The Messenger. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1858-18??, 1863-04-08
Well Recommended.


The scene was poctical enough. Look
ing out from the piazza, you could let
your eye range down green slope, with
the silvsry boundary of a noisy brook
glittering in the moonlight, and beyond
that grove of trees, nodding and WINS
pering over deep, shadowy paths, to the
right An old mill with wheel that was a
study for painter, and to the left long
sweeping lines of meadow, corn6eid, and
farms. On the piazza, their boots ele-
vsssd to the lsvsl of the railing, their
chairs tilted back against the posts, their
mouths actively putting two very fra
grant cigars, sat Frank Hays and Rod
nsy Edmonds, men just starting out on
life's broad battlefield, and lingering
out taslr last days of boyhood together.
lScheolsrnstas, college chpnss. fast friends
from childhood, they spent tn-se days,
when youth was melting into manhood,
in boating, fishing, driving, riding, chat
ting, and-smoking. 1t was Rodney's
first visit to Cliff Wharton, and he was
enjoying the free country life, hom0
pleasures, and social intercourse as only
an orphan boy, brought up in the city,
can do.
"A lawyer" said Frank, after a long
silence. "Well,' he musiugly added,
"that will do, but not for me. You were
always the bookword, Rodney"
alt scarcely amounts to choice,
said his companion, 'sthe family ina di-
rect line have been lawyers, judges now
and then, for generations back, and my
GU ardian had me educated to conimsuce
law, from boy, as a matter of course.
You can brig mo your hrst suit, old
boy"
.SIerchants do considerable of that
sort of fighting generally, ] believe"
Another long silence; then Rodney
said,
"Whsn is the wedding, Frankl"
"Oh! not very soon. must make my
way, frat. have not your fortune to
start with, you know"
"She is very charming; but it puzzles
me how you could ever 60 abroad to seek
a wife, Frank, with such sweet bird
singing ia the home nest. "
SYou mean Susy. susy is my dear
sister; but Meta"
"Yes, know. I've heard it all fifty
times. You promised TO tell mo Sssy's
story"
"Thers is very little to tell. My un-
Gle Ray, as you know, is sea captain
One of his voyages, eighteen years ago,
took him to the coast Of Africa. Coming
home, when they were some i've days
out, thsy found the remains of wreck,
and, lashed te hoating spar, Susy, My
uncle being bachelor, brought the baby
to his sister, my mother, who, having no
child but your humble servant, adopted
Susy. think that to both my parents
shs is as dear as their own child, and
we'll she deserves it. She is as gentle
and winning as she is fair and gracsful'
full of talont and animation, yet the mos
domestic, honle-loving little darling. Shs
is housskespsr and child in ono, with hsI
neat little figure and golden curls. iT
! short" tr o
"In Short" said merry voice at Thy
window, "ths most delightful person y
the world to recommend TO friend Y
marry. Pray, who is your paragon,
Frank, Not Meta, for her hair Ia black
as miduight-without a noon
Here something in Frank merry eye'
and his companion's confusion, enlight
ened Miss Susv as to the paragon IL
question, and the crimson flush on he
cheek dsspensd under her sdopted bro
ther's eye. Too well-bred TO betray he
consciousness, she turned the subjeet
and soon had both "boys," as her moth
or ealled them, chatting easily on th
thousand incidents that p,sko up coilog
life.