The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-10-05
and that he would be sure to find his pleasure

and that he would be sure to find his pleasure
| mine.
"You are dear, good girl" he said, bu
do you think you would love me as well if
were very poor-if had not even these few
acres, and this poor houssin
| remembered then that he had once told mt
of some insolvency, and for the first time the
thought struck me that it was the important
ties of creditors that he feared When supper
was ready, he said he was not hungry, and
saw that he kept his place at the window til
long after dark.
L had not received so many expressions o.
fondness for long time as that night, yet the
incident Of the afternoon would not be put Out
Of sight. Sometimes thought, perhaps MIR
Richards has committed some great crime, and
has fed to this obscure place for sefuge-hou
should know; but would not permit myself
to entertain such thoughts, for | knew the
grounds of any suspicion were quite insufficient
for 80 dark a ore
need not describe infinitely the occurrences
of every day suffice it to say, the general ten
dency of things was more according to my wish
es. IL was agreed between Mr.. Richards and
| myself, that our engagement should be nc
secret; that it should be understood our mar.
risge was to take place on my leaving school
lishment of our purposes was to be made, was
satisfied.
| Mr.. Richards engaged in farming pursuits
with new and more thorough earnestness than
he had yet done, and Mike and Rose logged com.
| fortably on-plannipg and working and wait
ing for better time waxing little indffer-
ent now and then, and making up with kisses
and plenitude of love, just as wiser people
have done before them.
Mr.. Shue went and came az the mood indu.
| ced, experimenting his benevolent project
He was never puzzled, and never Ia i'll humor
or low spirits. | often looked upon him almost
enviously as he sat in the shade, playing the
flute, or telling stories for the amusement oil
Mike or Rose, or whoever CHANGED to be about
him. Looking on his cheerful face, one quite
forgot that he was apparently alone in the
world, and that he could neither stand nor
walk
| saw Lucretia often, and always she said
she was quite WELL nevertheless, her cheek
grew thinner and her eyes larger, resting as it
were on objects far sway
The same question met me always. Have
you heard from Charley? And when | said no,
the pallor came back to her face, and her
hands folded themselves together, or hung list
leSsly down, aud there was nothing more that
could make her smile or sigh. All the little
presents | could devise carried to her; and
when she said they were pretty, and she would
keep them as long as she lived, but that she
did not deserve my kindness, groaned inly
tor what is 80 humbling as praise above our
merits
No doubt, she was perfectly sincere in as
surfing me of the great value she attached to
my trinkets, yet, on my next visit would find
them in some forgotten corner, covered with
| nks nd I Ior GA
in the sun without employment, and bees and
butterflies flying thick about her.
At length, the scbool-house was finished. and
early, one Monday morning of summer, Lucre-
tia and myself and Doke, together with a
dozen half-wild girls and boys, gathered out of
woods and byways, took our places as pupils
Timothy was there, his face sunshiny with
smiles, and feeling, es he said like Cesar
with the Senate at his beelsn Tho name of
our head master was Christopher Bone-a tall,
tbin-chessed man, with large gray eyes, and a
sprinkling of coarse black hair on the back of
his head, the front being quite bald. Whether
he was great fool or a very wise man, have
never been able to determine that he was in
comprehensive, was all l knew ct the time
Little was known of him by anybody, save
that he called himself q philosopher; that he
possessed scanty wardrobe, and a curious
collection of dead butterflies; that he passed
al his leisure in writing lectures on cosmog-
raphy which were never published and never
delivered; and that no had, or protested to
have. wife somewhere, betwixt whom and
himself there existed no spiritual affinity, as he
| said
His highest delight was to seat us on the
| grass about him at noontime and to edify us
with the reading of one of his lectures on cos
mography-one sentence in ten of which We
could perhaps understand.
Timothy liked as he said, this Socratic
method of teaching exceedingly; he had nc
doubt but that back to the instruction of Mr
Christopher Bono some of US would date our
Immortality. He was inclined to think the
open-air teaching especially beneficial to Doke
He was youth for whom all common methods
were quite inadequate, he was sure.
The school had been in successful operation
for week, when, one evening, as Timothy sat
on the porch, playing some old tune, he sud
denly stopped, and tapped on the sash, for me
| to jim him. Christopher Bone was coming
up the lane, bearing on one arm a basket
which appeared heavy, and over which towel
was tied closely down.
81 think" said Timothy, pointing toward
him. that the vision of a prophet has been
suddenly given me- and that the mysterious
history of that individual lieth open to me. He
is none other that the Senior Gobbo, father OF
young Master Launcelot Gobbo, and and he is
even now bearing present of dish of doves
to Master Jew; ay, yes in my mind there is no
doubt but that he is the rue-begotten father
of young Master LauncelotD and while he
thus spoke, Christopher Bone approached, and,
having seated himself, asked leave to read one
of his lectures on cosmogrsphy to Timothy,
whose intellectuals, he said, were in his opin-
| iop, of very discerning cast.
You fiatter me-" answered Timothy, "and,
to prove to You that you do go | hereby certify
and asseverate that | have not sufficient dis
cernment to guess what is in your basket
"Ah!" said MIR. Bone, "you commend
yourself more and more to me. Curiosity is
the basis of all knowledge. My basket con-
tains six feiines, or, in ordinary parlance, six
cats Shall read you the lecture, sir!"
"When you shall have informed me-" re-
piled Timothy, for what proposed uses the
felines are in their present somewhat uncom-
Portable position"
Here, greatly to our amusement, MIR. Bone
informed rs that the new school house was
terribly infested with rats 20 much 90, that
most of his pupils were every day deprived of
the articles carried thither for their physical
sustenance. He was inclined to attribute their
presence in 30 new habitation to some pecu-
liar formation of the soil, handful of which
he had carried home, for the purpose of ana
| Lying.
Timothy could not understand how the rats
! could make their depredations 30 successfully
in open daylight, and advised Mr.. Bone to
| consult D6ke-a most knowing lad-in refer
ence to the missing edibles.
Mr.. Bone promised to avail himself of the
boys discrimination, without the least suspi-
cion for, whether or not hs possessed superior