The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-05

r, Became time for Alice TO hear froTa her
husband One letter from tht Cape she mad al
rsadw raceiyed The next was to announce his |
arriyai in India. As week after week passed
over. and intelligence OF the ship having
cor here reached the Off G Of the owners, and
The captains wife WAS IN the same state of ig
nornut suspense as Alice herself, her fears
grew most oppressive. At length the day came
when, in reply TO her inquiry at the Shipping
Of!ice they told her that the owners had given
up hope of ever nearing more OF the betsy |
Jane and had sent In their claim upon the I'M
derwriters. Now that he was gone forever, |
she first felt yearning, longing love Tor the
nd cousin, the dear friend, the sympatnizing
protector whom she should never see again
first felt a passionate desire TO show him his
child, whom she had hitherto rather craved TO
have all to herseif-her own sole possesslon-I
Her grief was, however, noiseless and quiet
rn Their TO the scandal Of Mrs. Wilson, who be-
walled her stepson as II he ana sne mao Always
lived together IN perfect harmony, ahd VINO evi-
IDENTIFY thought II her duty 10 ourst ihto Iresn
tears al every strange face she saw, dweliing On
his moor Young widows desolate state, and Inc /
hrIpIessness OF the tather!ess chilt, with an
unc ton, as if she liked the excitement OF the |
sorrowfal story
So passed away the first days of Alice's !
widownood. By-an by things subsidized into |
their natural and tranquil course. But, az II |
this young creature was Always 10 De III soue
heavy trouble her eve lamb began 20 be ail- |
ing pining and sickly. The child's my Sue |
rious illness turned out 10 be some affection OF
the spine, likely TO affect health, but not 10
".
the long dreary suffering of one whom
mother loves as Alice loved her only child, is
MAJ d 10 look forward y. Only Noran guessed
what Alice sutteTed--no one but God knew
AID SO it fell out that when Mrs. wilson the
elder came TO her one day in yiolent tress,
accustomed by very material oiminuton IN
the value OF the property that ner husband
mad left her-a diminution that made her In
come barely enough TO support herself, much
less Alice-the latter could hardly understand
how any thing which did not touch health or
l al rtafa "a cho rnn tt,a6
! the intelligence with irritating composure.--d
But when, that afternoon, the little SICK Cnild
was broug mt in and The grandma ther-who,
| after all, loved 1t weli-began hesh moan
| over her losses to its unconscious ears, saying
| how she had planned 10 cons 1t THIS or tlat
| doc tor. and to give it this or mat comfort or
| luxury in after years, but that now all cnahce
| of this had passed away, Allce's heart was
| touched and she drew near 10 Mrs. Wilson
| with un wonted caresses. and, iE spirit not
| uullke 10 that of Ruth, en- Treated that. come
| what would, they might remain together. al
| ter niue n discussion Ia succeeding DAYS, IL was
arranged that Mrs. Wilson should take
| house in Manchester. furnishing 1t partly
| with " hat furniture she had, and proViaihg the
| rest with Atce's remaining TWO hundred
| nounds Mrs Wilson was herself Il Manches-
| Ter woman, aud naturally longed to return TO
her native town; some connexions or ner own,
| too at that time required lodgings, LOT "hicn
| they were willing 10 pay pretty handsomely.
| Alice undertook the active superlntenoehce
| and superior work OF The household; Moran,
| willing faithful Norah, Offered 10 COOK, scour,
do uything, IN snort, SO that sue inisA' p"'
The plan succeeded For some years their
| first lodgers remained with them and all went
| smoothly with the one sad exception OF the
| UItIe girls increasing deformity. How that
| mother loved that child, it Is not Tor words 10
| tell.
| dodgers left. and no one succeeded TO them. At
| Tar some months it became necessary TO re-
move to a smaller house, and Alice's tender
| conscience was torn by the idea that she ought
| not to be a burden to her motner-in- law, OUT
| to 90 out and seek her own maintenance. ANA
| leave her child! The thought came Like
| sweeping boom of a funeral bell over her
h cart.
| with them He had started in life as the er-
| rand by and sWeeper-ont OF warehouse
| had struggled up through all the grades OF
| emnloyment in il, fighting his way through
the hurd. striving Manchester life with STRONG,
pushing energy OF character. Every spare
moment of time had been sternly given up 10
self teaching. He was capital accountant
| good French and German scholar, Keen, Iaf-
| Seeing Observation-Disclosures landing mar kets, ANA
| the beariag of events, both near and distant, on
trade and yet with such vivid attention TO
| present details, that do NOT think ne ever saw
| group of flowers IN the feds without thinking
| Whet her their colOrs would or would rot form
| harmonious contrasts in the coming spring
| muslins aud prints. He went to debating socle-
| ties and threw himself with all his heart an q
soui in to politics; esteeming, IL most be owned,
every man a fool or knave who dih-red from
, HIM, and overthrowing his opponents rather
| nv the loud strength ofhis language than the
| calm strength of his logic. There was some
| thing of the Yankee in all this. Indeed, ms
theory ran parallel to the famous ankee
motto-"Engiand fiogs creation, and Manches-
far fioes England" Such a man, as may be
fancied had had no time for falling In love, OF
I any such nonsense. AT the age when mos
}, young men go through their counting ano
z matrImony, he had not the means OF keeping
r | WIFE, and was lar too PRACTICAL 10 lnlnK d
: having one. And now that he was In easy cir
q cumsl ances, a rising man, ne CONSIDERED Wo
e men almost as encumbrances to the world
d with W nom a man had better have as little Il
d | do as possible. His first impression OF Ailc'
= | was indistinct, and he did not care enough
p about her 10 make II d,stlhct "a pretty yea
| nav kind Of woman" would have been his de
3, | scriptlop of her, if he had been pushed into
j. corner. He was ra her AFRAID, IN the beginning
= that her quiet ways arose irum Hstiesshes
J. | and laZibess Of character, which would nav
e bean exceedingly dscordant TO MS active, en-
s ergetic nature. But when he found out In
3 | uuuctuaiity with which his WISHES were at
tended 10, and her WORK was done "nen
= | was called in the morning at the very stroRe .
,. the clock his shaving-Water scaldihg not, Ill
q ii re bright, his flee made exactly as MS Pc
S culiar farcy dictated, tfor ne was a man wh
l. mad his theory about everything, based upo
b what he kne W Of science, and often perfectl.
II Originally then he began to think, not ina
g Alice had apy peculiar merit, but that ne ma
d cot into remarkably good lodgings ms res
3 lessness wora away. and he began IL conside
r. himself as almost settled for life IN them.
II Mr. Openshaw had been too busy all hi
:. GAYS to be introspectIve. He dld not know
:. that he had any tenderness in his nature an
I. if he had become conscious OF It's abstract ex
istence, he would have considered II as a man
% hesitation OF disease in some part OF him. Bu
60 he was decoyed into pity anawares, and pit
" led on to tenderness. That little heiples
80 child-always carried about by one of tn
~ three busy women of the house, or else pa
40 tientiy threading coIored oeaos IA the ela
ne from which, by no effort of its own, could
- ever moye--the great grave blue eyes, full {
.. serious not uncheerfui expression, giving
Is the small, delicate face look beyond It's cal
n the soft, plaintiye voice, uroppihs ouL o.
~ few words, so unlike the continual prattIe
C. a child, caught Mr.. Openshaw's attention
p spite of himself One day-he half scorne
as | himself for doing so-he cut short his Dime
w hour TO 60 in search OF some toy Wnie
NJ should take the place of those eternal beads
10 / forget what he bought, but when he gave ii
.. present (Which he TOOK care to do in shoI
90 abr apt manner, and when no one was by
~ see him) he was almos thrilled by the hash
delight that came over that chiid's face, al
ei he could not help, all through that afternoo
'n; | going over AMI OYER again the picture iaft {
:" his memory by the bright effect OF unexpecu
"a 10Y on the little girls face. When he retur
~ ed home he found his slippers placed by b
ee sitting room fire, and even more careful 8
~. tention paid to his fancies than was habitu
a! in those model lodgings. When Alice b;
GU taken the last of his teathings away-s
TO- had been SILENT as usual, till theG-she sto,
q. tor an instant with the door In her hand
NV Opensnaw looked as If he Were deep IN
book though in fact he did not see line, b
~ wes heartily wishing the woman would
nis and not make any palayer OF gratitude. b
s she only said:
re, II am very much obliged to you, sir. Thai
~, ~ you very much, /" and was gone, even befo
eis he could send her away with "There, Il
xnAx Iy. m ia D. oh