The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1855-01-18

nying, ana her COWS Drawn to9etner.
Some one one must have been in the
buttery these last two nights she com
menced. There's heaps Of things gone.
There's a nice leg of lamb, hardly touched
at dinner, and two large pieces Of pork
they're gone. And those apple-pies |
made the other day, two Of them were gone
yesterday morning and now two more, and
a whole pot of my best pickles, and a jar
of sweetmeats and / don't know how many
loaves of bread and cakes and rolls of but
ter. I'm thankful know nothing about
it,
Lucy played her partvery wellthis time,
and her father and aunt wondered in vain.
Still the attacks on the larder did not cease,
and aunt Tabitha suspected in turn each
of the two helps and then every one OF
the workmen on the farm. One night Lu-
cy had just descended to the buttery w hen
she turned round and saw her father Just
behind her.
why, Lucy said he, is it you who
commit these deprcdations?'
Lucy forced herself to speak calmly
why, papa, could you think ate all those
cold shoulders of lamb and sirloins ofbeel
aunt Tabitha laments so pathetically? l
want some sugar to drop lavender on,
and taking few lump, she proceeded up
stairs before her father. He laughed
"A pretty fool have been to jump out of
my bed at this hour forsuch mink as you.
l thought l had the thief. I'll not do it a.
gain at any rate
The weeks went on. Poor Joe Tucker
learned to love the very ground on which
Lucy stood. Nothing so pretty, so sweet
and delicate had every come near him be-
fore. His untamed heart was naturally
warm and affectionate, and now it was stir
red to its inmost depths. The passionate
devotion with which he worshiped his
benefactress was strange feeling to his
wild, ignorant soul. 1t seemed to open a
new world to him. Every visit showed
Lucy more and more OF the ardor of the
poor fellows attachment, and every visit
saddened her more as she felt her own de-
fciencies. She had consciousness, dim
at first, that this was the time to sow the
seed of good in that untutored heart, and
hers the hand to cast it-but she knew moi
how to doit She thought. how fluent aunt
Tabitha would be in such a case, but that
was not exactly the nuency she wished for
For seven weeks Joe Tucker remained
concealed in Mr.. Holmes out-building.-
The excitement seemed to be lessened, ,ant
Lucy thought he might try to escape. She
had Just received her liberal quarterly al
lowance, and she gave him every cent oft
She disguised him with complete suit OF
one of their working-men, and one nigh
in October stood beside him for the las
time. Poor Joe could not speak He be
gan several times, Miss Lucy'-anC
then choked up. His sobs spoke for him
AT last Luch wiped away her streaming
tears, and took his sun-burned hand in boil
of hers. 'Joe,' she said, promise me tha
when you get to California, you will try
to the best of your knowledge and ability
to be man-an honest and good man.
Il do promise, said Joe, i swear it by
God in heaven
Lucy placed small bible in his hand
and in FIVE minutes he was gone.
The next morning she saw the docto
pass in great hurry. Mr.. Reed was dy
ing, they said. The brain fever in whicl
he had lain ever since the occurrence
seemed running to its close. Lucy though
of Joe and wept. The guilt of blood wa
really on his hand and conscience then
But at noon other tiding came. What hat
been thought the agony of death was bu
the lower crisis ofthe fever, and now tn
surgeon thoughl he might recover.
He did recover, and on her fathers bo
som Lucy confessed all that she had don
for Joe Tucker. That father sat astonish
ed, and then his eyes filed, snd he claspe
his daughter to his swelling heart, wonder
ing that in the thoughtless child shoul
have been hidden such capabilities of feel
ing and action.
} Aunt Tabitha might have preached t
Lucy to the end of time, and produced n
effect; but the impression of those mid
night visits to the half ruined shed, wher
she had felt the want of inducements all
hopes above Il is world, could not be e.
faced 1t was made at critical time i
, her life, Just as childhood was taking il
. leave, and thus was she gently brought t
the source of Ell help. She was as happ
and as mirthful as ever-danced and sun
Just as much-went to none of her aur
5 Tabitha's favorite anxious meetings-eve
declined sitting under the 'revivalpreacl
e er'-but even aunt Tabitha could nC
question the sincerity of her Christia
t character, for truly her light so shone TIL
S saw her good works, andglorified her me
: Father in heaven.
= News, good news come from Californi
n Lucy received letter from Joe. He hf
n learned TO write for the purpose of writir
to her. He had obtained a situation
# partner in store, and was sober and i
: dustrious.
g II keep my promise, Miss Lucy"
o wrote. "I keep away from bad compan
b and try to learn something and be som
e thing-and its all for your sake"
d And this was Lucy's own work. !
d the turning point in Joe fuckers life h
/ kindness had met him, and fixed the dire
IS ton Of his future course. How differe
n it would have been had she shrank fro
o the poor outcast, and he had been Civ
it up to the law. True, Mr.. Read had liv
and he would have suffered nothing bu
t, short Imprisonment, but what would ha
Z been the prospects at his release? Lu
if heard from him every few months, the