The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-08-21
WASHINGTON, d. G.
For the National Era.
NJ R S. H A D D 6 N.
CHAPTER XIV.


The next day, Arthur Fletcher was out fish
=, through an opening, made for that purpose,
:. ,he ice on the river; and some young men
~.,s skating near, gracefully sweeping the
graceful bends of the stream, hither and thither.
I.m;e Hadden was with them. He had rode
or.- fer an hour or so with "the Bridge boys;"
and finding them out on the ice, he had taken
.ors skates from Mr.. Tillotson's store, and
came out to them; had been greeted with
,,errv "Hallo! hillol jamie Hadden!' that
,a al the echoes of the hills and barns about
n saving, "Hallo hillo! Jamie MADDEN! Had
Ssp Hadden!r A salmon trout, handsome
fellow, caught away, bit by bit, the last morsel
If Arthur Fletcher's carefully-selected, careful
,v.exed bait, while, concealed by a huge rock
that iutted out, he looked on the jolly greet
;ops and hand-shakings of the youngsters. By
and by. something was amiss with one of Ar
,bur Cabot's skates, when he and jamie (who
for some time had been abstractedly steering
one way and another, by themselves) drew up
N the shore, and sat down on some rocks close
bv the large one beyond which Arthur fetch
er was-sngllng.
EHes capital fellow, uncle Arthur is ]
know that nobody knows more about that than
do: for, YOU see, he's given me more than ten
dollars. one time and another, since he's been
here. without once asking, or looking into my
face as if he wanted to ask, how was going to
spend it. That's all the best of it, don't you
think so? Young Cabot looked up, laughing,
from the cords he was disentangling the old
nal" (he meant his father ais particular, you
see. He's afraid III be guzzling brandy every
hour of ny life, if l have the chink by me,
suppose, because he has happened to see me
pretty well boczled twice."
"Has hep" jamie asked, starting.
"He has, old fellow =" looking down on his
work with a gathering frown, and jerking the
cords.
jamie did not speak. He sat with his
thoughtful eyes on the far-off, misty-blue hills.
al suppose you don't think much better of
nv brandy drinking than do of your Know
Nottingham" said Cabot, at length, without
looking up, without letting his frown go at all.
"They're both mean enough, if the truth is
known; but you followed good men, you say,
into your Know Nothingism l can say that 1
followed good men into my brandy-drinking."
Jamie looked up, inquiringly, with the
thoughtful eyes still, still with the sorry mouth
and chin.
"You say you followed uncle Arthur, DR..
Hammond, Esquire Such-a-one, and Esquire
This-one," resumed Cabot. 81 followed pre-
cisely the same men when | drank my brandy
You are surprised, | see; perhaps you doubt
it but It's fact. When these men are with
a certain set, under certain circumstances of
place and time, they drink brandy. This is all
| do. lis all | ever mean to do. i never
mean to get boozled again; / don't suppose
that uncle Arthur, or DR.. Hammond, either,
erer get boozled. Good now the thing will
do" shaking his foot, to try the irmness Of the
skate. "Come, old fellow " starting to his
feet" I've given you the blues, see. Too bad !
For, there's one thing YOU and the old gentle
maa may depend on will never be a drunk
ard, or anything mean. / will drink a little
now and then. l won't work very hard, if l
can any way live without -
80, Arthur! you don't know, then, what is
good for US young men in this life," interrupt
ed Jamie, speaking earnestly, looking earnest
ly into Arthur's face.
:" think do. like the way uncle Arthur
lives. Hunting, fishing-getting into the Legis-
lature, for the fun of it, without caring a devil
for the pay-clubs, handsome chambers, books
strewed around, handsome slippers, and robe
ne ehds,bTe, hound and good blooded steed,
wine once day or so, brandy tut once a
when 1t comes in, all right-that's the life for
me. And, think of it as you will, my jamie
Hidden, my good fellow, flor l honestly think
you are the best fellow in the world, not be-
gnn'ag to except our minister it is exactly
the life of my uncle Arthur, the man you look
up to as if you thought he were sort of Jesus,
leads. Factl"
jamie did not speak; he was bending low
over his skates, standing, as if to try their ad-
lustment
There's mighty lot of humbug and SILL
hess in this world, Jamie Hadden; did you
know it?" asked Arthur, describing a circle on
his skates. "Uncie Arthur thinks he's good !;
but he's mighty-lazy, or something of that
Sort The old man" 1.-THE frown that came at
every mention of his father, coming now)
thinks he's good, bnt he's as rigid and set
and cross as the devil. he is He's one of
your one-idea men. Some of these men
'neyre calling us; they're for going-soms of
Tese men are for Slavery; that is, for the
aoohhon of 1t; and they don't know, you can't
convince them that there's another evil in the
country but Slavery. Even so much disunion
"a aao smashing up are nothing. Nothing is any
tning but Slavery. The old mans hobby is
81 L.
Tue least thing to stir him up in this direction,
uese twenty years. If boy drinks anything
beyond home brewed beer, he's on the road to
Peraiuon, II he hasn't one other unlnoky habit
uuaer heaven. If man drinks little, ever
- NUE. ne may be the best hearted man that
ever hved, may have ten good things about
hlm, to nv fathers one, but it's nothing. He's
o. perdition, fairly. In this way, he helps
G 81 fellow there, if he did but know it If
IN N ever druuksrd, Ives, Jamie, as you say,
GCd forbid! y but if l ever am, / know what /
sueLi DO l shall lift my hand So" thrusting a
qusKlng hand up into the air "looking back
70 my iather like this" with a horrible frown,
q horrible gesture of defiance and scorn, az
alah say to him. You did it, sir Trying to
unce me away from it; when wss a great
y. way on, Snd In no danger, you drove me into
!, ~ ahd here / snl here / ami" He screamed
tne words with both hands aloft, thrust little
'OIt"srd, and energetically spread, as if he were
uenon. should say to my uncle Arthur"
SSOn'lnued he, after brief pause, and coming
uo"n at once, Il should say to him, you led
me uncle, but you didn't mean it. This would
S Se enough to say to him. Saying this would
=. IAl-klli him, halfkill me; for there's some
o crFing about him, this something that you spoke
VI, mat ! love with all my aopl. don't sup
pose ne knows it, or thinks of it; b4t one that
aAes mold OF ne young fellows, of everybody,
o % ne does, or can do, when he lays himself
SS.1 ought to be pretty careful how he orders
n nI steps. Whoopl hurra. see thisI He was
s s1 out to the others. He went like light
lug 70 meet them; they, answering his call,
0oiihlg Ike lightning TO meet him.