The Ohio star. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1830-1854, 1853-01-12

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were tried before the City Court for an assault
upon their master. Being indentured apprentices
and the assault proved, they were ordered ten
1ashes, each, by the court. Previous to this how
ever, a surgeon had examined their wounds, and
removed about twenty small shot.
! On the night after this fogging, the three boys
bundled up their clothes. and leaving the house by
the garret window, took final leave of their mas
| ter In this act was consummated the evils of
| improper discipline. Had Hardamer treated them,
from the first. as he would have liked his own
children treated and carefully watched over them
with other than exclusively selfish feelings, he
would never have, found them opposing and insult
ing his authority, nor have been deserted by them
at time when he more than ever stood in need of
their services. Nor would he have been the cause
of three stout lads, utterly unfit TO govern them
selves, breaking Loose upon the world, to add, in
all probability, 10 its annals of misery and crime
Had he governed .his own household Alright, chill
dren and apprentices, the former would have been
respected by the latter and the latter kindly treat
ed by the former. No such an act as the mock
serenade, could. possibly, have occurred But
Hardamer started wrong from the beginning, and
the evils Inherent in his family government, in
creased until they were consunmated in open in
| subordinaion.
The loss Of his three boys just at this time, was,
10 Hardamer, serious matter. 1t required him
to seat three more journeymen, at ten dollars a
week each; thus in his embarrassed condition, in
| creasing his cash expenses about twenty dollars
per week; for, taking the year round, it had not
Inoa in, fl,a H. e.,
boys, over tsn dollars, weekly. This additional
cause of embarrassment, and consequent anxiety,
tended to increase his dependency, and TO rri.ate
has feelings in very great degree. Burdened
with large and helpless family, from whom he
received no sympathy, he felt himself unequal to
the task imposed upon him. All he could do to
press sales and force col ectons, of no avail in
keeping him even, when the due-days of notes
| rolled around. Doing only retail business, he
rarely had note of any consequence TO offer for
discount; and, therefore, whenever. short of
money, he had but one resource, and that was his
friend Mr.. Centum, who never failed him at the
hour of extremity.
DIX months rolled away, and during that time he
mad become more and more inexricably involved
with ms money-iending friend. Hardly day
passed that some operation not required, either
IN taking up notes, renewing checks, or extending
loans, and, in every where either of the latter
were effected, it was at a ruineus sacrifca. f7,.
the broker, in extending previous loan for a new
term OF twenty or thirty days, beyond which he
rarely went always made it the excuse for taking
an exorbltant interest, screening himself too be-
bind some pretended invisible wealthy individual.
who would receive nothing less. During the FIRST
SIX months that Hardamer remained in the web of
difficulties which the broker was yyeayipo eround
him, and by which he was embarrassing his move.
ments more and more every day, that individual
succeeded in getting from him, in unreasonable
discounts, about five hundred dollars, and was. at
the end of that time, bleeding him at the rate of
from thirty TO forty dollars, weekly; and YETI at The
same time, did not risk in all over fifteen hundred
dollars, to secure which he had obtained a. mort
gage on Hardamer's house, worth, at least. with
the ground, five or six thousand dollars,
Amid all these increasing difficulties, Hardarner
found no sympathy in his futnily, except fiom
Geneyleve, who saw from his manner that he had
sore trlalsto contend with. What these really
were. neither she nor the rest knew but. ne her
own heart had been deeply tried, she had learned
TO feel for others. Her father failed not to per
celVe the difference in her manner towards him
ana hef Willingness to make herself useful: and
gradually his feelings warmed towards her. Az
for Genevra and Gertrude, the more difficult if
became to get money out of their father, to spend
IN all kinds offashionable extravagancies the more
'fnpoftunate did they become and the more insult
ing 10 their manners towards him. --!
Time had rolled on till past mid winter, and du-
ring this gay season, these two young ladies' had
hashed away with as much show and extravaganza
as II tneir father had been made of money In
deed, from the time it became known that he had
met with heavy loss, thew had considered It as
their true policy to dress more extravaga nty than
aver In order to force people into he belief that
hey were still rich, and that their riches were in
exhaustible Hardamer whose mind was greatly
confused in relation the true state of his busnes
minaginng that it would yield him at least the
usual income he had derived from if, felt in no
degree inclined to deny his family any indulgence
they had been used to. But the loss of a thous-
and dollars year, from the deseron of his BOYS
and the abstratting of more than that sum to pay
usurious interest, made very material difference
end of the first six months of his downward career,
he began TO think seriously of retrenchment and
reform. For reasons other than economicaI ones.
he had insisted on bis three Oldest daughters DOING
all the sewing of the family; but Gertrude and
Genevra had receded from that state of compnl |
sorry industry and upon Genvievie had fallen the
entire burden of the ordinary sewing. Ofcourse,
the young ladies' dresses were still made by the
most Fashionable and expensive dress maker in the
city. ---..-
In looking over his expense account one day, he
was by means satisfied with the large sums
that posted under the titles of 'sDry Goods,
Millinery and Dress Making
This will never dol he said to himself, closing
the book with emphatic force. 1t SO happened |
that there was to be fashionable gathering at the
Assembly Rooms during the next week, and Ger