Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1852-06-18

! Mr.. Benjamin, however, was at that momen
engaged In the contemplation of an il-paintet
portrait of a girl, that was attached By pin over
the chimney piece. II was without frame, foI
the respectable gilt one that had formerly encir-
cled il had been taken off and sold to buy bread
/ Nothing could be coarser than the execution OF
the thing, but as is not unfrequenily the case
with such productions, the likeness.'was striking
and MI. Benjamin being now in the habit of see
ing Mary, who bought all the meal they used al
his shop, recognized it at once.
That's your daughter, is il 2" he said.
" Yes, sir; she's often at your place for meal {;
and If 1t wasn't too great liberty, would ask
you, sir, if you thought you could help her TO
some sort of employment that's better than sew
ing; for its q hard life, sir, in this close place,
for young creature that was brought up in the
free country air not that Mary minds work, but
the wo!st is, there's little be got by the nee
die, and it's such close confinement"
Mr.. Benjamin's mind, during this address of
poor G!egg's, was running on his guinea. He
ieit dissrust OF her honesty, or rather of the
honesty of both father and daughter and yet,
being tar from hard hearted person, their evil
dent distress, and the mans sickness, disposed
him to make allowance for them. "They couldn't
know that the money belonged to me, thought he
adding aloud
Have you no friends here in London 2"
No, sir, none. l was unfortunate in bust
ness, in the country, and came here hoping for
better luck; but sickness overlook us, and we've
never been able to do any good. But Mary. my
daughter, doesn't want for education, sir and
more honest girl never lived!"
Honest, is she ?" said Mr.. Benjamin, looking
Glegg in the face.
"Ill answer for her, sir" answered John, who
thought the old gentleman was going to assist
her to a situation. you'll excuse me mention
ing it, sir, but perhaps it is not everybody, dis
tressed as we We're, that would have carried back
that money she found in the meal; but Mary
would 20 So though said that perhaps it wasn't
yours, and tina, nobody might know whose it
was, which was very wrong of me, no doubt; but
ones mind gets weakened by illness and want
and l couldn't help thinking of the food it would
buy US; but Mary would not hear Of it, I'm
sure you might trus, Mary with untold gold sir
and it would be real charity to help her to
situation, if you knew of such thing"
Little dreamed Leah that morning, as she
handed Mary her quart of meal and the change
for her hard earned shilling, that she had spoiled
her own fortunes, and that she would, ere night
be called upon to abdicGte her stool behind the
counter in favor of that humble customer; and
yet so It was. Mr.. Benjamin could not forgive
her derellcton from honesty, and the more he
had trusted her, the greater was the shock TO his
confidence. Moreover, his short-sighted views
OF human nature, and his incapacity for compre-
bending all its infinite shades and varieties, caus-
ed him TO extend his i'll opinion farther than the
delinquent merited. In spite of her protesla-
tons. he could not believe that this was her first
misdemeanor; but concluded that, like many
other people in the world, she had only been re-
puied honest because she had not been found
out. Leah soon found herself in the very diem
ma she had deprecated, and the apprehension of
which had kept her practically honest-wthout |
a situation, and with damaged character
As Mary understood bookkeeping, the duties |
OF her new office We're soon learned, and the only
evil attending it, that she could not take care
OF her father But determined not to lose her,
Mr.. Benjamin found means TO reconcile the diff |
Guilty by giving them a room behind the shop |
where they lived very comfortably till Gegg, |
recovering some portion of his health, was able |
TO work a little at his trade.
In process OF time, however, an infrmity be-
gan to disable Mr.. Benjamin for the daily walk |
from his residence to his shop. He left the whole
of the business to the father and
daughter, receiving every shilling of the profits,
except the moderate salaries that he gave them,
which were sufficient to furnish them with all
necessaries of life, though nothing beyond. But
when the old gentleman died, and his will was
opened, it was found that he had left everything
he possessed to Mary Gegg, except one guinea,
which, without alleging any reason, he bequeath-
ed to Leah Leet