CHAPTER XVIII. A FATHER'S LETTER. Two weeks after the tableaux, Beulah received a letter from her father. We will not vouch for the authenticity of the orthography, but, in other respects, the following is a true copy. "DEAR BEULAH : "Yours of the 18th duly received. We are all comfortable. Your mother and I have missed you unaccountably, but we are much less lonesome now Azariah has got married and fetched his wife home; a nice, industrious young woman your new sister is, just fit for a farmer's wife; none of your hoity-toity high-flyers. "What queer things the live pictures that you describe must be. I am glad our little Beulah did not show herself off to the city folks in one of them. It is never worth while to play a game with folks who know how to play it a great deal better than we do. Medad was mightily tickled to think Harriet Ann came off no better. He says, he believes now that the proud girl is so puffed up with pride, because she has got a little money, that was the reason she did not wish to know him. "Our Medad has of late taken a great fancy for learning. He goes to school this winter, and reads and studies every night till ten or eleven. "Now, Beulah, I must give you a little good advice. Do n't, because you are learning to play on the piano, and other fine accomplishments, do n't go for to forget that you will have one of these days to be a useful woman, and be a comfort to me and to your mother. We go for comfort, and do n't feel as if we could bear to have you come back to us spoiled, and lose all those pretty, winning ways that you used to have. "You always was a good girl, Beulah, and if you should go far away for to change into one of them silly things, such as Medad describes, with the diddle-cum-twiddle walk, (the fellow really has some humor,) it would almost break our hearts. - "People who live in great brick houses often have very little souls, just as you have seen a very small pea in a very large pod. And because a great many people live together where the streets and houses are so blocked up that it's a wonder that each gets his due allowance of air to breathe,- because these people are thus jammed together in a city, it's no reason they should think so much more of themselves, and despise country-people who have always breathed the free air of heaven, without so much as saying, 'By your leave,' to any human being. 66 But, Beulah, your mother and I begin to grow somewhat oldish. We 've been a hard-working couple, and after tugging and toiling so many years we 've got together some thousands for our children. And as you won't have to begin where we did, it 's very well that you should have a better education than we did. Knowledge is a good thing if used rightly. And as to behaviour you can't have a better example than cousin Whately. Our grandmother always said, that Laura was more likely to make a perfect lady than any grandchild she had. "But your mother and I, as I was saying, have got somewhat on the downhill of life, and we can't always jog on together. We 've got to part, and, whichever goes first, the one that 's left will need kindness from the children. Their loving hearts I hope will be the stay of our old age. "Ever since I left off the bitters and toddy, I've been a more sober-minded man. I thank you, dear child, for persuading me to it, and I read my Bible more, and latterly think more about dying, and being fit to die, by living well; and when you come home, Beulah, I shall want you to sit in the chimney-corner, and read the good book loud to us, and sing us sacred hymns with the sweet voice that was given you to praise your Maker. "Give our respects to cousin Whately. I'm glad she has proven such a good friend; you did right not to accept presents. - - but "Azariah and his wife send lots of love, in which Medad desires to join. Your mother's heart is always full to the brim of love for you, and so is that of your father, "JOAB MORRIS. "P. S. I am sorry to hear of the mishaps that have befallen poor Mrs. Fanshaw. Riches have wings. Tell Zephina I should be right glad to see her at our house; I hope she has n't lost - poor, her appetite. It 's very great nobleness in her to support and be so kind to her mother, wordly woman that she was. Medad's watch proves an uncommon good one, and your mother and I were pleased that he made the purchase. He is a shrewd one, or he would have got taken in. There now, I promised to leave a place for him to write a postcript, and I've most filled up the paper." MEDAD'S P. S. "Do n't tell any body for the world what I am going to tell you. The other day I was reading in a book of poetry and flowers, and there was a little bluish flower with four leaves, called a forget-me-not. Then I examined my watch-case, and lo and behold, it was a forget-me-not! What do you think of that, Beulah? Askyou know who - if she knew the name of it when she worked it for me, and tell her, if she did, I will obey the command till death." -- Beulah wiped away the tears that flowed abundantly during the perusal of this letter, and resolved to go immediately to see Mrs. Fanshaw. |