The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-02-06
LOVE AND Law.


ilsmsn of The old srhool. and held high
notions on The kindred subjects Of sorial
rank and family distinctions. His an
eesiors srre ronnfeied with English a.
milirs Of some renown. and had figured
in history. rs Cavaliers. during he irou-
blesone times Of Charles I. Portraits ol
lhe most noted Of these we're hing npon
The walls in Mr.. Tomlinsnn's ine old
mansion; and il was with pride that he
often nrlrrred 10 ihem. and related ihe
story nf each. Bul such stories were
generally would M BY an expression ei
regret ior The sad deirriorsiions that were
going on in this country.
"A man like Thai" he would sometimes
saw. pointing 10 The pirlnre Of Stern old
Cavalier. "a is rearely IL ever met with. and
in lIllir while. there will he no living re-.
presenisiivr ofsnrh--silesi MOI in America.
where all social distinctions srr rapidly
disappearing. In fact. we have scarcrly
any Thing lell. even nnw. but the shadow
Of true srislocraey. and ihai is only 10
be found in Virginia. Al The north. mere
wealth makes a man n gentleman; and
This new invention uf these drgerprale
times is fast being adopted even here. in
The .0ld Dominion" But il won't do
unless man is born and bred genile-
man. he never can become one"
II was no use 10 argue with The rigid
old Virginian. about the arisiocracy of viz
the, or The arislncrscy Of mind: he secuted
al The idea, and reiterated. with added en-
phasis, that only he iha, was born ofg gen.
lie blood could be gentleman.
The family of Mr.. Tomlinson. which
had consisted OF his wifr. two sons and
two daughters, was. ai the time our Story
opens. composed OF only two members,
himselfand his younges. child, Edith. now
IN her nineteenth year. Death had taken
all but one.
Edith. though born and bread lady,
her father observed with pain, did moi SCI
a high value upon the distinction, and al
last actually refused TO receive The adj
dresses Of young man who came ol
pure old English blood. aud was aiherongi
gentleman in The eyes of Mr.. Tonlnson
because she liked neither his principles,
habits, nor general character; while she
looked with favor upon the advances Of a
Young attorney named Denton. whose
father. small farmer in Essex county
had nothing higher than honesty and
manly independence Of which TO boast.
The young gentleman Of pure blood
was named Allison. He was the last re,
preseniaiive Of an old family, and hat
come into possession. on attaining his ma
joriiy. Of large landed estate Immediately
adjoining that owned by Mr.. .Toinlinson
The refusal of Edith TO receive his all,
dresses aroused IN him an unhappy spirit
which he cherished until il inspired hin
with thoughts Of retaliation. The mean.
were in bis hands. There existed an old
but not legally adjusted question abou
The title to thousand acres Of land. lying
between the estate Of Mr.. Tomlinsor
and Mr.. Allison. which had, more than
fifty years before, been sellled by The
principal parties thereto on The basis Of .
division. wiihou, The delay, vexaiion, ex.
pense and bitterness. of a prolonged law
suit. By this division The father Of Mr.
Tomlinson retained possession Of five
hundred acres. and the grandfather Of Mr.
Allison Of the other five hundred. The
former had greatly improved the portion
into the full possession Of which he hat
come. as il was by lar the most beautiful
and fertile part Of his estate. His old re.
sldence was torn down. and splendid
mansion erected on commanding emi
nenre within the limits Of this old dispu
ted land. al cost of nearly eight thou
sand dollars; and The whole Of The five
hundred acres gradually brought into q
high state of cultivation. TO meet The
heavy outlay for all this, other and less de-
sirable portions Of The estate were sold
until, finally. only about three hundred
acres Of The original Tomlinson property
remained.
MIR. Lloyd Tomlinson, as he advanced
in years, and felt the paralyzing effect:
Of the sever affections he had suffered
lost much Of The energy he had possessed
in his younger days. There was gra-
dual diminulion in the number Of his hogs.
heads Of tobacco, and bushels Of corn and
wheat. that went to Richmond from his
plantation annually; and there was also .
steady decrease in ,he slave population
with which he was Immediately surround.
ed. From a hundred and fifty. his elaves
had decreased, until he only owued thirty,
and with them did little mo,e than make
his yearly expenses. Field after field had
been abandoned. and left 10 fertile un.
dergrow,h of pines or scruhhy oaks. until
there were Few signs Of cultivation except
within the limits Of two or three hundred
acress Of The rich lands contiguous to his
daelling.
Henry Denton. the young attorney "a
whom allusion has been made. had be
come deeply enamored with Edith Tom
linson, who was often met by him in hel
unarisiocralic intercourse with several ex