The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1858-03-26
Was II q Misfortune {!
BY T. s. ARTHUR.

os AhAhO"
"Impossible!" !" exclaimed Morris Hcstor
starting up from his desk. "lmpossible
he repeated, his face growing very pale.
at is too true," was the answer made b
gentleman, who had come hurriedly int
the store of Mr.. Heston. "I have the new
from reliable source"
"Failed ~
'Yes; and failed badly. 1t is allege
that not ten cents in the dollar can possibl
be realized. l hope he doesn't owe yoI
much"
"Not a great deal" was answered, evas
lively, though with ill-conccaled anxiety
"yet, enough 10 sweep away nearly all m.
profits on the years business, should tn
loss be total. Is he on your boOks?"
ayes"
"To large nmount?"
"Three thousand dollars"
~ thought him sound to the core. Tht
reports in regard to his standing have al
ways been A No. l."
"He has been engaged, 1t is said, in some
land speculations, which have turned ou
disastrously. The old story of the dog and
the shadow Well, we must expect suct
things, and meet them with as much phi
losophy as can be summoned TO our aid.-
Good morning."
And the man went out as huriedly as he
had come In. As he left the store, Mr.
Heston turned, with disturbed manner, ia
his ledger. and threw over the leaves ner.
vously. Pausing at an account, he footed
il up rapidly. The pencilled figures showed
the sum of four thousand eight hundred and
sixty-onc dollars. There was a credit by
bills receivable, Of four thousand dollars
three thousand five hundred Of which had
been discounted, and would mature in less
than a month.
o Morris Heston was a young man, who
had been in business only about two years.
The capital on which he commenced was
less than two thousand dollars; and the
whole of this he had saved from his salary.
lie was active, Industrious aud intelligent,
aud on the road, many predicted, to fortune.
But in one thing he was indiscreet; and
that was, In selling too largely TO single
customer. No wonder that he started and
turned pale on hearing bad news from this
customer; for loss here was equivalent to
ruin. Already, the relation between re-
ceipts and payments was SO close, that any
serious deficiency in the one, or increase IN
the other, would prove source Of smbar.
rassnent; aud TO have between three and
four thousand dollars Of discounted bills
come back upon him in four weeks, would
certainly cause him to stop payment.
I,, trn IA q
that followed, too surely, the confirmed In
tclliucnce Of this failure Of distant GUS
toner. Heston was too weak to bear the
pressure that came upon him, and so wus
forced to give way. A few Of his creditors
who had faith in his integrity and ability,
would cheerfully have reduced their claims
and given him ample time on the balance
but the majority, who had no personal in.
terest in him, and looked only to themselves,
acted upon the common adage current in
such cases, that the "first loss is the best
loss" and swept everything, leaving the un.
happy, mortified and dispirited young man
without dollar on which to begin the
world again-may, even worse than this,
leaving him several thousand dollars In
deb, for, in throwing his stock into auction,
and forcing collections, serious losses were
inevitable.
Troubles rarely come alone. Another,
and, to our young friend, a sadder disaster
followed. lie was under engagement oi
marriage, and the time OF its celebration
had been fixed. From the moment ruInor
filled the air with reports of his heavy loss
es and danger of failure, he thought be
could perceive q change in the manner ol
his betrothed. He tried to think this only
imagination; but the change seemed daily
10 grow more and more apparent. AT last
il became necessary for him TO tell her o
his misfortune, and the blight which had
come over his worldly prospects. He still
had faith in her; still tried to deceive her
SELF, withstanding the recent change II
her manner.
She listened with coldncss Of exterior
that chilled him to the heart; then gave Q
few tears; and then sat in irresponsivc 81
lence.
Stung by his apparent want Of sympathy
and bewildered by the conviction that u new
and heavier misfortune was about to clout
the sky of his life, the young man startet
up, and standing before the embarrassed
girl, said, with much agitation Of tone ant
manner:
"Agnes! how am to understand this
Are you, too, only summer friond?"
Scarcely had the words passed from hi,
lips, ere she started to her feet, and glidet
without word Of answer from the room.
For the space of nearly ten minutes Hes
ton walked the floor OF the apartment II
which he had been left alone, every mo.
ment expecting the return of his betrothed
but she came not back. At the end Of thii
period, he left the house in so wretched I
state Of mind, that, for brief season, ht
meditated seli-destruction. But wise
thoughts restored him to better feelings.
Once more he called to sec the yet en-
throned idol Of his affections; but she re
fused TO meet him, and the idol cast dow
and broken into fragments Mt his feet. !
was bu, gilded clay, and not fine gold a
Ae had vainly believed.
The effect Of this double misfortune wa
altogether paralyzing. leston fell into
state Of gloomy inaction. Friends urge,
him to look the world bravely in the fac
once more, and begin again, with stou
heart, the battle Of lie. But he answered.
"No-I have been mocked once. lie
that suffice. ! will not run the risk Of an
other such disaster"
"Shc is unworthy Of a thought" said ont
alluding to the maiden who had proved 8
mcsnly false to her vows; "and thousan
times unworthy Of regret by 70 true heal
Us yours"
at is easy to say all that" was answered
in a tone of bitterness. "But the heart III,
once loves, loves on forever-loves, eve
though the object Of affection be prove
unworthy"
"Mere poets talk" said the friend.-