Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-04-14
THORNS and ROSES.
BY THos. P. MoNTFoBD.
Copyright by A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Co. CHAPTER VII.

Copyright by A. N Kellogg Newspaper So' |
 CHAPTER VII.
 CAST OUT FROM HoMR.
 The next six years of my existence had as we'll be left blank in this narra- tive. There Is little in them worth re- cording, and nothing perhaps, that one would care to know. My life through all that time was one long, unbroken stretch of prosecutions and sufferings, and the memories have of it are not pleasant to recall, and would rather draw Q veil over them and shut them away from the public gaze. Would to Heaven I could shut them out of my memory as well, and never be haunted by them again. But that Is impossible. The misery those years broughtme will live in my mind as long as live. They are too indelibly fixed there to be erased by time or change, and through all my days they will stand before me as unwelcome specters.
 Those six years brought changes, it is true, but my condition was not made better by them. My stepmother's dis like increased as grew up, and she be- came more wicked and heartless in her dealings with me every day. My sister came to be almost as cruel to me, in so far as she had the power, as her mother was. She was thoroughly selfish, and with age that characteristic grew stronger in her nature so that before she had reached her fifteenth year she had no care for anyone and only val ued her friends according to their abil- ity to supply her wants. could do lit tie for her beyond such services as cheap hireling might have rendered, T Nk to her. She declined to have any sister ly relations with me, never spoke to me kindly, never would go into public with me, and in every way deported herself toward me as . mistress might toward the lowest menial.
 My father continued to show me the same neglect and cold indifference that had characterized him from the first. He apparently had no idea of my physi- cal or mental needs, and never devoted thought, I'm sure, to my future. He gave me no training, no advice, no in- structions, but permitted me to grow up in my surroundings, imbibing what ever ideas of life and its duties 1 chanced to form in my ignorance. His cruelties increased in the same pro- | portion as my stepmother's hatred, for the more she faulted me the more occasion he had to infiict punishment. Still, in spite of all, continued to love him and to long for his love in return. For a long time Will Hanley and were together frequently, and as he continued to let his sympathy go out to me in the old way he was a source of happiness to me, as he had been from the first. But at last there came day | of separation. He went to the city to attend school, and during the remaining | three years lived at home never saw him or heard anything concerning him. Our parting. which took place down back of the orchard, where had first met him, was full of true sorrow, which, I'm sure, was mutual, and, besides d great many promises made regarding the future, we agreed to write to each other every week. He was to write first and tell me how to address my letters, and then was to answer immediately. rejoiced in this arrangement, and no one can tell how fondly looked forward to the coming of his first letter-which, alas, never came.
 An, how impatiently brooked the long delay, as day after day passed, and the weeks ran into months, and the letter for which 1 still eagerly watched and prayed failed to come to hand. At last I abandoned all hope of its coming, and then when sought for the reason of its failure guessed the truth. My st"pmother had received ana destroycG, t.lat letter as she did all those that for months fol lowed it. At the time l supposed she was doing it to annoy me, and to de- prive me of the small need of enjoy ment those letters might bring, but aft erwards learned that she had a deeper purpose in view.
 r Will lIunl,y wa~ handsome, and il 8 was well undcrstuGd that he Was heir tC a a snug fortune. Alth"urh my sister T was but child my stcpmother wal already planning out her matrimonia 5 career, and had conceived the idea O : marrying her, when she had reached v womanhood, to Will Hanley. Witt
 that aim before her it was to her inter
 est to interrupt, and, if possible, breal
 up the friendship existing between hin
 and me. So she destroyed his letters
 and prevented any communication be
 tween us, leaving him to wonder at m. d silence and me to chaff and worry be
 cause of her perfdy.
 When my sister reached her fifteentl year she was sent away to college. wanted to go, too, because had a grea Il love for learning, and in a desultor
 way had managed to pick up a yer
 good common school education. S is strong was my desire for a term at co
 lege that dared approach my fathe
 on the subject, asking in all humilit
 that might be granted that one pleas
 ure. He heard me as 1 falteringly an
 tremblingly made known my wisl
 then, turning on me with a frown, saiC IT What do you want to go to colleq to for? You cant learn anything, and yo
 wouldn't do anything but disgrace Mar
 if you went. Doyou suppose she woul ? want you there and have everybod