The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-10-30

/, THURSDAY, OCI(
her deeply, and it was not until little Mary
dropped and died, and he had struggled for |
many a long month to pay the heavy debts con-
tracted during her illness, that he yentured to
open to her his heart.
At first she would not hear of it. but the |
boys disappointed look, backed by her indul- |
gent love. at last won her consent
There was no difficulty in getting berth |
A cousin of Esquire Marshs IA ship owner |
from New York who was in the habit of run
ming up every summer to visit his relatives, and |
get a mouthful of his native air, had taken a |
liking to the boy. and promised him chance |
in one of his own ships whenever he made up |
his mind to 90. SO MIR. Clemens was written |
to, the fathers chest drawn forth, and packed |
by the hands of Ben and Ellen. for these prepa- |
rations reminded the widow too keenly of the |
past for her to have any heart to aid them. She
could only sit by and sob but on the morning
of Ben's departure, she took her own Bible
the gift of her husband on her wedding day
and placed it in the chest with few broken
worms Nav U be 1e rou ~i word, all the bet
ter. my boy when y5( See ~ .bandwfiting
there she said, referring to her own name,
scrawled in her husbands stiff chirography, on
the fiy-leaf.
There was another paper slipped into ms
hand as he stopped to kiss the cheek of the
weeping Ellen; and the young sailor felt it no
sacrilege to place the treasure it EMBODIED IA
long lock of soft brown har) between the
leaves of the Holy Book for was not the love of
the innocent giver also an evangel to redeem
and purify him from sin
CHAPTER III.
After Ben, left and little Mary had gone to
finish her lessons under the hands of angelic
teachers in that blessed land where existence is
but another name for eternal progress, the widow
lavished double portion of her tenderness upon
Jim. He was q bright, high-spirited, impnlsiye
lad possessed Of many gocaasa whining 3,sa9-
tiles, but selfshness, like some tropical parasite
hDle fair 10 oyer-run them all y.
Had his mothers will been as strong and un-
shaken as her love- this might have been check
ed but she was proverbially yielding, and in
all their childish differences it had been much
easier to make Ben who was some fouryears old
er, yield his point by telling him that he was a
little man, and must not quarrel with the ba-
byn than it was to enforce Justice between
them and, in after years her Remember Ben,
he is the youngest, " had always been sufficient
Besides, Jim was very handsome, and the widow,
like many another mother, had an unconscious
leaning toward beauty.
1t was not to be expected that she should see
him with the eyes of her brothers wife, or even
with those of old Mrs Grint at the Four Cor
nersp Nor do we know as it was particularly
desirable that she should for the first had con
stantly before hers, the fact that Jim had won
the prize in spelling at the district school, away
from her Ned, to whom she had decided thought to
belong; and Aunt Grint, owing to some peculiar
twist in her eyes or her glasses, 1--WE hope it was
the latter, never saw children in any other light
save as young reprobates.
When Ben left, Jim had taken his place at
Esq. Marsh's; but there were so many days
when he complained of headache, and his
mother thought he had best stay at home and
let her battle bis head in camphor--so many
afternoons when he felt a little faint and wish
to 60 home-that the Esquire began to grumble
especially when he found that his illness did
not prevent his joining two or three idle boys
who were usually found lettering about the vii
aaS,;ag S %a,s S0ppsss ~ ssa'ou "a osa1
swopped jack knives and fsh-hooks When
these grumblngs reached the widows ear, she
sighed, and thought what a pity it was thai
Esq. Marsh should grow so peeyish and fretfu
as he grew old
But her brother neighbor Cross and Ellen
saw the matter with clearer eyes. Ned Brown
said in a way that he meant should be kind
MARY you are making fool of that boy. II
is high time he was sent to a trade"
Mr.. Cross said, You see as how neighbor
Farnham, such boys are kinder headstrong, like
my colt Diamond yonder and you women folks
hain't got the knack to manage them, nor the
strength neither, for that matter Like all boys
| Jim wants "a master-and | should Just put
him with some straitish sort of man, one who
means what he says; and never fear but when
the lad gets we'll harnessed in, that he will pull
straight in the traces"
Ellen retouched the widows own picture Of
the boys future, and urged Ben's wishes, until
at last the mother gave her consent So the
boy was bound apprentice TO house carpenter
in the city of b., some twenty miles distant: for
Ned Brown and Mr.. Cross both thought that IL
would be better for the boy to place him where
he could ndt run home every week
1t was very lonely at the widows cottage
after Jim left; but Ellen's face, like blessed
star, looked in upon her almost every evening,
and then it was very pleasant to know, now
that her boys were gone, that everybody re-
membered them, and wished them well
The parson never failed to ask after them
every Sunday. Deacon Merit hoped they
would do well" Young boys and kind-hearted
matrons inquired about them, and even Gene
raj Pearson drew up his rein at her gate one
day, and asked, "What news from the Tar
tart" for he was politician took New
York paper, and in his zeal for information
perused the shipping list weekly and Aunt
Grint went herself 10 far, upon one occasion,
as to express wish that she might "yet nee
them alive -
All these things helped to tighten her sorrow
and loneliness for happiness is but the aggre-
gate of little things; and thus some months
slipped away, when, suddenly, without any
warning, even as the angels were wont to ap.
pear to the waiting hearts Of DID, Ben stood be-
fore her. Ben's arms were round her. and her
thin, white cheeks were wet with tears of joy.
We say it reverently but we doubt whether
an angels presence could have brought 30
much giadness and happiness to that humble
dwelling as did that of the young sailor, for
the widow was but hpnau, and sweet Ellen
Cross, she was but human also; and the long,
long baptism of pain that awaits us ere we can
face the spiritual without praying for death,
had as yet not fallen upon her heart.
How proud the widow was Of Ben, how zeal
ously she discussed with the visitors who came
to call on him to know the exact number Of
inches he had grown, and whether his hair was
really one or two shades darker than it was be-
fore he left ELLEN Cross might easily have set
tied this point, by producing little gilt locket
hidden beneath her bodice, but she wisely
preferred holding her peace J how ilnently she
took up the tale when she thought Ben too
modest in relating his adventures and what
strange havoc she made with the liquid Span
ish names Of the ports he had visited, But
then "Saint Lncy" was just as lntellg'bie 10