Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-03-30

STs oEsas OF asifnilaf spurport
and on'snsdting sssra = saw. tears .sroll;nu
down his eAesS ,somsslnhs found dT6 Fin 4 IA,
ing something's Nancy read to hi,d.s ii scfhas NJ
Tom never dia2 for be,aSyes ask Z t 81 H q "
50; but 4 regretted that ma .ei,is Dee alge slld
not bear W with inHebyo under IL All SSse
When he again sppsarsd a. t.stke, a&eS Sjs ssr
was slow, andhissye, once ess 5at "a search.
ing, had drea.ylook hich'dasa Mi thsskiis
thoughts were iarAaway. Gradually I became
the principal al jDt&he busincsss and sassAll
was given up to me. Ny father now failed rap
idly. He gave away handsome ,syilhls of money
to divers charities, which vexed me; for what
right lad an oNd'man, brokens own by ttSufys
to throw awayhA prapertywhich would ri
wise descend to'is children, merely sosse ihii biz
hearth Y remonArated with him.. IIsi
a cold snyile.
:" JOSHUA, sal lhe ''eharity is d tRihgyo
know nothing abot. Permit me, whAs Stsi
live, to do some little good with nv surplus
funds. Fear not ia yoursels,,fo for know you
well enoughto saxFthat you will never want
for money. 'i1ts
I had, indeed; no Insure orr pr o!d from Tom still
I thrught it my duty Q mention this matter to
him, and beg his ipaupce to induce my father
No,dcsist from tin nacM Tom also smiled at
me coldly. "
I" Do you think, he, " that for any such
reasons as you ur| would prevent father
from enjoying, in ay, the decline of his
lifa' You ought I'd known me better"
ought, certainly as right there.
.'Toor father = ed he; "he will not
bevhsFs foag Do "a notice how rapidly
The failsp' Z HI
Mops kicd hA JOSHUA, you are as
7seld- -blpQi fsh!t
s7i9 gtly in rage, and so parted
frosy him.
Tom was right though, about tho health Of
my father. One bright summer evening, three
years after my mothers death, the old man, who
had been ailing for some weeks, and had been
for a few days confined to his bed, passed away
from us. 1t was melancholy event but ii
seems in the course of nature for parents to &C
before their children, and | soon rcconcicd my
self to this dispensation. Necessary prelimina.
ries being arranged, I was appointed to settle
the estate The business left by my father had
been hnder my sole direction SO long that ! coi.-
sdered it as u matter Of my own. regarded it
as my private property. To be sure, some men.
tion was made by neddling relatives about Civ
ing Tom share in it. But Immediately camt
forward and literally offered to give up the en-.
tire business to him, While established mysol
elsewhere, stating that was determined to gel
my living alone, or not at all. After this, Ton
cheerfully abandoned the thing, and said nc
more ahoatit.
| MY father left will, dated some years back
by which be divided his property equally between
T9s~ ] THIS eertv sa@isted of fifteen thousand
d0harsfwbi2h was fly thousand dollars for each
Issns By fFhd ssS ped gdin collecting in pri
thousand dstlars, WI invested. Thi,
additional sum to ived from the estate
would laii into my n good season, for il
exactly made up an Unnecessary for a beau
titulpperatlon in intended to engage
Aday or two fathers death, found
IN hls'desk the note addressed to me
"MY DEAR ceiling that have moi
long to live, ected sufficient strength
to write this request, to you.
Give years since, hen my will was. made
n vas in possession ofa handsome property, bu
now shall SCARCELY leave fifteen Thousand dol
lars. This, my son, sbut small matter will
three, but will affor6a ample income for you,
sister Nancy. Tom and you can support your
selves have no fear on that point, and, there
fore, | would prefer that your sister should have
what little may eays. But wish to be Just
and so desire you mention this matter TO- Tom
and trust you both agree to settle the whole
amount which lnIeaye upon her.
"For obvious reasons, l take this mode of in.
forming you ofmy wishes, and shall rest in my
grave believing That my sons will cheerfally
comply witIthe last wisl, Of their father z
This was strange letter. Not saiisIied with
giving away smuch Of the property before his
death, my father wished Tom and me to throw
away the balance now and was the person
selected to induce poor Tom to sign away hil
rights. felt hurt, for it did not seem to mt
to be quite the thing.s' 1t was not what ex
pected from SO honorable man us my fatter
We were to give up to Nancy. Why! Proba
I bly, because she chanced to be girl Could WI
help that OF course not; it was her misfor
tune. Beside, she was young and very pretty
there was no doubt that some body some tint
would marry her. Even if no gentleman pro
posed to her, she could, by a. .littlSmanagement
throw herself in the way some rich old widower
and then the affair would soon be settled
thought a long time over the matter. slep
uneaslly the night succeeding my first perusa
of it. l read it over number Of times, ant
tried to put some other construction upon it.
was anxious, as have been in all instances, I,
purauo the proper course. and finally decided
as thought, honestly. In fact, determined
to destroy the letter. Now did this, principal
ly, from regard for Tom and Nancy, and no
from any selfish motive; for,in the first place,
lkasW Tom would afcsdd to my fathers reques
thelA6I4efft he heard oft; thereby. from sen
tImsfgpf false generosity, cheating himself GU
] OF dye thousand dollars. In the second place
the whole amount was too much money to b
1given to agirl the possession of such sum woule
|fll Nancy with vanity ;..perhaps plant certain