Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-05-10

| alteL IohS yo@iSJ 1 peS laLherS blessing
stretch forth my arm to earn fathers thanks
you spurn me from your feet, and heap un-
merited obloquy upon my head"
"Unmerited p echoed Lord CLINTON. "Do
| you forget your disobedence or do the con-
venient tenets Of your hypocritical party per-
NIT you to erase the fifth commandment from
the decalogue, and teach you that the honor
ing Of your father is an idle observance, not to
be weighed in the balance against the cause
of the God of Israel and his people SO goes
the phrase-does it not ?"
Il understand you MOI )" said Gerald In
what have refused to honor my father whose
face see for the first time to day-at least
since | have had thought and memory"
In what Z" exclaimed his father, with
bitter laugh, "said | not so? Honor and
dishonor in your new tangled vocabulary are
but vain words that you understand no longer.
In what If |, thy father-since to my shame
| must be so-if have been led by my over
whelming grief for that angel, to treat thee
With wrong in thy childhood, my. conscience
has no longer a reproach to offer me for nv
son has in return treated me with the bitterest
scorn, and refused to come to those hging
arms, which at last opened to receive him. In
what? have appealed to thee with the strong
est appeal of father to join me in the true
and joint cause Of murdered royalty, and | find
thee even now before me- with arms in thy
hands, to aid the sacrilegous traitors to their
king-maybe to'turn them with parricidal arm
against thy father"
Again / understand you not" reneated
Gerald, gazing wistfully in his face. ooh.
speak, explain-my father-this is mystery
to me !"
" Not understand me-" echoed Lord Clynton
with scorn-" convenient phrase convenient
memory You understood not perhaps those
letters | addressed you, those letters in which
l implored you tc forget the past, and offered
You loving welcome to my heart. But you
could dictate letter to your uncle, in which
you could upbraid me for my past uBkindncSs,
and refuse TO return. You understood not nv
urgent appeal to you to join the cause of truth
and loyalty, and fight by your fathers side
But You could dictate a second answer word
ed with cold contempt, in which you could as
sert your rebelliouS right-degenerate boy i
to follow those principles you dared to my face
to qualify as those of justice and religion"
Letters y repeated Gerald, astoundcd. -
An appeal know ofnoUe Until my uncle's
death l scarcely was aware had father to
whom | owed a duty-I never heard that he
followed another cause, but that which was
taught to believe the right"
"No letters No appeal - said his father,
half in scornful mistrust, half in doubt.
None-I protest to you, my father" re-
piled the agitated youth. "NoW-but onlv
now-can construe rightly the words my
uncle uttered on his death-bed, which spoke Of
wrong he had done me and you"
q Can I boliouo oil tLir go;1 Lo -,
old cavalier, now evidently wavering in his
wrath
g. AS God lives" said Gerald "that God
whom | perhaps offend, whom thus cali up-
on by name-that God who has said, Swear
not at all" The old cavalier shrugged his
shoulders at this evidence of the Purtanical
education of his son swear to you, that
| know nothing Of those Matters
Lord Clynton was evidently moged, although
the rebelious spirit within still resisted the
more afiectionate promptings of his heart.
Father prove me-" cried Gerald implor-
ingly. Let me live henceforth to serve you
let me die for you, if needs must be-et ne
save you from this pgison-let me earn your
blessing g-that blessing which is my dearest
treasure upon EARTH
Gerald again bent down at the old mans
feet. Lord ClyntOn still struggled with his
feelings. There was still contest in his heart
between long cherished anger and newly-awak-
ened confGence-Before either could again
speak, the trampling Of feet was once more
heard along the vauted passage. The agitat-
ed son rose quickly to his feet, and strove to
repress his emotion His father gave him
one look and that look he fondly construed
into look Of kindness. In another moment
the Colonel entered the court, followed by two
soldiers
Gideon's poised leg fell the ground, his eyes
opened and started out wonderfully. That
troubled stare told, as if the eyes had tongue,
that Goto-bed Godlamb had been sleeping
soundly on his post. Fortunately for the SOM
nolent soldier, the sharp looks of Lazarus Sea-
man were not bent in his direction.
With formal bow to his prisoner, Colonel
Seaman informed him that the time allotted
to him for exercise in the open air was past
With another formal inclination of the head.
the OLD cavalier turned to his iailer, and turned
to mount the tower stair. He exchanged not
another look with his son but as he turned
away Gerald tried to read in his face milder
feeling.
{" will save him, or | will die y muttered
Gerald to himself, as she party disappeared
under the tower gateway. q will force him
to grant me that blessing he has refused me
| will earn it well :" and he determined in his
mind that, come what might, he would find
means to be appointed to the midnight watch
(To BE CoNCLUDED.)
BEEcHER on SOLEMN lLE."-There are
a few who, even in this life, seem to be pre-