Stories and Sketches | Page 8

a sweet peace and hopeful trust settled over his spirit, and the
religion he had sought in health afforded him a firm support in the hour
of death. When all was over, and the mother and daughter found
themselves left alone, their fortitude well-nigh forsook them, and they
felt almost like yielding to a hopeless sorrow. Emma was at this time
but fifteen years of age, possessed of much personal beauty, and also a
very amiable and affectionate disposition. Since the age of six years she
had attended school, and made rapid progress in her various studies till
the sad period of her father's death. As Mr. Ashton had foreseen, Mr.
Tompkins, the man who held the mortgage, soon called upon the
widow, informing her that the time had already expired, and, unless she
found herself able to meet the claim, her dwelling was legally his
property; but, as a great favor, he granted her permission to occupy the
house till she could make some arrangement concerning the future,
giving her, however, distinctly to understand, that he wished to take
possession as soon as she could find another home. Mrs. Ashton
thanked him for the consideration he had shown her, little as it was,
telling him she would as soon as possible seek another home, however
humble it might be; and Mr. Tompkins departed with a polite bow and

a bland smile upon his countenance, well pleased that he had got the
matter settled with so little difficulty. I presume he never once paused
to think of the grief-stricken widow and her fatherless daughter, whom
he was about to render homeless. Money had so long been his idol that
tender and benevolent emotions were well-nigh extinguished in his
world-hardened heart. For a long time after Mr. Tompkins left the
house Mrs. Ashton remained in deep thought. There are, dear reader,
dark periods in the lives of most of us, when, turn which way we will,
we find ourselves surrounded, as by a thick hedge, with difficulties and
troubles from which we see no escape.
At such periods it is good for us to call to mind the fact, that the darkest
cloud often has a silver lining, and that if we discharged, to the best of
our ability, our duties for the time being, the cloud, sooner or later, will
be reversed, and display its bright side to our troubled view. The time
had now arrived, when Mrs. Ashton must come to some decision
regarding the future. She had no friends to whom she could turn for aid
or counsel in this season of trial. When quite young she had emigrated
from England with her parents and one sister, and settled in Eastern
Canada. About the time of her marriage and removal to W. her parents,
with her sister, removed to one of the Western States; and it may be the
knowledge that she must rely solely upon herself enabled her to meet
her trials with more fortitude than might have been expected. Some
fifty miles from W. was the large and thriving village of Rockford, and
thither Mrs. Ashton at length decided to remove. One reason for this
decision was the excellent institution for the education of young ladies,
which was there located. She was very anxious that her daughter should
obtain a good education, but was sorely puzzled as to raising the money
needful for defraying her expenses. There were a few debts due her
husband at the time of his death; these she collected with little
difficulty. Their dwelling had been handsomely furnished, and she
decided to sell the furniture, as she could easily, upon their arrival at
Rockford, purchase what articles were necessary for furnishing their
new home, which must, of necessity, be humble. One article she felt
they must retain if possible, and that was the piano given her by her
father at the period of her marriage. She did at first entertain the idea of
parting with it, thinking how far the money it would bring would go in

defraying the expenses attendant upon Emma's education, but upon
second consideration, she resolved that they would not part with her
father's parting gift to her, unless compelled to do so by actual want;
and so when their old home was broken up the piano was carefully
packed and forwarded to Rockford. The home where they had resided
so long was very dear to them, and it would have grieved them, to leave
it at any time; but to leave at the glad season of spring, when the trees
which shaded their dwelling were beginning to put forth their leaves,
and the flowers which adorned their garden were bursting into bloom,
seemed to them doubly sad. But their preparations for removal were
finally completed, and they left their