Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-03-31
Sunny Bank Farm
FLOYD LIVINGSTON
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ner indicating how much interest sSe felt
in the answer
Not very soon," returned Tom. "Ie
is tired Of the city, he says, and besides
that he wishes 70 avoid the unpleasant
remarks his elopement will necessarily
OCCASION"
More like he wishes to avoid intro
ducing his bride into society, which he
knows has no wish to receive her." NUT
tered Ada
Tom paid no attention to this spiteful
speech, but continued, He has drawn
his money from the bank, and with it he
intends purchasing a farm in the west
ern part of New York"
An admirable PLAN" again interrupt
ed Ada. THAT Lee girl is just calcu-
lated for a farmers wife"
Taken alone, there was nothing par
ticularly disagreeable in the three words
that Lee girl but spoken by Ada Mon
trose they sounded insultingly, and every
time she uttered them l felt my blood
boil, for l, toe. was a Lee girl, and
was sure she included me in the same
contemptuous category. AS Herbert had
SAID, | did not think the disappointment
would break her heart She was too an
CRY for that, and | believe now, as | did
then, that most of her feeling arose from
the modification of knowing that a poor
country GIRL as she called .anna. was
preferred to herself For half an hour
or more Tom Wilson and my aunt con-
versed together, she asking him az least
dozen times IF he did not think Her
bert could be induced to return" At
last, with quivering lips and flushed
cheeks, as if it cost her pride a great
effort, she said, "Of course mean Anna
too, when | speak OF Herbert return
She is his wife, you say, and though l
might perhaps wish it otherwise. it can
not now be helped, and if he only would
come back to me, l should love her for
his sake"
In my heart 1 blessed her for these
words, and mentally resolved to leave no
argument untried which might bring the
fugitives back. But it could not be. Her
bert was decided he said He meant to
be farmer and live in the country, add
ing what he knew would silence his moth
er sooner than aught else he could say,
that temptations for him to drink were
far greater in the city than in the coun-
try, and it was for this reason partly
that he preferred living in the latter
place"
And so my aunt yielded the point: but
from the day of her sons desertion there
was in her a perceptibe change Far
oftener was she found in the house of
prayer, and less frequently was she seen
in places of amusement, while more than
once ! heard her in secret asking that her
Maynard boy might be shielded from the
great temptation.
Sunny Bank Station! Stop FIVE min
utes for refreshments shouted the CON
ductor; and alighting from the noisy.
crowded cars, stood once more in my
own native town, gazing with a feeling
of delight upon the hills, dotted over
with the old-fashioned gable-roofed
houses, and upon the green, grassy mead
ow, through which rolled the blue wat
ers. l had not stood thus long when
broad hand was laid upon my shoulder,
and the next instant my arms were
around the neck of my father, who, l
thought, had changed much since l last
saw him. 1t was the loss of Anna, /
! fancied; and when we at last were on
our way home, / FASTENED TO speak of
her, and TO tell him of the favorable re-
port we heard of Herbert. But naught
which said seemed to rouse him; and at
last l. too. fell into the same thoughtful
mood in which even old Sorrel shared,
for he moved with his head down. When.
at last, we reached the hill top. from
which could be seen long row of apple
trees, now in full bloom, | started up cX-
claiming, Home, sweet home! 1t never
looked half so beautiful to me before"
They all had an air of melancholy
which puzzled me, and when l was alone
with Lizzie, ] asked her the cause why
they looked so bad? Bursting into tears,
she replied, This is not our home any
| longer. We must leave it and go, we
don't know where Pa has signed notes
for Uncle Thomas. who has failed, and
now the homestead must be sold to pay
his debts"
1t was as Lizzie had said Uncle
Thomas Harding was my mothers broth
er, who lived in Providence, in far great
er style, it was said, than he was able
to support. Several times had Aunt
Harding visited us, together with her
two daughters, Ellen and Theodosia.
They were proud naughty girls, and evil
IDENTIFY looked upon US, their country
cousins, with contempt, only tolerating us
place in the country where to while away
a few weeks, which. in the heated, dusty
city. would otherwise hang heavily lpon
their hands. In return for all this, they
sometimes gave us an old collar, silk
apron. a soiled ribbon, or broken parasol
and once, when my parents visited
them, they sent us trunkful of rub
bish. My father. who was warmly at
tached TO my Uncle Thomas, lent him
money from time TO time. and signed
notes to the amount of several thousand
dollars. never once dreaming that in the
end he would be ruined, while my uncle,
influenced by his .aore crafty wife, man
aged in some unaccountable ws~ 20 main
tain nearly the same style of living as
formerly. and Il his proud daughters
ever felt the ills of poverty. it was GER
tainly not apparent in the rich silks and
costly furs which they continued to sport.
Ii was terrible blow 10 us all, but
upon no one did il fall so heavily as upon
my father, crushing him TO the earth. and
rendering him nearly as powerless MS is
the giant oak when torn from its par
ent bed by the wrathful storm. The old
homestead was endeared to him by a
thousand hallowed associations. 1t was
the home of his hoyhood. and around the
cheerful fires, which years ago were kin
died on its spacious hearthstone, he had
played with those who long since had
passed from his side, some to mingle in
the great drspa of life, and others to
that world where they number not by
years. There. too. in his early manhood
had he brought his bride. my gentle
mother, and on the rough bark of the
towering NAPLES. by the side of his own
and his brothers names, we're carved
those of his children. all save little ia
mic. who died ere his tiny fingers had
learned the use of knife or hammer. No
wonder, then. that his head grew dizzy
and his heart sick as he thought of leav-
ING It forever: and when AT last the Try
ing moment came. when with trembling
hand he signed the deed which made him
homeless. he laid his weary heSd upon