Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1859-05-12
N. J. THURS

u6TSu IL nc EUuiSN~kfrs OF 6Sud Ha5 SOM
token of remembrance but I was doom
ed to pass the week without a word o
Acknowledgements At length, as tim,
wore on, l concluded that pride with hin
had conquered love, and that I was for.
gotten but | wronged him by thes,
thoughts for, the morning after my faith
er's harsh refusal, he sem me a letter
which was delivered into my father,
hands, who quietly locked it in his desk
where it lay undisturbed for years, unit
at length | discovered it.
The letter ran thus =" Ny Jessy.
have spoken to your father, and can hard
ly wonder that, proud of you, as he Justly
is, he should have seorned my humble
suit. Assured of your love. / can trust
to time to overcome his objections but
dearest, he told me that, which if true
will grieve me to the heart. He said,
that his daughter, too, would scorn me,
did she krow that her lover, unfriended
and poor, trusted only to his ability and
energy. Jessy. is it so I Have you al
ready lost faith in me +? if not, send me
one word, before go, that you will be
true to your promises to- love, and wait,
and hope. / ask no more. It shall not
be long before | come to claim my bride,
and then, ever your father shall not scorn
for his son-inlaw, your fond devoted low
er, Frank Stopford." This letter | have
never received, and Frank left this vii
lage, with sad and bitter thoughts in bis
heart, of the proud village beauty, who
could so DON plight and break her troth.
The weeks | counted from our parting
grew into months, the months into years,
aud | heard nothing from Frank. Two
years after he left as. his aged father died
and his mother went to London to Join
her son so all communication between
him and our village ceased. Once a Lon.
don newspaper fell into my hands, and |
read of a trial in which the prisoner was
eloquently defended by Mr.. f. Stopford.
Once too Iaa netiee OF hook, of
which he was named the author, and the
high terms in which the critic spoke both
of the work and Of the writer, made me
feel how far above me my former lover
was placed, and how soon one so humble
as myself must have been by him forgot.
ten.
Time passed on in our old farm house
with quiet strides. Ny father wrapped
up IN his crops, noticed not the shadow
his too proud fohdness had cast over his
daughters life. 1t was one sultry eve
ming IN autumn that father and | rode
over to the market town, to place in the
bank there a sum Of money, which he had
received for his corn. AS we entered
the town, we noticed that a strange ex-
element seemed to peryade it well
dressed men were seen running to and
fro, with faces expressive of anger and
anxiety and as we approached the bank,
we perceived a large crowd collected be-
tore 1t, noisy, strging, and clamorous for
the doors to be opened. As my father
drove up the throng made way, and amid
a silence that struck o%minously upon my
heart, we alighed. One brawny fellow
pressed forward, and with a look of SYM
pathy inquired, T How much in, measter?'
Another said, Farmer Flower, the bank
is broke they're all gone off to 'Merikyl''
while others crowded around with tales,
Of their own losses and consolation for
ours. Consolation my father would have
none, without q word he re entered the
car, and it was not until he was in his
accustomed seat by the 6reside, that he
seemed to realize the extent of the calam-
ity. With tears streaming down his fur
rowed cheeks, he burst forth oh Jes-
sy Jessy the money I've been so long
saving for thee, and thy grand father 5
savings too-all gone and thought SO
safe too Fool that l was to trust them p
1t was in vain to seek to comfort him ;
from that day the old man dropped his
beloved gold he could not forget. By
degrees he took less interest in the farm,
and suffered many things to be neglected.
The consequence was, that the land, bad.
ly cultivated, produced poor crops this
of course, REDUCED the profits, so that, on
the second half year after our loss my
father found himself unable as usual, to
60 to the hall with his rem in his nand.
The new squire+a harsh unfeeling man
-vexed to see bis best farm going to
ruin for var ~ofcare, was only to glad to
tell my father that a new tenant had of
fered a higher rsnt for it, and would take
possession as sofn as we could leave
Tkls news camenpon my poor father like
a thunder strokl and he strobe from the
hall, vowing Vengeance on the squire and
all that was his.
When it became known in the village
that farmer Flower had received notice
to quit his farm, Indignation ran high ;
and Squire Maxwell lost much of the pop
ularlty ne had gained through erecting a
new school hous and reading room, by
this exercised ef arbitrary power. It
was thus, sir, We came to this cottage,
which had beenmy mothers early home.
The change didmy father good, but his
spirit was brokka, and he went about a
moody and disappointed man he never
could forgive thE injustice to which he
had been subjected.
One dark night / was sitting alone,
musing on our altered fortunes, when my
attention was caught by q bright lurid
light in the direction of the hall. More