The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-04-19

ier cOuSii, ioohillg as tnOugn ne should be
quite willing to accompany her.
But Eva hurried away without speaking.
She found Leonard Hughes in the front
hall he had evidently taken good deal of
pains in preparing himself for this interview.
His face and hands were perfectly clean, and
he wore faded brown coat and black cap {;
on The whole, his appearance was considera-
bly, improved. ....
GOOD morning." in that bright, cordial
way which at once relieved his embarrass-
ment 81 knew who it was as soon as the
the girl told me yorr name"
"Djd you" his face Frightening at once !;
81 was afraid you'd forget"
ooh, no, I haven't forgotten what prom
ised you. either" ..
But the boy did not answer. He only sat
still, awdwardly twisting his brown fingers
amongst each other.
"Come, now, don't be afraid Whatever
it is, speak it out"
And then Leonard Hughes gained courage,
and told his story to his sympathising listen
er. 1t was sad, sal tile, for he was an
orphan, without a friend or dollar in the
world. His father and mother had died be-
fore he could remember them, and his uncle
the "village blacksmith" had taken him
into his own family. lie was coarse, harsh
man, with a termagant for wife, and halfa
dozen noisy, obstreparous children. His life
had come up to its fifteenth year, amid these
harsh surroundings and associations, and
uncle had determined to bring him up to the
blacksmith's trade.
But of late the boys soul had Utterly re
volted at the work to which he was destined;
he had not revealed his abhorance of the bu-
siness to his uncle, or any of the family, as
it would only bring down a world of invective
and ridicule upon his head, for he was no
! favorite amongst his relatives, as they felt
rather than understood, the antagonism be-
twiyt his character and theirs, for Leonard
was quiet, thoughtful boy, and loved long
rambles in the woods, and to read old books
and newspapers, instead ofthe noisy sports
of the blaeksmith's robust children.
For the last year or two his home had
become quite intolerable to him, and he had
entertained many thoughts ofleaving it, but
he was an ignorant country boy" without
friends or money, and he had nowhere to 60.
But couple of weeks ago, while he was
working at the anvil, the memory of Evelyn's
promise had suddenly flashed into his mind,
and
All this, in substance, Leonard Hughes re-
lated to the squiros daughter that morning,
and il you had seen his bright, honest face,
and listened to his words, you would no more
have doubted thnm than she did.
"And so you p'uclled Up courage, at last,
and came to me ?" said the girl, taking up
the words where Leonard had left off
"Yes that's it.n
well, what in tho world wond Won like
to do--if you had your choice, Imcan ~
'I should like to 60 to school-but, !
haven't any money, or any way to get any
only though I'd come and tell you this, and
perhaps you'd know of some place whore |
could 60 AMI work very hard, and study a
little. Can you think ofanv?" and the deer
brown eyes asked the question more eagerly
even, than the lips did.
'T'n try" answered the squira's daughter
r ,,,N- nF
"ThanI you," said Leonard Hughes, rising
up, and his face said something more.
at will take mo little time to do any.
thing for you, but suppose you come here
next Wednesday morninc and ask for me .
am come, unless we have some job on
hand"
"Gool morning. and the squire's daugh
ter slipped her small, dimpled hand into
the ha,d, brown one of the little blacksmith
"Well, Eva, I should ike to know what
that boy wanted that he kept you so long
said Charles Dean little pittishly, when his
cousin returned.
ooh, lust little matter Of business" an.
swered the girl, without observing his tones
and she sat down and took up her work
quietly +; and there was thoughtful, abstrat.
ed expression on her face.
The young man watched her in silence 70,
awhile, at last he caught her chin in the hol
low of his hand, and boiling it up, said, "tel
me, coz, what is the matter ?'
81 don't know but better Perhaps you
can help me'
"rll promise to, if it's possible" replied
her cousin.
And so Evelyn told the story of her frs
interview with the blacksmith sncphew, ant
Of the pitiiul tale which she had heard from
his lips that morning.
, At first Charles Dean was disposed t.
makr a joke of the whole thing, but his cous
in's earnestness stopped this.
"Don't Charles; / want to do that boy
some good, and want you, in remembrance
of your promise, to help me.''
/ He had generous impulses that could be
easily stimulated. "Wel, Eva, what is i
i you want me to do:''
i Don't youknow of some school which HI
could enter and work for his board I CUES.
| could raise the money, some way, to pay
for his tuition"
I Charles sat in brown study for the mex
five minutes at last he broke out: "rv,
1 thnuoht nf (, aapit.l nlap Thara's my ~,