Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-01-06

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light, subdued by the blackened chim-
ney and the insects, fell upon COM
mon red tablecloth, greasy in spots,
not too clean anywhere. upon which
was spread the food commonly con-
sumed by the family.
It also fell upon the faces ofthe diff
ferent members of the Mills family,
grouped unsystematically about the
red tablecloth; upon the heavy face
OF the father, bending over his plate
sullenly, and on the bland face of the
mother who, hopeless of Happiness in
her earthly life, had turned to heaven
ly things, looking forward. to man.
sion in the skies, since her earthly
habitation had been the ,humblest OF
cottages.
At her right hand sat her fayorite
son, James. Beside this young man
sat his sister, girl OF about sixteen,
who would have been pretty but fer
two slovenly buttons unfastened of
the throat of her calico gown. A
younger brother occupied the seat
next to his mother on her right
hand, and near him sat Luella, baby
on either side.
"l'll take some moro meat. pm. -
said James, passing his plate for the
third time.
The father raised his head. "What
say?" he asked, for he was very deaf
unless two heads nodded together
whispering.
"Give me some more meat" re.
peated James.
"There amt no MORE" said the
father. ''It's all gone.
"That comes OF havin' two extras in
the family when there amt enough
meat to go 'round as it's" growled
James.
And they oil looked ut Luella, before
whom the insects about the lamp sud-
denly SWAN iu kind of mist. She
raised her cup to her lips and choked
as she tried to drink The muddy coffee.
She rose, coughing, and left the table
going ont through the kitchen door
into the back yard, she sank down al
the foot OF a little tree, all trembling
aud crying, her wet face in her apron.
The fit of crying grew upon her, she
shook with sobs and little gaspine
means; she grovelled in~~the wet
grass, her face pressing against its
cooling green, her nails sunk in her
palms.
Does our Mother Earth sometimes
comfort her children in their distress
Something IN the smell of. the earthly
soarIb, ID tos nlefs eontas5 WIN Tue
sweet, green, dewy carpet soothed
Luella's heert. Presently she ceased
to writhe aud moan; she only sobbed
now and. then like hurt and tired
child upon the bosom of its mother.
After awhile she grew entirely quiet,
turning her face sidewise and looking
out at the brooding night, at the
myriads of twinkling stars in the
pprplish dome overhead, and at the
tirefies dancing here and there in the
long, waving grasses.
AS she lay there something of the
nights quiet stole into her brain, and
calmly, without any of that acute
agitation that had shaken her at first,
she began to think over her past life.
She had married early-too early
in order to get away from this poor
home, which was always on the verge
of penury, and always had been rs far
back as she could remember; AMI
she had not been happy. Her
married life had been made up
of petty quarrels, which had
finally ended in her return to this
neagre home nest with her children.
EIer brothers. taunt was common
one; but perhaps to night the flesh
was unusually weak. She found it
impossible to endure the lash in ST.
lence. She had felt like turning upon
them and blazing out in one great
flash of indignation. and she had only
come out here i'll the night to weep
and wiring her hands alone; she was
o-poor worm she would not dare let
them see she had made the feeblest
attempt to turn.
She was an usurper, they had made
her understand that from the first. A
bird once mated has no right to return
to the home nest. She was taking the
very bread out of their mouths; and
yet she had earned her living since
the first day of her arrival; she had
been the household drudge at the beck
and call of every member of the
family.
She clinched her hands as she
thought of the cruel taunting OF the
little sister, whom, as baby, she had
carried about in her arms.
Her mother did not openly reproach
her, but she was not the less cruel.
Leading her life OF perfection, it was
her custom to read daily from some
passage of Scripture, and latterly she
had invaribly chosen this text: '.For
this cause shall man leave father and
mother and cleave unto his wife, and
they two shall be one flesh. There
fore what God hath joined together,
let no man put asunder."
And Luella knew her meaning right
well. It was as plain to her aa if her