The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-09-19

! faculty ABSORBED IN deep ana painful lnte-
rest, but as he ceased to speak, she started
up, and with sparkling eye and glowing
cheek, exclaimed, Never shall Philip be
/ called home on such an errand while
| live TO prevent it. | 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 father S
face expressed strong incredulity-'.it was
only yesterday that Sarah Garter, 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!''
! 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 1t is for you to do all that your
love for me dlctates-but thank you for
| the will, and l shall never forget it,
but you surely will not refuse to let
| me go, 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.
Mother, will you not plead for me- asked
the ardent girl. ''yon know rot how my
heart is set upon this thing"
Mrs. Lee had been apparently intent
on some household duty during the con-
versation between her husband and child,
but thus addressed, she took step toward
Grace, and only replied by inquiring in a
low voice, ''And what do you think Lewis
Dayton will say to such plan, Grace?"
Poor Grace! The blood rushed over
checks, neck and brow at this question,
and a convulsive movement of the lip told
that chord had been touched to which
every heaIt-string vibrated-but il was
only for a moment, and then she said
ratflsr proudly, "If Lewis Dayton cares
anything ;cbout me, he viii like me the
better fo1 doing my duty as daughter
and if his love cannot stand this test, it is
better to know it naw than hereafter
eGrace is right, whfe''--said the farmer
more cheerfully-s:no man deserves our
girl who thinks the less of her Tor any
kind of honest labor, and though have
little conf dence in her plan of helping her
old father, | am willing she should 60 and
try her fortune since she wishes it,
Now bless you Cor that word, dear
father. | am certain of success if ! only
have your approval, and that Of my moth
er, whatever others may think or say
1t was with great difficulty that Grace
obtained promise from her father 10 wait
six months before anything was said to
Philip about leaving college, but he yield
ed at last, and through her agency, an ar
rangement was made with uncle Thomas,
H. .,I, H. 1
the troublesome creditor quieted for the
present. 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 favorite 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 genera
tons, and they were respected and be-
loved by all the inhabitants of the little
town of Meredith, III which ii was situa-
ted. The news flew swiftly that Grace
Lee was about to leave home, to go into
a factory, and in that quiet community it
occasioned quite an excitement. 1t was
not, few years since, as common for the
daughters of respectable farmers TO enter
the mills for season, as ii now Is, and
Grace Lee, though a hardy mountain
maiden, had been SO much abe household
pet, that few imagined how much quiet
energy lay concealed beneath her gentle
and lady-like Gemeanor.
81 always knew that pride must have a
fall" said Miss Priscilla Jones, whose
envy of our sweet Grace had been nour-
ished until it became an absorbing passion
and who had fastened to The store of
young Mr.. Dayton to tell him the news.
"Grace Lee has held her head so high
that people thought she was the only girl
in Meredith. Il wo1der what she will say
now, don t.youse Dayton!'
The young merchan tonty smiled, and
said he presumed the whole affair was a
mistake, but it was nothing to him GER
tainly. what any young lady thought pro-
per to do. But though he affected great
Indifference on the subject, he was far
from feeling it, for he admired the wild
flower of Beech Hill more than he would
have chosen 10 confess, and his attentions
had been so marked, that neither Grace
nor her parents could misunderstood them.
But to marry factory girl--this, his fool
Ish pride whispered, was not to be thought
OF, so he hastened to the house of farmer
Lee, TO hear the report contradicted by the
lips he loved best. II cannot be denied,