Year: 1875

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nose, dropping eyebrows, eyelids and
lips, and q firmly rounded chin, that
somewhat counteracted and contradicted
the istless sadness of the rest of the
face. His hair was turning gray, and
the heavy, golden mustache had one or
two threads of silver, but, with that ex-
ception, he wore no look of age.


Eihu was well but plainly dressed in
a travelling suit of gray. He removed
his hat as he drew near the ladies, with
courteous grace; but he looked in
vain for the warm Welcome from the
second Mrs. Holmes and her daughter
I Grace that he would have received from
his own cousin had she been alive!


Mrs. Holmes bowed to him coldly,
though civilly; and Grace, angry with
him and with herself for the sudden
collapsing of sundry ambitious hopes
which she had never confided to any one
except her mother, swept him her latest
dancing school courtesy, and affected
not to see the hand he held out.
Elihu colored slightly and turned to
Sara, whose large, dark eyes were
fixed with a gaze of tender pity upon
his refined and melancholy face.
You have q face that I ought to
KNOW" he said to her gently. I" You
are your mothers child, dear Sara I
hoped shes would be here to meet me
when came home at last. -.
Sara's heart was already full, and this
reference to her dead mother caused her.
tears to overflow.


"Dear Cousin Elihu, " said she, taking
his hand in both hers, "my mother re-
membered and loved you to the last day
of her life. She would have been glad
indeed to see you here once more. I
am glad, too. All my life long I have
looked forward to your coming


"But you did not expect to see me
leturn so poor" said Ehhu, sighing.


Poor or rich, it matters little" re-
piled Sara, fervently. "You are here at
home once more, and that is enough to
make US all rejoice"


Aye" said Elihu, looking from her
beaming countenance to the cold faces
of the rest. "I should have been glad
to bring gold enough to make me wei
come. But what has happened has
happened, and do not wish to complain.
Cousin Joshua, for my cousins sake,
and for the sake of the old times when
you and I were boys together, suppose
you will let me stay at the old homestead
for few days ?"


"Eh2 Oh To be sure Stay and
welcome, Cousin Elihu," stammered the
farmer, who feeling the eyes of his
wife and his daughter Sara fixed upon
him, was like man between two fires.


So it was settled, and Sara flew about
Like good fairy, to prepare supper for
the wanderer, and afterward to set in Or
der his room and bed. At nine O'Clock
he retired, and then the storm burst
forth. N


The second Mrs. Holmes inquired,
shrilly, if their house was to be turned
into "poor farm" and made the abid-
ing place of every shiftless creature who
had wasted his substance in riotous liv-
ing among "those negroes "-ouly to
come, at the last, without penny in his
pocket, to be supported by those who
had the misfortune to be related to him
in a very distant way.


Mr.. Holmes said, meekly, that "it
wasn't likely Elihu would want to stay
long, and that as he had once redeemed
the farm, which was heavily mortgaged,
with his own money, and given a deed of
the place to his first wife, he didn't very
well see how he could refuse him q shell
ter there if he claimed it. For q time, ut
least, he added, nervously, seeing his
second wife's black eyebrows knitting
themselves together in a way that he had
learned to dread.


Grace upheld her mother in all her de-
nunciations; though Sara thought, pri-
yately, that it would have been more
delicate had she kept silence, since, as
the daughter OF Mrs. Holmes by former
marriage, she could not be supposed to
have any great interest, pecuniary or
otherwise, In the disposition of the
homestead farm. fH


p As for Ben, like most boys of thirteen,
he was on the side Of right against
might, and he did not scruple to say
that, for his part, he hoped Cousin
Elihu would stay there forever; and that
he was sure, as he had redeemed Che
farm, that he had perfect right to do
80. His sister Sara could have kissed
him for the answer, but she kept
silence.


The days went on. By every art that
q mean and paltry spirit could invent,
Mrs. Holmes the second showed plainly
to Elihu how unwelcome he was beneath
her roof-tree. AS for Grace, she simply
ignored him. And Mr.. Holmes, though
he would gladly have been both grateful
nightly curtain lectures, hours long.
that he dared not show the ruined man
any attention, and only looked at him
wistfully now and then, as if wondering
when he would be gone.


Elihu's plate, knife and fork were
placed upon the table at every meal,
it is true. He Jared as the rest Jared,
and his room and bed were the best in
the house.


But this was Sara's doing. To her and
to Ben he owed each moment of happi.
ness that ne enjoyed in the old house.