Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-05-09

WOulu DOt liStcu 10 my eApldnaUlOn
but. grasping my arm. she shook me
roughly, and then. after box ng my
ears, showed me towards the staircase,
| declaring, that as a punishment for my
| ungrateful conduct, | would not be per.
mitted to speak for month except
| when answering questions. l crept ur
| stairs as fast as my blinded tears would
permit, and throwing myself upon my
| bed, gave way to violent outburst oil
grief. Only q fortnight before, had.
in dumb agony, listened to the clods
rafting upon the coffin-lid of my dear
father, who all my life, had shielded
me from hardship. The dear old par
sonage. with its vine-clad porch, rose
up before me. and in its shadow / be-
held my silver haired father doz ng in
his chair, the golden rays of sum-
mer-sunset touching his sainted face as
with the pencil of an angel. Again,
his gentle voice thrilled my soul as in
the days and years gone by, and in fan
cy the magic touch of his trembling
fingers cooled the fever of my ach II Q
brow. No doubt NV father intended to
prepare me for the shock that had
shattered my life. but the summons
came suddenly. and while / slept the
angels carried him into the great Be-
yond. How long l would have wept
over my crushed hopes cannot tell,
had not Aunt Phill!s' shrill voice called
me back to duty.
Take 'em white dimity curtains
down from the window, Elsie. Like as
not the master will spatter 'em with
terbacker juice" she said. Then
come down and wash the Dishes" l
obeyed her. promptly but my heart
ached for Master Neville, who expect
ed to find the comforts of his refined
home in this diminutive apartment,
stripped alike of ornament and con-
venience. What different welcome
was my dear old father won't to give
TO the stranger within his gate!
That same evening, as l was gat he r
ing chips for the morning fire. John
came unexpectedly upon me. and re-
newed his attack of the morning.
so, Miss Stuck-up. you are to be
the lady, and | the servant" he began.
Really | feel proud of my smart
cousin. How fortunate to have your
highness counted one of the family.
Shame on YOU, boy, to torment
girl younger imam YourScll.
1t was Master Neville's voice that
started the young coward, causing him
to sneak around the kitchen out of
sight. After speaking a few kind
words to me. my champion went into
the house. and up the crooked stairs
to his chcerless room. John taunt
concerning nv kinship nerved me to
action, and from that moment l set
my face tixedly towards gaining
place from which he would feel honor
ed in claiming me as one of the fam
lily. This resolution accounted for the
tallow-dip burning in my bare room
long after even Master Neville had
extinguished his light and sought re-
that first night l had marked out
regular course of study which was to
occupy every spare moment. 1t seem.
ed to me that l had grown old in the
last two weeks. l could not realize
that was the same happy child who
had danced so merrily IN and out of
the parsonage door so short a time be-
fore. If l could only have staid with
Margaret, dear Margaret. who had
taken me when an infant from my dy-
ing mothers arms and cared for me
during all the fifteen years of my life.
She would have chung to me faithfully
had not the death of my father left
her in her old age as helpless and de-
pendent as myself. Dear Margaret.
will yet make home for you, and
together we will eat the bread of indie
pendence. l cried. bitterly. Strong
in my determination to succeed, l
gathered my school, books from the
bottom of the old chest, and took up
the untin shed lessons that my father
had marked out the day before he
died. Thanks to his thorough method
manner in which he strove to present
the great truths he taught / was not
only well advanced for girl of fifteen,
but l possessed that inordinate love
for books that makes study pleasure
instead of task.
Much as l shall always despise John
for his cowardly treatment of q friend
less orphan, l cannot but feel grateful
to him for uttering the singing words
that aroused me from my stony grief,
and opened up new source of enjoy
ment to nv starving soul. Every mo-
ment could steal from aunt's watch
full eye was devoted to my books.
One evening she happened to come
| into the pantry when l was replen-
ishing my light. Taking the old sau-
cor from my hand, she said sharply:
Seems to me, Elsie, you use a
mighty sight of tallow. Mind. it costs
like sixty. Miss Jones got seven cents
pound for hern. There is no sense
in great girl like you havin' to carry
a light upstairs every night. Betty
Robbins told me that she had seen a
light in your window all hours of the
night and that folks say you set up to
study. If 1 catch you stealin' your
time to pour over books I'll burn 'em
every one"
She set the old cracked dish on the
upper shelf, and crawled up stairs, dis
couraged but not conquered. just al
this time 1 was wholly absorbed in
Geometry. 1 made it a point to learn
| one new theorem every day, which
mentally worked out at night. In this
way I mastered the whole book, re-
viewing until could have demonstrate
ed every theorem it contained without