Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-08-01
"A Lost Inheritance

haIa story to relate to your readers
-ithls veg which, though occupying more
space 0l ] usually devote to incidents,
lconveNO excellent a moral, that have
yieldeo the temptation to give it in full.
T1heain from Paris to Lyons stopped
at the ftion of Joiguy, I'll town upon the
route, I'd again went on, after leaving a
few PaBmgers. The depot, for a mo-
mem dRded with railroad agents and
lOoker%0, was soou deserted by all but
two inlldduals.
Ore otthese was an old man, dressed
in the gab of a well-to-do farmer; the 9TH
Ier, youth of five-and twenty, who SEEM
led to he waiting for some one to meet
him. II tais parsonage the old man fl
naIIy addesed himself May presume
SIR said he 'to inquire if you are Gle
ment b.
| Yes. my good man. replied the youth
with hapgniness ofmanaer; 'and | have
40 doubt yol are Mr.. Martin
AT your ervice, sir returned the 9TH
ir.
'WelI, Ml Martin, continued Clement
n the same bne, Il began to imagine you
Intended 10 keep me waiting. That
would not haze been the best manner in
which to hav3insinuated yourselfinto my
good graces.H
The old mn, instead of replying, let
bis head fall lpon his breast as if in deep
sftiction, and conducted the newcomer
bwards an I'D fashioned carriage, to
which rough looking horse was harness
ed.
Here is yow carriage, sir, said Mar
TN. IF you will be good enough tie get
10, will have the honor of conducting
you to the Hennitage.'
THAT my carriage' cried Clement
Why, shall be taken for a travelling
pedlern Notwithstanding, as there seem
ed no means Of avoiding it, he took his
scat beside theold man, but not without
expressions of disdan. In another mo-
mnt the man had seized the reins, and
the horse had started OIL clumsy trot.
But few days before, Mr.. Clement
B.,who now put ON SO many grand airs
wasa simple clerk in a crockery store in
Pars, and possessed the reputation of
being q quiet, unpretending little fellow.
Whit, then, had brought about this sud-
den md radical transformation? He had
become, since the previous day, rich
man and it may be we'll understood that
the possess0r of an income Of 10000
franc year finds it difficult to retain the
modst demeanor of a poor clerk. On
the Revious day, while dusting the piles
of cpckery under his charge, letter had
arrivd for him by the post, containing the
starting intelligence that one of his un~
cles, Of whom he had often heard as an
ecceltric and very wealthy old man, but
whNa he had never seen, had just died
at hs chateau in Burgundy, leaving his
nephew, Clement, sole legatee of his es-
tates to the exclusion of many other heir.
The letter was from notary of the prov
ince, who desired him to leave Paris i'm
mediaeiy for Joigny, the town nearwhich
his uIcle had resided, where he would be
met Iy Martin, an old confidential SER
want d the defnnct, and conducted from
the broad to the 'Hermitage,' the name
which the deceased had given to his cha
teau and his estate, which constituted the
main. Almost driven out of his senses
by such an unexpected stroke of fortune
he hastNed to obey the notary's direc-
tons; and, upon his arrival at Joigny,
Joined Old Martin, as we have seen.
On jofed the queer vehicle, in which
our hero had SO contemptuously taken a
place, unil after ride of several miles
the occupants arrived at their destination.
Martin offered the honors of the Hermi-
tage to the new proprietor, called all the
servants, and introduced them to their ftl-
ture maste', and then conducted the lat
ter to his apartments.
This was the sleeping apartment OF
your unele,' said Martin, as they entered
a vast apartment, furnished in old fash>
ioned STYLE.
1T was the room he died in ten days
ago.
But the nephew, instead of evincing
any emotion upon being shown the cham
Der of his beneflctor, threw upon all
around a look Of sorn, and cried, 'Upon
my word, can't g ay | think much of the
old boys tastel | never saw anything SO
ugly 10 all my life.'
'NotwithstatFling, SIR replied Martin,
It's the best tire IS here; and if you can.
not content ys rsoif, ! do not really know
where you vi Gnd other lodgings