The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-02-19
A PACKAGE OF old LETTERS
At home once more /.

At home once more,
cali il my home My mother had
died when / was very young, and my
father married again. When / was
fourteen years of age my father died,
leaving hardly property enough to sup
port my step-mother and the two
children that We're here. Still, there
was a sum set apart by my fathers
will for my education, and it had been
placed in the hands of my Aunt Dor
cas-, who was 10 see that il was proper
ly applied; and from that time re-
garded my aunt as my protector and
guide, and her house became my home.
In those other years there came a
beautiful girl sometimes TO see my
mother, and after my father died she
lived with my mother all the time.
She was my step-mothers niece and
/ her name was Leonora Carter. She
was not only the most. beautiful girl
had ever seen, but she was one of the
| best.
Time wore on, and my freedom day
was close at hand. / had graduated
with honor, and my aunt was delight
ell ; and all that now remained was for
me to select what profession | would
follow, and go into preparation for it.
During my stay at college / had cor
responded with Leonora as often as
was proper, and her love was the polar
star of my ambition.
Three months before i left college,
Leonora went away TO visit a distant
relative, and was gone until | had
/ graduated. She returned a few days
before did. But you will understand
that we did not return TO the same
town. ] came home to my aunt's,
while Leonora lived with my step
mother in the adjoining town. As
soon as | got home | sat down and
wrote a long letter to my love, telling
her that / should be one-and-twenty in
very few days; that was going into
busines for myself, and that | wanted
her to be my wife.
posted the letter and no answer
came. / waited a week, and then |
wrote again. / inquired if Miss Car
ter was at home. She was. / wrote
third letter and at the end of a third
week | was still without an answer.
In the meantime / heard something
said about a young man of the name
of John Walworth, who boarded with
my stepmOther. He and Leonora
were very much together, it had been
said. He was handsome and accom-
plished, and was doing an excellent
business; and more than one mother
had thought of him a. good match
for her marriageable daughter. Good
heavens, Was il possible? / sat down
aud wrote once more. This letter
carefully posted myself, and | waited
anxiously for reply. | felt sure she
would send me some sort of word but
she did not. / waited week and the
last spark of hope died.
l forgot to say that when | came
home from college found my cousin,
Hitty, stopping with my aunt. She
was sixteen.
One day my aunt asked me to ride
over to Berkeley, and do some business
for her / told her | would, and at the
same time resolved that / would call
at my stepmother's and see Leonora.
| While the groom was Harvesting the
| horse, Hitty declared that she would
go with me. Aunt was willing, and |
could not object. So away we went
together, and as we rode through the
village of Berkley we met Leonora.
She was walking, and John Wolworth
was by her side. / did not then re-
| feet that it was the dinner hour, and
that Walworth might have accident
ally fallen in with Leonora on his way
to his meal. only thought of my
unanswered letters, and my soul was
filled with jealousy of the most poig-
nant kind. Hitty asked me what was
the matter; | told her | had head
ache, and she pitied me as only girl
like her can pity. And / thought, as
| looked upon the happy face by my
side, "Why not east off the false love,
and take this in its place" But it was
more easily said than done. That old
love was too deeply rooted to be east
oil.
IL was near the middle of the after
noon when | called at my stepmother's.
/ know that Leonora was in the pIrlor
saw her rise and pass by the window;
bat she had left the room before en-
tered, and though | remained there an
hour she did not make her appearance.
did not ask for her. She knew that
/ was in the parlor, and yet she avoid
ed me. Was it not clear enough that
had lost her?
spoke with my stepmother about
John Walworth, and she praised him
in extravagant terms.
At the end of an hour / took my
leave. Before calling for the horse
Hitty wished to go to the postoffice to
see if there were any letters there for
her, as she had intended, when she had
left home, to spend some time at Berk-
ley. We found the office in one cor
ner OF John Walworth's store. He
waited upon us. There were two let
ters for my cousin.
looked at Walworth, and he looked
ed at me. | fancied that he regarded
me with feeling of triumph. In short,