The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-05-14
CHAPTER XIII.

Nothing occurred, during tho frs, eiyh,
or ten mouths OF Edwsris stay III Savan.
nah, to deserve our especial uUice. lie
WAS stul,ous AMI industrious ia his bab-
its; applied himself diligently to his Ia.
hoL's, aud soon gained the confidence
aud esteem oi his employers. In fact, his
progress in the l;tler respect, was alto.
geti'er too fast for the secret feelings OF
The Head Clerk, who regarded, with mis-.
trust and jealousy, the evidently increasing
Kindness and parliaIity evinccd for Ed.
ward, 10y Mr.. Fairfax; secretly fearing
that, 1t matters continued uucheckc,i Ms
they lad begun, even he, in time, might
be surplanted 10y this new, and what Le
termed, ulstSrt favori;e. l, frequently
occurred to Linn, that he would have to
take thls young competitor in hands. and
10y some stroke Of policy, damp th. pro.
gress Of his rising fortunes.
Mr. Haskell, the Head Clerk, wa. a
man of perhaps thir'y five or forty wears
al age; was tall aud we'll built. with ba;,
j. black. that c"u,ras,ed strangely with
h's pale and somewhat consuInptive ap
Pearancs. His general features miyh,
have Teen considered handsome, had il
not been tor the crafty EXPRESSION TIA,
lurkel around the corners of his Thin and
compressed lip..
Edward had no cause Of complaint; he
WAS progressing as rapidly ~ his business
woa.d allow; lac could not but adni, that
fortune had been rr"pi,ious in his favor:
aud YET, the Lnwecome fact pouid s,.re
him III the face, that il woald REQUIRE
Years OF toll and service to acco,nnlish
Ihat which his young &eart l,a.l Lern 50
SarSn'Re ot u speedy attainment. lie
could not disguise from himself the truth.
that however successful his career might
ie-even it he should ascend to the ut
posl summit tha; his business would al.
low, aud receive the muniiicent sa 'ary
that the head clerk himself enio, ed, !,
Xoald still require years of uninlerrup,ed
.arees 70. acquire even a pi,iful subsis,enc.
Rr himself and promised bride. Slowly
and nvoiuntariIy these truths forced
themselves upon him, and IL they did not
,e'd nm to repent Of his course, they a,
least lei hin ~ reflect upon the cirum
s,apces Which induced him 70 adopt it,
True, iic bad had great cause Of unibrsge:
his father had treated him with an aus.
Er''y that his own proud heart would
Ie>T have bTooked-had attempted to
free his inclinations, and acted toward.
him as IL he WAS not discretionary heinz
but still he 'ods his father; and from his
earliest reco!lections To the time Of their
disagreement, hs could not remember ON.
incident, that did not tend to endear that
father TO his memory. All his actions
bad esinced n paterial pride, and deep
solicitude for the happiness aud progress
of h's son. Even the last act, thar had
% outraged him was, perhaps, devoid Of
selfish motive, and urged entirely for
bis slfare.
Edward, ~e say, did not wholly rcpen,
bis decision, and yet such thoughts as
these 'rouid harrow his feelings, aud lead
him TO reflect, that lie NIGH have been
less hasty--be might have taken time 10
Deliberate; and, perhaps in time, recon.
c'li",'on would have been effected. In
regard TO his betrothed. absence had not
abated his love for her. Her image
re'gned a. iriumphantly in his heart. IA
Il bad done months before, and several
times be had heen upon the point of writ.
ing to her, aud also to Ellen and hi, friend
Ashley, but the thought Of his prospect.
deferred hiw; he could no, tell them ,ha,
his probation would soon be ended, and
che consciousness that his hopes were
long way from being realized, deferred him
from communicating the dreary prospects
TO those whom he loved. That Josephine
would probably weary OF his absence, he
never imagined. Oh no! her love would
last Tor years--she could never forget him,
thongh all else on earth had ceased to 70
gard bis memory
IL will not be surprising, that the aecu-
mulaied thoughts arising from so many
circumstances, served on many occasions. ,
70 cast a goom over his actions: and si |
sach times, the daughter Of Ms. Fleming.
kright eyed Jennie. would frequen,Iy sI. |
tempt to rally him upon his appearance
and force him to a contest with her srstk.
hng wii. Jennie evinced, and really fell,
great interest in our hero: not tLat We |