Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-05-12

deslrable-al combined TO testify to the poverty
OF the inhabitants 1t was sorry retreat for de-
Ginning years and sickness, and a sad and cheer
| less home for the fresh cheek and glad hopes Of
youth; and all the worse, that neither father nor
daughter was ito the manner BORN for poor John
dlegg had, as he said, had plenty of guneas in
his time; at least, what should have been plenty,
had they been wisely husbanded. Bat John, To
describe the thing as he saw it himself had al
ways had luck against him.. 1t did not signify
what nc nnd"rtooi, his undertakings invariably
turned OUT i'll.
lie was born in Scotland, and had passed
great portion of his life there; but, unfortunately
Tor him, he had no Scotch blood i'll his veins or
he might have been blessed with some small mo-
dicum of the caution for which that nation is said
to be distinguished. His father had been coop
er, and when quite young man, John had sue
ceeded to well-cstablished business in Aber-
deem. His principal commerce consisted in fur
nlshed the retail-deaers with casks, wherein to
pack their dried fish, but partly from good ma
| ture, and partly from indolence he allowed them
to run such long accounts, that they were apt to
overlook the debt altogetherin their calculations
and to take refuge in bankruptcy when the de-
mand was pressed and The supply of goods with
held-his negligence thus proving, in its results,
as injurious to them as to himself Five hundred
pounds embarked In a scheme projected by too
sangulne friend for establishing a local newspa-
per, which died it was born:' and fire, O, -
curing at time that John had omitted to renew
his Insurance. had seriously damaged his re-
sources, when some matter of business having
taken him to the Isle of Man, lie was agreeably'
surprised to find that his branch of trade which
had OF late years been alarmingly declining in
Aberdeen, was there in the most Furnishing con-
dltlon. Delighted with the prospect this state of
affairs opened, and eager to quit the spot where
misfortune had so unrelentingy pursued him.
John, having first secured a house at RAMSAY.
returned fetch wifn Obi
chandise, to this new home. Having freighted
small vessel for their conveyance, he expected to
| be deposited at his own door but he had unhap-
PLY forgotten to ascertain the character of the
captain, who, under pretence that, if he entered
the harbour, he should probably be wind. bound
Tor several weeks, persuaded them to 60 ashore
IN small boat, promising to lie to till thew had
landed their goods; but the boat had no sooner
returned to the ship, than, spreading his sails to
the Wlnd, he was soon out of sight, leaving John
and his family On the beach, with-to recur to
his own hraseology-'nothing but what they
stood up in
Having with some difficulty found shelter for
the night, they proceeded on the following morn
ing in a boat to Ramsay; but here it was found
that, owing to some informalty, the people who
had possession of the house refused to give it up
and the wanderers were obliged to take refuge in
an inn The next thing was to pursue and re-
cover the lost goods; but some weeks elapsed be-
and at length when John did reach Liverpool,
the captain had left it, carrying away with him
considerable share OF the property. With the re-
malnder, John, after many expenses and delays,
returned to the island, and resumed his business.
But he soon discovered to his cost, that the cal
culatlons he had made were quite fallacious,
owing to his having neglected to inquire whether
the late prosperous season had been a normal or
an exceptional one. Unfortunately, it was the
| latter, and several very unfavourable ones that
succeeded, reduced the family to great distress,
and finally to utter ruin.
Relinqushing his shop and his goods to his
creditors, John Clegg, heart sick and weary,
sought refuge in London-a proceeding to which
he was urged by no prudential motives, but rath-
er by the desire to fly as far possible from the
scenes of his vexations and disappointments, and
because he had heard that the metropolis was
place in which man might conceal his poverty,
and suffer and starve at his ease, untroubled by
| impertinent curiosity or officious benevolence
and, above all, believing it to be the spot where
he was least likely to fall in with any of his for
mer acquaintance.
But here a new calamity awaited him, worse
than all the rest. fever broke out in the close
ly-populated neigh bourhood in which they had
fixed their abode, and first two of his three chill
dren took it, and died; and then himself and his
wlfe-rendered meet subjects for infection by
anxiety of mind and poor living-were attacked
with the disease. lie recovered; at least he sur
vlved, though with an enfeebled constitution, but
he lost his wife, wise and patient woman, who
had been his comforter and sustainer through all
his Observation-Disclosures which, after yanlv
endeavouring to avert she supported with heroic
| and accomplishing fortitude; but DYING she left
him precious legacy in Mary, who, with fine
nature, and the benefit of her mothers precept
and example, had been to him ever since a trea-
sure of tilial duty and tenderness.
faint lipht ia uned throuoh no 1rt,, ,r;nJor,c
on the morning succeeding the little event with
| which we opened our story when Mary rose
softly from her humble couch, and stepping
lightly to where her fathers clothes lay on a
| chair, at the foot of his bed, she put her hand
into his waistcoat-pocket, and extracting there
| from the guinea which had been found in the
cruel the preceding evening" she transferred it to
her own. She then dressed herself, and having
ascertained that her father still slept she Quietly
| left the room The hour was yet so early, and
the streets so deserted, that Mary almost trem-
bled to find herself in them alone; but she was
anxious to do what she considered her duty with
out the pain of contention. John Clegg was ma
turay an honest and wel-intentioned man. but
the weakness that had blasted his life adhered to
him still. They were doubtless in terrible need
of the guinea, and since it was not by any means
certain that the real owner would be found, he
saw no great alarm III appropriating it; but Mary
wasted no casuistry on the matter. That the
money was not legtimately theirs, and that thew
had no right to retain it, was all she saw; and SO
seeing, she acted unhesitatingly on her convic-
tons.
She had bought the meal at Mr. Beniamin's,
because her father complained of the quality of
that she procured in the smaller shops, and on
this occasion he had served her himself From
the earness of the hour, however, though the
shop was open, he was not in it when she arrived
on her errand of restitution; but addressing Leah
Leet, who was busting the counter, she mention-
ed the circumstance, and rendered the guinea
which the other took and dropped into the till,
without acknowledgement or remark. Now Mary
dnot restored the money withany view to praise
or reward: the thought of either had not occurred