New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-02-15

a,anddsnebter; her little hand maiden her trea-
- her one eve lamb. Many and many day
bsve | watched by the brook. side, hoping that
sorne happy gust OF wind coming with oppOrtune
bluster down the hollow Of the dale, might make
me necessary once more 10 her. l longed to hear
her speak 10 me again. / said the words she had
used 20 my self trying 10 catch her tone bat the
chance never came again do not know that she
ever knew how | watched Tor her there. iound
out that she went 70 school, and nothing would
serve me bat that ! must go too. My iather
scofied at me; did not care. ! knew nought Of
what reading was, nor that It was likely that
should be laughed at J. a great huklng lad OF
seventeen or upward for going to learn my a, b,
G, in the midst OF crowd OF little ones stood
mat this way in my mind. Nelly was at school
Il was the best place for seeing her and hearing
her voice again Therefore would 60 too. Ny
father talked, and swore, and threatened Dut
stood TO it. He said | should leave school, weary
of il ia & month ! swore deeper oath than
like TO remember, that | would stay year, and
come ont q reader and a writer. My father hated
the notion of folks learning to read, and SAID II
took all the spirit out Of them; besides. he
thought he had a right to every penny OF my
wages and though, when he was IN good numOr
be might have given me many a jug OF ale ne
grudged my twopence week Tor schooilns-
However TO school ! went. Ii was different
place TO what l bad thought it before went IN
side. The girls sat on one side and the boys on
the other; so l was not near Nelly. She too was
in the first class; | was put with the little tod
ding things that could hardly run alone The
master sat IN the middle, and kept pretty strict
watch over as. But | could see Nelly, aud hear
| her read her chapter; and even when It was one
| with long list of hard names, such as the master
was very fond Of giving her, to show how well
she could bit them off without spelling, thought
! had never heard a prettier music Now and
| then she read other things. did not know what
they were true or false bat | listened because
| 81 cad md nv bxg | wonder
remember the first word / ever spoke to her was
to ask her las we were coming out OF SCHOOL, who
| was the K ather OF whom she had been reading,
for when she said tie words q" Our Father" her
voice dropped into soft, holy kind OF low sound,
which struck me more than any loud reading, it
seemed so loving and tender. When ! asked her
this she looked NJ me with her great blue won
dering eyes at first shocked; aud then as it were,
melted down into pity and sorrow, she said IN the
same way, below her breath, in which she read
the words " Our Father
Don't you knOwl 1t is God
yes the God that grandmother tells me
about"
"Tell me what she says, win you ?" So we
sat down on the hedgebank, she little above me-
| while looked up into her face, and she told me
all the holy texts her grandmother had taught
her. as explaining all that could be explained otthe
| Almighty. listened in silence, for indeed was
overwhelmed with astonishment. Her knowledge
| was principally rote knowledge she was too
| Young for much more; but we, in Lancashire,
speak a rough kind of Bible language and the
text seemed very clear to me. | rose up, dazed
and overpowered was going away in silence,
when bethought me of my manners, and turned
back, and said Thank you, for the first time |
ever remember saying il in my life. That was
great day for me, in more ways than one.
Twas always one who could keep very steady
to an object when once had set it before me-
| My object was TO know Nvssy was conscious
| Of nothing more. But it made me regaroiose Of
all other things The master might scold, the
little ones might laugh; bore it all without Civ
| ing it q second thought. l kept TO my year. and
came out a reader and writers more, however, to
stand well in Nellys good opinion than because
| of nv oath. About this time, my father commit
ted some bad cruel deed, and had to fly the coun-
! try. l was glad he went; for had never loved
or cared for him, and wanted to shake myself
clear of his set But it was no easy matter
| Honest folk stood alOof; only bad man held out
their arms to me with welcome. Even Nelly
seemed to have mixture OF fear now with her
kind ways toward me. was the son Of John
| Middleton, WHO, if he were caught, would be
| hung at Lancaster Castle ] thought she looked
at me sometimes with sort of sorrowiul horror.
! Others were not forbearng enough to keep theic
expression Of feeling confined to looks. The Of
| the overloOker at the mill never ceased INVITING
me with my fathers crime he now brought up
his poaching against him, though knew very
well how many a good supper he himself had
made on game which had been given him TO make
him and bis father wink at late hours in the morn.
ing. And how were such as my father to come
honestly by gamer
This lad, Dick Jackson, was the bane Of nay
life He was year or two older than was, and
had much power over the men who worked at the
mill as he could report 10 his father what he
chose. l could not always hold my peace when
he "threaped' me with my fathers sins, but gave
il him back sometimes in a storm OF passion. Ii
did me no good only threw me farther from the
company of better men, who looked aghast and
shocked at the oaths / poured Out-blas phemOus
words learnt in my childhood, which could not
forget now that would fain have purified myself
of them while all the time Dick Jackson stood
by, with q mocking smile of intelligence; and
when | had ended, GREATNESS and weary with
spent passion he would turn to those whose re.
spect | lOnged to earn, aud asked II l were not
worthy son Of my father and likely to tread in
his steps But this smiling indifference OF hls to
my miserable vehemence was not all, though 1t
the worst part OF his conduct, for 1t made the
ranking hatred grow up in my heart, and over
shadow it like the great gOurdtree OF the prophet
Jonah. But his was a merciul shade, keeping
out the burning SUM- mine bhShted what It fell
upon.
What Dick Jackson did besides, was this, His
father was a skilful overlooker, and a good man
Mr. Peel valued him so much, that he was kept
on although his health was falling and when he
was unable, through illness, 10 come 20 the mill,
he deputed his son to watch over and report the
men 1t was too much power for one so young
j speak it calmly now. Whatever Dick jackson
became he had strong temptations when he was
young, which will be allowed for hereafter. But
at the time Of which an telling my hate ragged
like a fire. believed that ne was the one sole
obstacle to my being received as fit to mix with
good and honest men. | was sick OF crime and
disorder, and would fain have come over to diff
ierent kind of life and have been Industrious,
sober, honest, aud rghtspoken, Il had no idea OF
higher virtue them and at every turn Dick Jack
son met me with his sneers. l have walked the
night through, in the old abbey field, planning how
| could out wit him, and win mems respect in
spite Of him. The first time | ever prayed, was
underneath the silent stars, kneeling by the old