The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1856-01-17

ssDSss-V ~ soHNsssSa WIN Vt0 s3QuirS lAtttGt0il
u Pisasant Valley. That Is to say we botl
rcd, Or profssed to read at the same time /,
his once but to own the truth, that togethe,
mast Be taken In very metaphorical sense.
sam, indeed, road patiently and plosidingiy
Ne went ct BLACKSTONE, as he approached ever,
oth9 new acquaintance, somewhat timorousl,
at drst but sfter little he chung to him. as b
chung to every one Of his new friends, with {
vicehke teuacity. Many clear, crisp Octobe,
dny, when the hills arUund Pleasant Vale,
were echoing the quick reports Of my fowling
piece, the dingy oticc walls only echoed Sam,
droning voice, Is he toiled through contingen,
rsnnindefi and executory devices, reading alout
- il in hopes that the intricate meaning which
eln}pd hh eyesight might, perchance, creep il
BY The ears. On warm summer afternoons, as
with my Ret On the window-sill, watched th,
fumes Of an after-dinner cigar. those same meas
urcd cadcnces would hull me to sleep In win
fer evenings when Bessie Littlcton and ] wert
going home from singing school, we used to pecr
in at the window and sec Sam poring over hi,
task. That as have said before. was twenty
years ago; Sam is quoted now with great res
pect In the Reports. as Saunders, j.; he non
suited me, last week, on one cf the very points
that 6rst drilled into his skull, twenty years
ago! That skull had such a happy thickness
that 10 idea, once lodged, ever made its escape
Bat ! am wandering from my story.
When Sam first came into old Littleton's
once, Nc I'll thought hin, an incorrigible Ounce
A such, he was made the subject Of numerous
tricks. Practical jokes Of all descriptions he
bore with immovable gravity. Tom Lttleton
the Sqnires nephew, the wit Of the Office and
the village, spent his shafts upon him in vain.
Scott our managing clerk, delivered long
lectures to him, replete with such law as never
had entered the bead Of mortal man and when
our gravity exhausted, Tom and rushed out to
give our laughter vent, Sam would gravely
reach down his vast common place book, and
treasure up SCOTS mcndacious maxins and
apochryphal authorities with the most painful
diligence.
Bat these things soon grew tiresome, even to
ourselves. Sam was too easy victim to afford
lasting sport, and after the first month or two
We LETT him to plod on his way alone. by and
BY the impression gradually grew on us that
Sam was not q man to be despised after all
Slow and plodding be certainly was but there
was world Of good feeling under his great
uugainly exterior. We began to see that Sam
AAd in him the material Of warm, steadiast
friend; and once in q while, when heard him
expse@ his few disliks, the conviction came
over me that would not much like to have Sam
Saunders for "A enemy.
Bessie Litfleton was the belle Of Pleasant
Valley. She claimed that title on variety Of
grounds. She was the only child Of the old
Squire and the old Squire was a great man,
even throughout the country. Moreover, Bessie,
IN her own right, was brighteyed, brown
haired. red-lipped little beauty and to crown
al, she was the most artful and bewitching lit
tie coquette that ever proved, in village church,
how much natural genius for flirting can sur
pass the studied art Of city bellies. Every one
OF the Squires students fell in love with her
before they had finished the first chapter in
Blackstone every one except Sam Saunders.
And every one had some sweet treasured remin-
iscence-some particular word, or look, or smile,
upon which he built particular hopes. To be
sure, IL any one OF them had examined the sub
ject In connection with Phillips on Evidence, or
any other good work On that branch Of his
studies, he might have known that there was
hardly . prima facie case in his favor. But
this q q process hardly to be expected Of lovers.
II the truth must be told, fatter myself
that could give shrewd guess at the true
state OF Bessies feelings. 1t would hardly be
poRcs DN u1C W bltkh NtTy WI su'u u
matter, even at this late period and as Mrs..
Quidam is Of a slightly jealous turn, do not
like to commit myself Suffice il to say, that
although Miss Lttleton never expressed to me
in SO many words, yet have always been con
vinced that certain little marks Of attention to
your humble servant were not without their
meaning. But this is not TO my present pur-
pose.
Lastly smoking one July afternoon. in the
position l have described before, rustiDg Of
gauze upon the walk struck my ear. Ny eyes
opened just in time 10 catch a glimpse Of Bessie
. she passed tbe open door. Something white
Suffered to the ground as she vanished. Bessie
had dropped her handkerchief
Now, / do not mean 10 say that Bessie in
tended TO drop her handkerchief, or was cog
infant Of the loss. am aware that hsndker.
chief are often dropped by young ladies n
situstioos which entirely preclude the snspi-
cion Of any ulterior purpose am even pre-
pssed TO admit that (except on the stage
kandkerchieh are more often dropped scci'
deutally than otherwise.
But yet in the present instance, it was SIN
gular that she should have dropped her hand
kerchief in that very place. She might have
beea aware that was st that time particular
.ly diseag.ged. % far - olhce business wss con-
cerued. Indeed. il the reader will remember
the position ] was occupying. she could hardly
have passed the window without having her
sttsusioa called TO that hct These rshec-
ten, b mind accustomed. - that of stu
dsnt at law in his second year must be, to the
weighing Of evidence. led to an irresistsble
cooelusion II Was clearly my duty to restore
The haedkefchief 70 its fair owser
nApiiay - this train sf srsusent hsd pss-
90 through my mind, it yet occupied some
secoods; and still more we're required TO gath
q myself up and proceed TO the execution Of
~ mission, With such deliberatioa - is I'm
psrtascs end IL heat Of the weather demAsd-
Cd Thss few seconds we're OF vast lmPos-
tasce 10 the life Of Samuel SsoDder.
Ireacbed the doorway just in time to zee his
hsse 6eure bending TO pick up the dss'caie
hhie, which be handed - sin9criy a u II
had been one Of the cobwebs Of the law
ChaRriped a I was 10 be thus forsstaued,
coald not help smiling at what hat'ered my.
~ wouA be Be~ie's disappointment Hut y
expected il TO BE- visible in her fAce. 1t was
hessase did not fally know Mis- Bessie lat
Teton. q young lAdy nature in general sbe
never hsd given me a sweeter smLh Than 'ha'
with which she rewsrded my siiow-stnd-n' .
clumsy poli,eness. when his long s'rdss n had
overtsken hsr; and Ssm retarpd blushlng Ike
ooe of his htker's hloodred brts. Two "a
three eyniap after. met him in unusual az
ny 10 sse him svsy from ibs oe'ce Af tha'
tine vss . wooder; but imagine my Astonish
u,>cS .k~-, - tia -. - wns 0oD0 IN call u