The Irish standard., 1892-07-23

Will Hantey tss.sA ID
was vel understood that he was heir g
. snug fortune. Although my sister 81
was but child, my stepmother Wa
already planning out her matrimonial i !!
career. and had conceived the idea o.
MARRYING her. when she had reached
womanhood, to Will Hanley. With
|, that aim before her it was to her inter.
est to interrupt, and, if possible. break
up the friendship existing between him
and me- So she destroyed his letters
and prevented any communication De-
tween us, leaving him to wonder at my
silence and me to chaf and worry be-
cause of her perfdy
When my sister reached her fifteenth
year she was sent away to college. l
wanted to go, too, because had great
love for learning, and in desu1tory
wav had managed to pick up very
good common school education. So
strong was my desire for term at col
lege that dared approach my father
on the subject, asking in all humility
that might be granted that one pleas
ure. He heard me as falteringly and
tremblingly made known my wish,
then, turning on me with a frown. said:
'What do you want to go to college
for? You can't learn anything, and You
wouldn't do anything but disgrace Mary
if you went. Doyou suppose she would
want you there and have everybody
pointing to you as her sister?'
81 could go to different school," !
ventured to suggest, 'where no one
would know OF her, and where She
wouldn't have any occasion to feel
ashamed Of me-"
'Well, you're not going anywhere, so
you needn't say any more about it, I've
got no money to fool away on you, and
besides you're needed here. Your ma
has plenty Of use for you, and the best
place for you is in the kitchen. You
haven't intelligence. enough to do any"
thing but homework, and you never
will have, so you're going to stick to
it,
':Am I to be- drudge forever?" I
asked, exhibiting a little spirit.
you're not going to college, and
you're going to stay here and attend to
your work, SO that's all there is to it.
Now get out about your business and
let's not hear any more foolishness from
YOU
Reader, you may feel inclined to
doubt my statements You may be in.
clined to think chat a parent could not
be so unnatural. I wish had a reason
for doubling them myself. But, alas,
have not. Those cruel words of my
fathers cut too deep into my heart to
A<,F nd ch1 no
possible for me to live an eternity !
should never, never forget them.
If such d thing is possible, was
more miserable than ever, though
think that not likely. | saw nothing
before me but a. life of drudgery. It
seemed that was to be a servant for
ever. lost the little hope mad en-
tertained of change for the better
which was to come sometime in the fu-
ture. My soul was completely stepped
in misery and all of it's sensations were
full of pain.
But. as it TRANSFERRED only two or
three months Of that Life lay before me.
Then change came, and whether it
was for the better or the worse my
readers must Judge. was driven from
home and cast upon the world in all
my ignorance TO make my own living.
My stepmotber had a second child,
who, at the time of which ! write, was
six or seven years Old One morning
this child did something which angered
it's mother and she undertook to punish
it. She was in a bad humor, even for
her, and as she proceeded with the pun
ishment she became frenzied and beat
the child numerically. was present
and bore with it as long as could, not
wishing to interfere where had no
right But the child's pitiful cries and
the pleading manner in which it held
it's hand out to me wrought me up to
desperation, and unable to retain my
self-control longer sprang forward to
the rescue of the helpless one and
dragged it away from its Infatuated
mother, shielding it with my own per.
son from her cruel blows. got the
II I