The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-11-28
A DIVIDED HOUSE
Story Of the Civil
War in Missouri.
BY SIDNEY Il. POWELL.
No,p First Published.
I.
A WIDOW AND HER SONS.

A WIDOW AND HER SONS.
A glorious sunset, golden tinted
red and purple, threw its lovely light
over the pastures and fields Of ~
western home. A Missouri home,
with it's broad fertile acres, it,
beautiful wooded pastures, ON which
the sleekest OF thoroughbreds were
grazing, Its commodious house and
we'll kept yard. A home fitted for
convenience and comfort rs well -
to be pleasing to the eye. In every
nook and corner everything was In
order, for the owner was a woman
and a woman Of means.
She was, too, an ambitious woman,
and 80 unyielding and determined Ii
her nature, that in some way OBJ
stacles were made to give way be-
fore her. Difficulties only strength
eued her will and made her moro
determined to overcome.
For ten years Mrs. Dabney had
been a widow and had managed her
plantation according to her W will
for her husband had left it to her
Internationally.
For all that time Mrs. Dabney had
been the manager of quite a number
Of slaves, inherited from her father
and her husbands father and had by
her exacting and arbitrary DISPOSE
ton made them her enemies SO that
the ~mutterings Of war in the
fall Of 1855 filed her with dis
may and dread. She knew they
wanted freedom at any price and
their freedom would be ruin and
perhaps death to her.
But Mrs. Dabney had two sons,
John and Charlie, who inheriting their
fathers kindly disposition, were al
together unlike their mother and
had won the affection of the negroes
and held them to the old home
while many others around had made
their way to the free states.
These boys, Mrs. Dabney's sons,
we're very unlike in many respects,
though both resembled their father.
John, the older by three years,
was a sober, sedate, scholarly boy,
now in his sixteenth year. He was
his mothers favorite, for he was
never known to disobey her, nor to
talk back to her. Not even proffer-
ing unasked advice, he was content
to be ruled and governed by the laws
she had made az Interchangeable as
those of the Medes and Persians,
asking no questions and making no
complaints.
Not so Charlie. He was high
spirited, impetuous, full Of life
and fun. Thoughtless and impulsive
he was always the one to suffer from
some mistake or misfortune.
. "Poor CHARLIE" his brother otter
said, sis always the victim"
There was too another inmate Il
this home, o girl who had been th,
, ward of Mr.. Dabney. She was q lit
tie five year old when her parent,
: died and left her to Mr.. and Mrs
Dabney to raise. A timid, sensitiv,
3 child afraid almost OF her own shadow
she came to them from her desolat,
home. She had been the idol Of he,
parents, for she was an only child
, and so lovely in person and DISPOSE
tion 1t would have been strange 1
anyone could have refrained from
loving her.
Her ma ne was Ellie Dean, an,
! since she had grown large enough t,
I be useful many times did the nous
. ring with, "Elfe rum" "ElHe b
quick" do this or that. Could 1t
walls have have repeated the sound
!, !, within, no name would have echoe,
!, and r%e-echoed like Elhe's, and sh
9 was Always willing to respond
< Feeling her loneliness and Deepen
: dence she sought in every way :
: win the sympathy and love her hesr
n craved. Mrs. Dabney was nc
Q unkind to the little orphan. Oh
9 wanted to raise her right, to teac
! her to be as industrious, frugal an
sedate as she herself was. Indee
v she saw no reason that Ellie shout
n desire things that she did not, an
= that she should despise things this
y she liked. II she were so foolish an
wicked as to do this Mrs. Dabne
d considered 1t her imperative duty I
le use coercive measures and compt
. her to right thought and action.
But Ellie was very yielding, an
although her likes and dislikes re
10 NAMED unchanged, she would nc
y let her Aunt Mag, as she called hel
find it out. Outwardly she was ODE
d dience itself, but within the will
~ craving for what she herself wanted
strove and struggled with her sens
of duty and love and respect 70
,e Aunt Mag.
ir To John who was so earnest an
practical, she often divulged he
l. trials and difficulties, which wer
many, for Mrs. Dabney seemed I
" take a peculiar pleasure In frustrs
,g ting every desire.
lie On this particular evening OF th
Of beautiful sunset, Ellie was seated 0
., d limestone rock under . large hich
II DRY tree from which the nuts wen
ly falling. 1t stood near the houa
Ill and every spare moment she ran OF