Aunt Elsie

“ Elsie responded with a happy smile; "'none knew her but to love her,' none can live in her constant companionship without finding it one of the greatest blessings of their lives."
"I think you must resemble her, auntie," said Evelyn, with an affectionate, admiring look into Elsie's bright, sweet face."
"It is my desire to do so," she answered, flushing with pleasure. "My dear, precious mother! I could hardly bear to leave her, Eva, even for your uncle's sake."
"But I am very glad you did," quickly returned the little girl. "I am so glad to have you for my aunt." ”

“ Raymond?" she said inquiringly, and with a timid look up into his face.
"Yes," he said, holding out his hand to her with a fatherly smile: "and you, I suppose, are my Lulu's little friend, Evelyn Leland?"
"Yes, sir: we—uncle Lester, aunt Elsie, little Ned, and I—have been away visiting at some distance, and did not hear of—of the baby's bad fall till we came home this afternoon. We are all so sorry, so very sorry! Aunt Elsie is with aunt Vi now; and I—oh! please, sir, may I go to Lulu?" ”

“ Aunt Elsie had now been a member of the family long enough for all to get their bearings, and, with the exception of Jean, they had not only ceased to sigh over the family upheaval, but openly rejoiced in the new member’s presence. “What would we do without Aunt Elsie!” was a sentiment that in varying forms of expression was now constantly heard in the household, but never from Jean.
That young woman, as she waited at the corner for her car, on the afternoon in question, shook herself irritably, as if to shake off some annoyance. It was her way of expressing dissatisfaction with herself. ”

“ I shall be glad for papa; but O Aunt Elsie, what can I do without him?"
"God will help and comfort you, dear child; he will be your father," Elsie said with emotion. "'A Father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.'"
"It is a very sweet promise," said Evelyn. "Aunt Elsie, I wish I knew that was a true, a real occurrence—that story of Dives and Lazarus; for then I should be quite sure that angels do come to carry home Christians when they die, and that they would come for papa ”

“ Evelyn. "I am eager to have you begin, Aunt Elsie."
"Perhaps I may be able to do so this evening," returned her aunt; "but now I must give my orders for the day, and then it will be time for our drive."
"What does your mamma say?" asked Lester of Evelyn, when Elsie had left them alone together.
"Not very much that I care for, uncle," sighed the little girl. "She's in good health, but very tired of foreign cookery; wishes she could have such a breakfast every morning as she has been accustomed to at home. Still she enjoys the sights, and thinks it may be a year, or longer, before she gets back. ”

“ I think you will suit very well for an uncle,” laughed Max; “an uncle for my child since you have ceased to be one for myself.”
“Yes, I prefer to be your brother,” was Harold’s response to that.
“Grace is much pleased with her little niece,” said Evelyn, “and with the thought of being an aunt; as Lucilla is, also.”
“Yes, and the little cousins, too,” said Grandma Elsie, coming in at that moment. “Ah, she is waking now; see, her eyes are open. Suppose you let me carry her into the dressing-room again and let them refresh their eyes with another sight of the dear little face.” ”

“ A faint tinge of color came to the little girl's cheek, her eyes sparkled, and, clasping her little, thin hands together, she exclaimed, "Oh! can it really be true that I shall see my own dear father? and do you think he will love me, Aunt Adelaide?"
"Yes, indeed, darling; he says he loves you dearly, and longs to have you in his arms."
Elsie's eyes filled with happy tears.
"Now you must try to be very calm, darling, and not let the good news hurt you," said her aunt kindly; "or I am afraid the doctor will say you are not well enough to see your papa when, he comes." ”

“ I can't ever make up to her for—for hurting her so, though I did not mean to do it."
"Of course not: you couldn't be so cruel toward any baby, but especially your own sweet little sister," was the gentle, sweet-toned reply. "I am rejoiced, especially for you, my dears, and for your mamma, that your father is going to settle down here; for I know it will add greatly to your happiness, he is such a good husband and father, and you will so enjoy having a home of your own."
"Yes, aunt Elsie: we think it is the best thing that could have happened to us," replied Max. ”

“ Dearest Aunt Elsie,—I am all alone. It’s really rather nice. I think it’s a little tiring being so much with men. They are so exacting, don’t you think so? However, to-day they have left me alone and I don’t feel deserted or in the least unhappy, but I should love to see you, if only for a minute. I don’t know why, but I feel I should like to have some one to laugh with. You are such a splendid laugher. Uncle Marcus has gone on a kind of a scientific expedition. He wants very much to take what John calls photograph-ees of sea-birds on their nests, and he has taken all the men with him. ”

“ Ned and Zoe start this morning for home. The rest will stay a week or so longer, and our cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Keith, and their daughter, Annis, will soon follow with the expectation of spending the winter as mamma's guests."
"Will you excuse me, Aunt Elsie, if I open my letter now just for a peep?" asked Evelyn with a slight shy smile.
"No, my dear, certainly not; as I never do the like myself, but always wait patiently till the meal is over," returned the young aunt with playful irony. ”

“ If papa should undertake to give me such an order, I'd just inform him that my hair was my own, and I should arrange it as suited my own fancy."
"I think you are making yourself out worse than you really are, Enna," said Elsie gravely. "I am sure you could never say anything so extremely impertinent as that to grandpa."
"Impertinent! Well, if you believe it necessary to be so very respectful, consistency should lead you to refrain from reproving your aunt." ”

“ She was talking of their expected guests.
"I am so glad they are coming, papa," she said, "for I hope it will cheer you and do you much good to see your brother."
"And sister," he added with a faint smile; "your Aunt Elsie is a very lovely and interesting woman."
"Yes, but I hope they will let me have my father to myself sometimes," she said, laying her cheek lovingly against the hand that was clasping hers. "I'm hardly willing to share you even with Uncle Lester."
"No, not all the time," he responded; "we must have an hour alone together now and then. ”

“ Grandma Elsie paused, her eyes filled with tears, her lips trembling with emotion.
"Oh, how wonderful it was that Jesus bore it all, when even without a word He could have made every one of those dreadful persecutors die," said Elsie Dinsmore.
"Yes," said her aunt; "His love and compassion for us sinners was wonderfully great. Oh, how we should love Him, how carefully obey all His commands! Ah, how sweet it is [Pg 93] to belong to Him! 'Since He is mine and I am His, what can I want beside.'"
"Grandma, I want to belong to Him," said Alie Leland; "how shall I get to be His, and know that I am?" ”

“ Mamma is so dear and sweet, almost as dear as papa himself. And Horace—well, I can't believe there ever was quite such another darling to be found," Elsie continued, with a light, joyous laugh.
"Ah!" said Aunt Wealthy with a sigh and a smile, "it is a good and pleasant thing to be young and full of life and gayety, and to have kind, wise parents to look to for help and guidance. You will realize that when you grow old and have to be a prop for others to lean upon instead." ”

“ Did you ever hear me speak of Aunt Wealthy Stanhope?"
His glance seemed to direct the question to Rose, who answered, with a look of surprise and curiosity, "No, sir. Who is she?"
"A half-sister of my own mother. She was the daughter of my maternal grandfather by his first wife, my mother was the child of the second, and there were some five or ten years between them. Aunt Wealthy never married, would never live with any of her relatives, but has always kept up a cosey little establishment of her own."
"Do you know her, papa?" asked Elsie, who was listening with eager interest. ”

“ Haven't you had offers?"
"Several; money has strong attractions for most men, papa tells me."
"May the Lord preserve you from the sad fate of a woman married for her money, dear child!" ejaculated Aunt Wealthy, with a glance of anxious affection at her lovely niece. "I'm sometimes tempted to think a large amount of it altogether a curse and an affliction."
"It is a great responsibility, auntie," replied Elsie, with a look of gravity beyond her years. ”

“ Aunt Elsie thought she deserved some praise, and Diana allowed she had been too clever for words.
“But think of the cost,” said Aunt Elsie, aching for sympathy.
Diana affected surprise. Did Aunt Elsie mean that she minded what Uncle Marcus thought of her? “It wasn’t as if you wanted to marry him, darling?” she said, seeking to comfort her.
Marry him? Elsie was horrified at the mere thought; but argued that, although you might not [Pg 267] want to marry a man, you might not necessarily want to appear an idiot in his eyes. ”

“ I think I know what that et cetera means, auntie, don't I?" laughed Elsie, as she hastened to obey.
"Dear me! how very wise some people are," said her aunt, smiling and nodding good-naturedly. "But make haste, my dear, for the carriage is at the door."
When Elsie laid her head upon her pillow that night she acknowledged to herself, that in spite of her father's absence—and she had, at times, missed him sadly—the day had been a very short and pleasant one to her, owing to her Aunt Adelaide's thoughtful kindness in taking her out into new scenes, and giving agreeable occupation to her thoughts. ”

“ Their visitor had gone, and Elsie turned to her aunt to say good-night.
"Something is wrong with you, child; can't you tell the trouble to your old auntie, and let her try to comfort you?" Miss Stanhope asked, putting an arm about the slender waist, and scanning the sweet face, usually so bright and rosy, now so pale and agitated, with a look of keen but loving scrutiny. ”

“ Nobody's being cheated: they are both going to get what they would really choose if they had a chance, and to escape what might be very uncomfortable, and so are we. We're both Elsies, and about the same age, and have brown eyes: if Uncle John were to take his pick, wouldn't he take a quiet, dignified, ladylike Elsie, instead of a harum-scarum one with short hair that was mad for the stage? And Aunt Milly being rather frail, I should have driven her to drink, while you're used to an invalid aunt. ”

“ Grandma Elsie.
CHAPTER VI. "We have had a nice day—a very nice one, I think," remarked Elsie Raymond, as they sat on the deck of the Dolphin pursuing their homeward way.
"Where are you going to take us to-morrow, papa?"
"That is a question for the majority of the older people to decide," replied the captain, softly stroking her curls—for she was seated upon his knee—and smiling down affectionately into her eyes.
"That means grandma and mamma, and uncle and aunt, I suppose," said the little girl, looking round inquiringly upon them. "Please, dear, good folks, won't you all say what you want?" ”

“ Ray spent most of the time with her aunt, unpacking and regulating, and stooping over boxes and baskets and reaching up to hooks and shelves that were all beyond the powers of the little lame woman. Much planning had been necessary in order to lodge many things in a small space, for Aunt Elsie had certainly brought many things. Jean grumbled over that fact in her characteristic way: “Whatever Uncle Evarts and Aunt Caroline meant, that little woman has evidently planned to spend her life with us.” ”

“ He wouldn’t, rather not. “But, I say, what’s [Pg 34] this about Diana and this London business and Aunt Elsie? Rough on her, isn’t it?”
“No, darling, I don’t think so. I want Diana to have some fun.”
“There’s lots at Aunt Elsie’s. There are the dogs, they’re good fun, and the rabbits, and the farm. There’s always something to do there. Aunt Elsie is jolly good fun, isn’t she?”
“So is Uncle Marcus.” ”

“ One of the first to approach her and hold out his hand, was Beverly Randolph.
"You're a trump, Elsie," he said, in his blunt, boyish way. "It takes a lot of pluck to get up and say a thing like that. Let's shake hands and be friends." And at that moment Elsie was happier than she had been in months.
"I think I'll just stop a minute to say good-night to Aunt Jessie," remarked Marjorie, as they were going up to their apartment in the lift. "I don't believe she has gone to bed yet if Dr. Randolph is spending the evening. Tell Aunt Julia I'll be right up, Elsie." ”

“ A week after he returned to school, he received a letter from his mother, telling him that Mr. Capon had not only written, but sent a messenger to enquire about the girl named Elsie Winn. But he found that they had moved away from the neighbourhood, and no one seemed to know where they had gone, or cared to talk about them.
"Let this satisfy you now, my dear boy," wrote his mother in conclusion. "We have done what we could to find your aunt, and failed. We have done our duty, and we can do no more." ”

“ Aunt Phillis, Aunt Chloe, Uncle Joe, and the rest of the house-servants, gathered in a semicircle around it, while beyond, the men, women, and children from the quarter sat or lay upon the grass, enjoying the rest from the toils of the week, the quiet, the balmy air laden with the fragrance of the magnolia and orange, and all the sweet sights and sounds of rural life in that favored region.
Every one rose at the appearance of their young mistress, and there were murmurs of delight and gratitude coming from all sides. ”