The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1850-05-09
aYou shall hear, ma'am. l have an

set my heart on his marrying MS cousin,
Amy Bruce. She is the daughter of
my Younger sister, and had a pretty
fortune in hand, enough to set John up
in any business he fancied. There was
no reason in the world why he should
not like Amy. I had kept my wishes
to myself, because knew that young
folks love is like an unbroken colt, that
will not mind spur or bit. / never mis-
trusted that anything was going wrong
till one day l heard the girls making a
great wonderment about Canary bird
that they found when they went in the
morning into the workshop, in cage
hanging over Lucy's seat; and then l
remembered that John had asked me
for five dollars the day before. and when
asked what he wanted it for. he looked
sheepish, and made no answer. l
thought il prudent before matters went
any further to tell John my wishes about
his cousin Amy. My wishes, ma'am,
l have always made a law TO my chill
dren. To be sure, have taken care. for
the most that they should be reasonable.
am little wilful, l own it: but it's
young folks business TO mind; and
children obey your parents is the law
both of scripture and of nature. So |
told John. / did not hint any suspicious
about Lucy, but l told him this marriage
with his cousin he could have no objec-
ton to what | had long set my heart
upon. and what he must set about with
out delay or peril of my displeasure.-
He was silent, and looked down-cast:
but saw that was determined, and |
believed he would obey me. A few
evenings after, l saw a light in the
workshop after the usual time. | went
to inquire into it. had on my slippers
and my steps made little or no sound.
The upper part of the door was set with
glass. / saw Lucy finishing pair OF
gloves-my son was standing by her:
Itappears that they were for him, and
he insisted upon her trying them on his
hand. Hers, poor thing. seemed to
tremble. The glove would not 60 on,
but it came of, and their hands met
without gloves, and nice fit they Were.
burst in upon them. | asked John II
this was his obedience to me, and told
Lucy to quit my service Immediately
Now the whole matter is past, ] must
do John justice to say he stood by her
like man. He had given his heart
and promised his hand to Lucy, and
she owned she loved him-him who
was not worthy of her love. He said,
too, something of my being kind faith
er. and a kind man; and he would not
believe that the first case of my doing
wrong would be to the orphan girl
whom Providence had placed under our
roof. Ma'am, you will wander that |
hardened my heart to all this, but you
know iha, anger is a short madness,
and so it is: and besides. there is MOTH
ing makes us so deaf to reason and true
feeling as the strong sense we are will.
fully doing wrong. was harsh, and
John lost his temper, and poor Lucy
cried. and was too frightened to speak:
it ended by my telling Lucy she should
not stay another day in my house, and
John, that if he did not obey me, my
curse should be upon him.
"The next morning. they had both
cleared out and everybody thought
they had gone off to get married, ant
so believed till night, when John came
| in like distracted man, and said ne
had been all day seeking Lucy in vair
that the only friend she had in thu
city knew nothing Of her-and when
answered so much the better he ac
cused me of cruelty, and then followed
high words. such as never should pas
between father and son; and it endet
in my turning him from my door. | d.
not wonder YOU turn away-but hea
me-. Saturday night, three days after
John came home an altered man. HI
was as humble as if he only had beel
wrong. He begged pardon, and promis
ed to obey me in all things but marry
ing Amy Bruce. 81 give up Lucy, faith
err said he, but cannot marry any
body else.' l forgave him, from tn
bottom Of my heart forgave him-an
/ longed to ask him to forgive me-bu
j have not come to that yet. ! aske'
him what had brought him back I
duty. He put into my hands lette
he had received from Lucy. She ha
persevered in not seeing him-but sue
1 a letter, ladies If ministers coul
50 speak to the heart there would b
no sin in the world. She said she ha
deserved to suffer for carrying matter
| % far without my knowledge. Sh
1 spoke of me as the kindest Of fathel
and the kindest Of masters. Then sh
spoke of the duty child owed a parer
said she should never have any peac
of mind till she heard we were recol
| ciled; and told him it would be in val
| for him to seek her, for she had solcmnl
J, | resolved never to see him again. Tn
! paper was blistered with tears from th
iop to the bottom; but saving and e.
! lpecting that, ma'am, there was nothin
4 dom which You could guess what it co
her to write the letter.
III could not stand it; me hea
/ melted within me: 1 found her that vel
night and without loss Of time brougl
, her back to my house, and then,p /
added, walking hastily to the farth'
; end Of the shop, and throwing open
door that led into a back parlor, "ther
ma'am, is the long and short of il
lFA-l- ~ kn-c .~rnr xuo of thu vnoSf fnrIc