The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-06-20


mistrusted that anything was going wrong,
till one day 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 asked me for five dollars the dav
before, and when i asked him what he
wanted it for, he looked sheepish and
made no answer. / thought it prudent
before matters went any further. to tell
John my wishes about his cousin Amy.
My wishes MAJ am, | have always made a
law 10 my children. To be sure, have
taken care, for the most part that they
should be reasonable. | am little wilful,
own it; and "children obey your pa
rents' is the law both Of scriptures and of
nature. So told John. l did not hin t
my suspicious about Lucy, but told him
this marriage with his cousin he could
have no objections TO, and to set about it
without delay on peril of my displeasure.
He was silent and down-cast, but saw that
was determined, and believed he wo'd
not disobey me. A few evenings after,
saw 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 off a pair of gloves-my son
was standing by her. 1t appears 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 off, and their
hands met without gloUes, and nice fit
they were. l burst in upon them. asked
John if this was his obedience to me, and
| told Lucy to quit my service immediate
ly. Now the whole matter past, | must
do John the justice to say he stood by her
like man. He had given his heart and
promised his hand to Lucy, and she own
ed she loved him-him who was not
worthy of her love. He said, too, some
thing of my being kind father, and a
kind man; and he would no: 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 wonder that | hardened my heart to
all this, but you know that anger is short
madness, and so it is; and besides, there is
nothing makes us so deaf to reason and
true feeling as the strong sense we are
wilfully doing wrong. | was harsh and
John lost his temper, and poor Lucy
cried, and was too frightened 10 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 clear
ed out, and everybody thought they had
gone off to get married, and so | believed
till night, when John came in like dis.
tracted man, and said he had been all day
seeking Lucy, but in vain-that the only
friend she had in the city knew nothing
of her-and when answered $50 much
the BETTER" accused me of cruelty, and
then followed high words, such as never
should pass between father and son: and
1t ended IN my turning him from my door.
do not wonder you turn away; but hear
me. Saturday night, three days after,
John came home an altered man. He
was as humble as if he only had been in
the wrong. He begged pardon, and pro-
missed to obey me in all things but mar
rying Amy Bruce. 81 give up Lucy, fa-
ther," said he, .'sbut cannot marry any
one else.'' l forgave him, from the bot
tom of my heart forgave him-and
longed to ask him to forgive me-but
have not come to that yet. | asked him
what had brought him back to duty. He
put into my hands letter he had received
from Lucy; she had persevered in not
seeing hlm-but such letter, ladies', If
ministers could speak so to the heart there
would be no SIN in the world. She said
she had deserved to suffer for CARRYING
matters so far without my knowledge
She spoke of me as the kindest of fathers,
and the kindest of masters. Then she
spoke of the duty a child owed parent
Said she never should have any peace
OF mind till she heard we were reconciled;
and told him it would be in vain for him
to seek her, for she had solemnly resolved
never to see him again. The paper was
bllstered with tears from the top to the
bottom; but saying and excepting nothing
from which you could guess what it cost
her TO write the letter.
| could not stand it; my heart melted
within me; found her that very night,
and without loss of time, brought her
back to my house and there he added,
walking hastily to the farther end of the
shop and throwing open door that led
into the back parlor, "there, madam, is
the long and the short of it,
And there, was one of the most touch
ing scenes of human life. My pretty,
duhful friend become wife and mother,