The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-03-07

E&8~ liz AA AsN~
TX sitting room. Heaven
Knows who wrought It
= "a marvellous. awful
.necirnen of art worthy Of even Sir
walter Scots Dick Tinto in est.
Romans Well" But all tn efriends
,gho love her-and everybody is her
If end, and everybody loves her
know her only as Aunt Emily
She lives in a house in the suburbs
IF the city which is many years Older
han she is for she was born in it, and
was the Youngest child Of a large fam
,}v. They are. all gone now except
her; some sleeping in the old cemetery
On the banks of Cross Creek; the dust
If some who died under strange eyes
and strange hands mouldering away
in far off burying grounds. Three
brothers fell IN harness in the mad
race for fame and fortune; one gave
I'D his life on a Virginia battlefield
one passed away with the ships that
went down in deep waters, and never
We're sighted more"
Aunt Emily has trodden deep in
The wine press. The world has had
many a frown for her, and fortune
many q singing lash, dear old soul,
/ heard that in her young womanhood
she loved "a man, who protested an
ardent return of that love, but turned
his back upon her for a rirl with q
pile Of money. But it h scar OF
that wound is on that generous, loyal,
long-suffering heart, it is too sacred q
hing for me to ban to the public
gaze.
Aunt Emily has many visitors;
for, as / have said, h is greatly be-
loved, and many, young and old, sc
70 her for advice in difficulties AND
comfort in trouble, for she is a wise
land d adviser, and a sweet, mother
Iy comforter. Even the surroundings
Of her home, like the house and like
her, are old timey. but very pleasant
and attractive. Two tall Lombardy
poplars, the old-fashionedest tree iT
the world, stand on each side OF the
front gate. while the yard is sheltered
by crepe myrtle, mimosa and China
trees. with one ancient majestic Q a
! oVershadowing all.
I do not know that the soil o.
Aunt Emily's' front ward is espe.
ally fertile but I do not believe tina
I ever saw any other spot on earth
where grew SO luxuriouS1y n exu'
b~erantly pinks, snow balls and beach,
or buttons. AS for the yellow pas
mine rioting owe tbs queer little
hump-backed front porch, / fully ex
pect, on going to Aunt Emily's" SOM
morning to find that in the night tn
vine grew all around and over he
while asleep, and carried her ava.
in a golden net to some fair lane
ing IS ever going on more serious O.
less delightful than placid littl,
gTay-fIaired tentlewomen knitting
rrochet-matS; waters babbling an
ripping, and flowers blooming, blush
ing and s~weetening the air with thei
ira GRANGE.
Opening Aunt Emily's' front doc
always reminds me of a couplet
knew in Ghildhood: There's tn,
church, and there's the steeple; opel
the door and there's the people.
trOss the threshold and you hav
Storrned almost the whole castle, 70
the hall IS a large sitting room, tax
ing up all the first floor, except tn
tiny parlor, and extending back f1usl
TO the stairway. 1t a large window
on the right-had side of the door yo1
may find Aunt Emily almost an,
hour of the day with c~rocheting, il
her own faverite rock ng chair, an,
she welcomes you with a smile on he
still pretty mouth, which is ref1ecte,
IN the blue eyes under the gol,
@pectacles, wont to beam ~serenely OF
YOU and the rest Of the world, bu
now and then flashing and sparkling
for Aunt Emily" dear as She is. !
spirit to take care of herself, speal
her mind and rebuke sin and sinners
In the sitting room is a smal
e~bony-WoOd cabinet, surmounted b
an eXquisitely painted majolica ja1
md about this are grouped -four larg
>Sea-shelis, no less eXquisitely carve.
ana finished. This vas a gift from
IL brother travelling in some foreigl
country-one Of those whom 1 hav
described as fall ng in harness in tn
mad race for fame and fortune.
somehow or other, / believe l woul
IKE better to think OF Aunt Emily
AS led by the ravens, or looked afte
ov the birds, or provided for in som
"ther pretty and fanciful way. Bu
IN point Of fact, l have always I'm
.tefstood that when this brother die
III a Northern State after his retur
20 this country, he left his sister