Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-11-02

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: must know"
"But your brother---uncle Thomas" sal
Grace, eagerly, che has money enough
will he not help you in case like this !!
"Perhaps he might, but he would wan
better security than can give him; and
moreover, if l cannot now pay the money
on that bond, what reason is there to sup
pose that could raise it any better mex
year to repay your uncle. No, no, Grace
there is no help for it, and we must bear i
as well as we can, but the hardest part O
all, is the thought of poor Philip, who il
: doing so well in his college studies. Pool
fellow, can do nothing more for him now
and he must come back and try what he
can do for the rest of you, by keeping
school, or in some other way"
During her fathers brief narration, Grace
had remained gazing at him, every faculty
absorbed in deep and painful interest, but
as he ceased to speak, she started up, and
with sparkling eye and glowing cheek, ex-
claimed, "Never shall Philip be called
home on such an errand while live to pre-
vent it. l am young and strong, and can
find way Of helping you all, little as you
may believe it. Nay, hear me-" she said,
as she saw that her fathers face expressed
strong incredulity-"lt was only yesterday
that Sarah Carter, who has just returned
from Lowell, told me what high wages
some of the girls earn, who are not older
than /, and which of them do you think
would have dearer object to work for
than ], with the old homestead and dear
Philip before me 2"
A tear had been slowly gathering in
farmer Lees eye while his daughter spoke,
and it fell on her neck as he kissed her, and
replied to her fervent appeal-"you are
too young, Grace, to know how impossible
it is for you to do all that your love for me
| dctates-but thank you for the will, and
l never shall forget it.'
"But you surely will not refuse to let me
60, dear father. have been for some time
thinking about the factories, and now am
so certain that could help you, and Philip
too-it would be cruel to deny me. Mo-
ther, will you not plead for me-" asked the
ardent girl, "you know not how my heart
is set upon this thing"
Mrs. Lee had been apparently intent on
some household duty during the conversa-
ton between her husband and child, but
thus addressed, she took step toward
Grace, and only replied by nquiring in
low voice, "And what do you think Lewis
Dayton will say to such plan, Grace %
Poor Grace ! The blood rushed over
cheeks, neck and brow, at this question,
and convulsive movement of the lip told
that chord had been touched to which
every heartstring vbrated-5ut it was only
for a moment, and then she said rather
proudly, ''if Lewis Dayton cares anything
about me, he will like me the better for do.
ing my duty as daughter-and if his love
cannot stand this test, it is better to know
it now than hereafter"
''Grace is right, wife"-said the farmer
more cheerfully-"no man deserves our
girl who thinks the less of her for any kind
Of honest labor, and though have little
confidence in her plan of helping her old
father, | am willing she should 60 and try
her fortune, since she wishes it,"
"Now bless you for that word, dear faith
er. am certain of success if ! only have
your approval, and that of my mother,
whatever others think or say"
1t was with great difficulty that Grace
obtained promise from her father to wait
six months before anything was said to
Philip about leaving college, but he yielded
at last, and through heragency, an arrange
ment was made with uncle Thomas, by
which the interest was paid up, and the
troublesome creditor quieted for the pre-
sent. Farmer Lee was certain that it was
all nonsense, and that he was only getting
more deeply into trouble by this respite,
but it was hard to deny anything to the fa-
vorite child, who had never seemed so dear
to him as now, when she was so soon to
leave them.
The pleasant farm on Beech Hill had
been in the Lee family for two generations,
and they were respected and beloved by all
the inhabitants of the little town of Mere
dth, in which it was situated. The news
flew swiftly that Grace Lee was about to
leave home, to 60 into factory, and in
that quiet community it 'occasioned quite
an excitement. 1t was not, few years
since, as common for the daughters ofre-
spectacle farmers to enter the mills for a
season, as it now is, and Grace Lee, though
a hardy mountain maiden, had been so
much the household pet, that few imagined
how much quiet energy lay concealed be-
meath her gentle and lady-like demeanor.
81 always knew that pride must have
fall" said Miss Priscilla Jones, whose envy
OF our sweet Grace had been nourished until
it became an absorbing passion--and who
had fastened TO the store of young MIR. Day
ton to tell him the news. "Grace Lee has
held her head so high that people thought
she was the only girl in Meredith. I Won
der what she will say now, don't you, Mr..
Daytonw
The young merchant only smiled, and
said he presumed the whole affair was a
mistake, but it was nothing TO him certain
ly, what any young lady thought proper to
do. But though he affected great indiffer-
ence on the subject, he was far from feel
ing it, for he admired the wild flower OF
Beech Hill more than he would have cho-
sen to confess, and his attention had been
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