The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1894-05-24
CHAPTER III.

| some IOw-Spoken words about hope
| and a prophecy very dear to them
| both.
CHAPTER Ill
In time Cullen had to admit that
Hannah's policy seemed to have been
| wise and prudent. When her baby
| was born, the messenger who bore the
news took with him the word that it
| was boy and named Pearce Anderson.
| The grandmother's hope to be spared
| to see the sight was fulfilled, and when
| she had seen she blessed it and shortly
| afterwards set out alone on her last
| journey. Just before going she said to
| Cullen:
my dear, your father has promised
me to do right by you I've no doubt
he'll keep his word.''
Indeed, thenceforth the change,
which hitherto had been slow and
| gradual, quickened apace. The old
man grew more and more fond Of Gull
| len and Hannah, often had the latter
and her child at his home for several
| days at q time, and sometimes stayed
| as long at Cullen's. As for the baby,
| it was plain to see that for the loss of
| his late companion he felt compen-
stated over and over by the coming of
| Pearce ANDERSON, Junior. Even Wiley,
| although he made no demonstration,
| such being never IN his limo, yet APP
| peared to be content with the change
| He did go so far as to offer some sort
| Of congratulation to the parents at the
! birth. Cullen took it for what he
| thought it was worth, Hannah for q
| great deal more, and was very, very
thankful.
Cullen, dear" she gently rcmon-
strated, ''you didn't take Brother
Wiley's congratulations very well,
| seemed to me-"
81 took them as cordially as they
were given
Poor Sister Julia! I wish she could
have such happiness"
''She don't want 1t, nor does he"
''Cullen, aren't yon ashamed of your
| self for talking sop
Yes, rather" he answered, with q
smile. but It's because l know my
| words are true. Sister Julia wants no
| child; indeed, suspect she's thankful
| for having none of a husband who has
| treated her as brother has,
| Cullen, love, sometimes think you
| don't do full Justice to Brother Wiley,
| because he hasn't the affectionate ma
ture that you have. A man must
| make allowance for such differences.
| think myself that he is colder to her
| than-than l could be satisfied to put
up with; but that is his nature"
"Yes, darling, that's his nature. "
Then he laughed loudly.
''We1l, they've both been respectful
and kind to me, and can't but wish
they had baby or something that
| would bring them closer together.
Brother may not know it, but he's got
( for wife one that's O saint, If know
| what that means 1t has ALWAYS
seemed to me a pity that they have
| never come to understand each other
| well enough"
"You little innocent, the difficulty is
| they understand too we'll"
'-CullenI Cullent'' she said, in half
| playful rcInonstrance. Then they
turned from the theme to that which
| for both was one of unmiXed felicity.
| The person Just now referred to was
worthy of their praise. The Marstons
had been reduced considerably in the
establishment they once kept, partly by
| injudicious management, mainly by
debts which the head of the family as
surety for some of his neighbors had
| been forced to meet In this condition
Julia, the plainest and not the young
est of the Marston girls, was induced
to take Wiley Anderson, who was we'll
enough looking, tolerably hammered,
known 10 have made considerable
money in trade, and to have excellent
| expectations from the death of his ia
ther, now well stricken in years. The
marriage had not been happy. The
health of the wife, poor to begin with,
was not helped by the life led with q
man far more selfish and coarse than
| she had believed. She was thankful
| that she bore no children, much as
she needed the comfort they often .m-
| part Her husband got from the CON-
nection what he had counted on, bet
ter social position. With his own ac-
| cumulations and the few thousands
come with her he built the nice two
| story mansion on Clarke street, and
| deported himself as well as he could
| learn how In the circle to which she
| had lifted him He showed much
| pride in the adornments which she
| made about the house, and the trees
and flowers planted by her in the
front yard. Finding In time that she
| had been married to q man whom she
could not respect and therefore could
| not love, the strength of her charac-
| ter enabled her to endure his society,
and 10 seem TO ignore some low
| Irregularities which he took not very
much pains TO hide from her Dis
| gusted with his vulgar snobbishness
and that which he had injected into
| his father, she became fond of Cullen
for his openness and hearty simplicity,
| and wished 10 live on entirely affec-
| tionate terms with him and Hannah,
but, yielding to her husbands In
functions, she observed the restraints
which she saw were unavoidable, yet
strove not to hide her wish that rela-
tions were different. She had been In
the habit of making brief calls when
on the way to OF from the plantation
beyond, and Hannah, as often rs Gull
len consented, had visited her In town,
Only in one matter did she act con-
trary 30 his avowed wishes; that was
the old gent1eman's hostility to Ham
nah and his consequent threats to cut
| Cullen of from en- equal share In his
estate. More than once, Joining with
| her mother-in-law, but employing
greater plainness Of speech, had she re.