, so that at night there
was no one in the house but my aunt and
myself. Neither of us was timid, and
such thing as robbery was SO unheard
of that very frequently the back doors
were not even fastened by night, and nc
one ever thought of putting away the
silver spoons and forks, nor the old sill.
yer teapot when night came. Coming
from the city, as did, it seemed to me
rather careless, for knew how careful
Uncle Toms wife was about her silver
Aunt I.izzia-rsn,.la i----i
''Oh, child, there is no dangerl" And
as nothing ever seemed to happen be.
gan to think she was right, although nay
door was always bolted at night and ]
saw that the trout door was fastened.
Uncle had sent me a check several
days before the day of which am going
to tell you, and although not for very
large amount, it was larger than usual,
for was going 70 pay visit to some
friends in l.. before going back home.
On that never-to- be forgotten day
rode over to the station to get my check
cashed, for l needed some ready monev
before going away. The postmaster and
licket agent was sort of general
lactotum, and kept store of general
merchandise, ns well as attending to his
o.her business. He always cashed nv
checks for me, and did so on that day as
usual. AS he counted out the mnpaE. ON
Rae the stofe, tast and fsSotsa sSoticed as bis
eyes dwell particularly on tt, money.
and On the diamond rings which parked
ON the fingers of my ungloved hand, my
glove having been drawn off to indorse
the check. The rings were my mothers.
l nave always worn them, and still do
SO.
put the money carefully inside my
habit, and mounting my horse, rode of
without thinking again of the man, and
probatly would never have given him
another thought if, just as we rose from
the dinner table, tramp bad not walked
IN at the front gate and that tramp
proved 10 be the man had seen at the
station. / wondered how it had hap
pencd that he had taken to the highway
instead Of the railway track, but said
nothing as l obcyed aunties injunction
to give him some dinner. Aunt had
profound sympathy for any one who
might be hungry and had had too little
experience with tramps to be anything
but benign and charitable where they
were concerned.
| bad an uneasy consciousness that
the man had seen my money, aud wished
i. had been otherwise, but he proved
quite inoffensive, notwithstanding HE
looks, and after thanking me politely
enough for his dinner, walked off up the
read. Consequently by night had for.
gotten all about the matter, though did
take care to see that the back door was
fastened ss well as the front, which half
the time was forgotten.
You must remember that fastening
that back door shut me off entirely from
the rest of the house, as auntie's room
was in the ell opening on the porch