THE

ORPHAN

SISTERS.

-00000

PHILADELPHIA:

PRINTED FOR THE TRACT AND BOOK SOCIETY OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF ST. JOHN.

Joseph Rakestraw, Printer.

1822.

ORPHAN SISTERS.

WILLIAM FORD was the son of a mechanic, who by his industry, sobriety, and skill in business, although he began the world without a single guinea, in a life of sixty years saved money enough to put him apprentice to a hosier, besides leaving him, at his death, sufficient to set up for himself. Although his capital was not large, had he possessed his father's activity and abilities, he might in a few years greatly have increased it; but this was not the case. He was sober, good tempered, and not addicted to any particular vice; but so indolent, as greatly to prefer lounging beside his parlour fire, and playing with his children, to attending to his business, the management of which he left almost entirely to his shopman, in whom he placed implicit confidence.

Mrs. Ford was a violent, tyrannical, vain woman: her affection was very unequally divided between her daughters, and this merely because Rachel, the oldest, although not remarkably plain, had no pretensions to that beauty which Hannah possessed in an uncommon degree. The fondness of this injudicious parent was a real misfortune to her favourite, as it procured for her the indulgence of all her whims and improper wishes.

Although Mr. Ford saw the impropriety of his wife's conduct, and feared that her too great kindness to the one, and harshness towards the other, would ruin the dispositions of both, yet he stood so much in awe of her violent temper, that he dared not interpose. All he ventured to do was, to treat Rachel kindly himself; nor could this wholly escape Mrs.

Ford's censures, and she often accused him of spoiling her.

When the girls attained the age which rendered it necessary that they should begin their education, they were sent to a respectable day school in the town where they resided: but the most trifling excuse from Hannah could at any time prevail upon her mother to permit her to remain at home, for so firmly was this weak woman persuaded that her darling's beauty would make her fortune, that she thought it signified little whether she learned any thing or not. Hannah therefore, who had little desire for improvement, seldom went to school, and when she did, paid so little attention to the instructions she received, that she might nearly as well have kept away. Rachel, on the contrary, glad to escape from her mother's unkindness, rejoiced at the return of those hours which summoned her to school, where her attentive, orderly behaviour soon made her a favourite with her governess, whilst her companions all loved her for her cheerful and obliging temper. At fifteen, she was, to her great regret, removed from school; and her sister, although two years younger, begged to be released, as she called it; and her mother, who could not deny any request of hers, however improper it might be, consented.

Rachel had made excellent use of the years of instruction. She read, wrote, spelt, and ciphered extremely well; was perfectly acquainted with grammar, and an excellent needle-woman. Hannah, being fond of dressing herself out, had learned to work tolerably well; but knew very little of grammar or figures, and could scarcely read or write intelligibly. Mr. Ford was struck with the different progress made by his daughters during their continuance at school; but although he admired Rachel's abilities, loved her for her amiable disposition, and wondered how his wife could be insensible to both; yet the same

blameable indolence of temper, which had hitherto prevented him from exerting himself on her behalf, still kept him a silent spectator of the injustice she daily suffered.

Rachel endeavoured by every possible means to soften her mother and gain her affection. She bore all her ill humours with the most patient sweetness, and omitted no opportunity of obliging and being useful to her. Mrs. Ford was so possessed with the silly idea that Hannah's beauty would induce some gentleman of fortune to make her his wife, that all the money she could get from her husband was laid out in fine clothes and ornaments to set it off to advantage; and that her daughter, thus adorned, might be seen and admired, it appeared to her highly proper that she should frequent all the tea parties, and places of public resort, to which a young woman in her rank of life could gain admission. Thus Hannah soon became so vain, so fond of dress and amusement, that she was never happy at home; whilst Rachel, who had neither finery nor beauty to display, felt no wish beyond performing her duty towards her Ma-. ker, and rendering herself as useful and agreeable as she could to her parents.

In this manner had four years passed since their leaving school, when their father died, and his widow taking the above-mentioned shopman into partnership, gave herself no further trouble about her affairs, but continued to lead the same idle life as before. In a little more than two years she also died, quite ignorant that through her own negligence, and her partner's villany, she was so deeply in debt, that had she lived a few months longer, she would have beheld herself and children stripped of every thing. Her partner, immediately on her decease, went off with all the money he could gain possession of, leaving the stock and furniture to the mercy of the creditors, who soon took possession of the whole.