The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1842-09-17
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY II. WEBB.

the former, but bad always met with Pc
rempiory refusal. The Fletcher farm hap
pened TO occupy situation in which it
seemed very inconyenept intrusion on
the completeness and symmetry Of the
lands surrounding the Hall. Whether from
this cause, or from any other, a certain i'll
feeling seemed TO have subsisted for two or
three generations between the great people
of the Hall, and the yeoman family of the
farms,ead. In another way, the latter,
themselves at the head of their own class
in the country round, were probably not
less proud than the (ormer-ioward whom,
from the immeasurable social distance that
separated them, they looked up with kind
of envous though hopeless jealousy, which
was almost family hostility, angry and
even bitter, though smothered and withou,
ostensible excuse. There had been several
displays of ill-wil between them, on some
of the various occasions created by the re-
laions Of such close neighborhood and
the scornful superiority with which the
pride and power Of the BIS had borne
down the humber and weaker party in
such collisions, together with the contempt
with which the dogged independence sci up
by them was treated, and ranked down
deep on the side of the latter. This had
oeen especially the case with the father of
the young Edward Fletcher above alluded
TO, now the present owner; and almost
from his infancy the latent terms of this
malignant poison of hereditary bad feeling
had been planted among his earies! asso-
Citations and impressions.
f,f thoir tcfo u
apparent to any eye, not indeed TO the con-
seriousness oil the young man himself, at
the period here referred to. On the con-
trary. Notwithstanding the wide disparity
of birth and social position, circumstances
had brought him into close intimacy at
the Hall, which seemed to have oblilerated
even all recollection of the old feud, if so
il may be called, of former years. About
eight wears before he had hann.ned 'si
great peril TO his own, to save The life oil
The young heir Of B, while swimming
by an extraordinary effort Of courage,
strength. and self-possession, having plum
ged into The water with all the encumbrance
of his clothes. He was then less than four
teen years old, being about year the SEN
ior of the boy he SO galartly rescued.--
The feat was. witnessed by Sir Wilmot
himself, as also by the little Alice, who al
ready, child as she was, was the frequent
companion of the latter in his rides, her
self mounted on little pony especially
trained for so gentle service: The bold
young farmers son, his own brave and
handsome face glowing with the excite
ment of the moment and his Stout frame
easily supporting his slight and now insen-
sible bur!hen, had borne the boy he saved
in his arms, the pallid face of the latter
dropping upon his own rudy cheek, ull he
delivered him inio those of the distracted
father himsef-from whom, as also from
the beautiful girl who shared all the inten-
sily. first of despair, and then OF rapture,
tina, marked the moment, he received such
demonstrations Of gratitude as would well
have tempted and repaid-so felt the de-
lighted boy--a hundred fold greater efforts
and dangers.
The consequence of this was, that Ed
ward Fletcher became the constant COM
panion and playmate of George and his
: sister; he was admitted TO share their edu'
cation, under the guidance of an excellent
tutor and masters, at The Hall; while from
his boldness and dexterity in all the sports
to which the life of the old baronet wa:
chiefly devoted, he became the peculiar pc
, and attendant of the latter, special abide
camp, as it were-a service which the
1 youth discharged with the less unwilling
| ness, because, in addition to the charms o
the various sports themselves, it threw hin
more constantly than any other opporlunl
+ ties could have done, into the society o
, Alice, who was growing up through thi
| period perfect flower of lovellness, and
, perfect star of Brightness His own parents
having been dead many years, he had NJ
restriction at home upon the course of habi
S into which he insensibly ran, of almos
i living at the Hall. Every thing went o.
r smoothly and happily. In ,he easy an
- afIectionate familiarity of the relations il
e which he lived with the family of which h
r seemed all but a member, his owe naturs
!, pride and imperousness of temper (oun
n nothing 10 chafe or cross its grain. Whe
:, George went TO college he did not accom-
d pany him. Sir Wilmot never dreamed {
such an idea; and though for George,
l. "genileman," and ihe heir of B an
2, its baronetcy. il was proper, as matter
at course. he would have as soon imagine
a the propriety of sending . colt of one
n Edwards own plough horses TO CambridI
A. Il HI.