The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-05-13

about by any one who chose to take ths
trouble ss a
f The steps were short and easy after this
and twenty years from the day on which be
knelt beside his young wife's grave. the black
chimneys of his own factory arose above the
roofs of the trim New England town, and
people spoke of Caleb. Graymarsh as person
of wealth and influence as 53Fg9a a5ss 1t
In his life, this man had married two strong
passions--the love for his dead wife and the
greed of wealth; not miser's love of hoard
ing, but the pride of possession. Caleb Gray
marsh liked to see envious eyes turned upon
him, and was fond of boasting and display
Very little sympathy had he, either, for a
poor man. What he had done he believed
that Others might do also. Those who work
ed for him knew this, and expected no kind
ness from him. He was strictly just, and
sometimes even rewarded success by liberali-
| ty; but he never compassioned failure or mis-
| fortune Few heartily liked him, but all,
with accord, seemed to warm towards his son,
| young Harry Graymarsh,a a genial, good -hu-
mored fellow, just come to mans estate, and
handsome enough to turn the heads of all,the
girls in M. He was, as Caleb had hoped
he might be, his mothet's Image. He had
her blue eyes and fair hair, gentle eyes, and
her impulsive heart Old Caleb had merely
education enough to enable him to read and
write and cipher in an imperfect manner; but
his son had been taught as we'll and thor
oughly as any lad throughout the land. The
grim factor looked what he was-a working
man risen to prosperous circumstances, and
wearing good clothes; butthe son, strange to
say, might have been of royal blood for any,
thing you might have guessed to the contra
ry.
In European lands, PEASANTS child looks
always like peasant, and the features of an
artisans son betray his lineage; but here. /
know not, why, a man needs only a pretty
moth Y and a good education to look from
head to. foot gentleman. q
Once home from college, Young Harry
Graymarsh was often seen in the factory,
passing, with a kindly look and laugh, along
the ranks of grimy workmen who toiled in
the lower part of the building or pausing to
chat with some blushing girl, who moved
with light step and graceful arms. bare TO the
dlmpled elbow, amongst the whirring wheels
and springs upon the upper floor. Even the
bent old men and pale factory children had
word or two from him, and many a comfort
able blanket or warm. shawl found its way at
Christmas time to the dwelling of some; poor
old work-weman, 'dredful bad with the rhelI-.
matiz," at the bidding of young Master Har-
ry. F
There came at last amongst the forces in
the woman's room, one who, to the eyes of
Harry Graymarsh, was wondronsly beautiful.
An Italian sort of face, with liquid black
eyes, and hair so dark that there was a pur-
pie gloss upon it in the sunshine. 1t was the
face which riyeted the chain which first at
tracted the factors son, but it was the soul
which ryited the chain which beauty first,
twined about his heart. 73 ,e~a5t, r 8
She was not ignorant, and, poor though she
was, there was an innate refinement in every
movement. And so, by slow degrees, from
casual interchange of words, they came 10
whispered conversations by the river side.
and long summer evening rambles in the
green woods, and before long he had told her
how beautiful she seemed to him, and how
.tenderly he loved her; and the girl, by blush
es and silence rather than by words, had re-
vealed the secret of her heart to him. And
then, one glorious day, when the sun was set
ting and great focks-of birds were flying
holneward across the cloudIess sky-when the
distant mountains We're all aflalne, and every
quivering leaf upon the tree tops a simmer
ing point of gold, Harry Graymarsh and AL
ice Lee were betrothed to each other; and so
perfectly did she love him and trust4his love.
for her, that she. never thought !" He is rich
and am poor" but only, " He loves me'' q
Whether in those summer rambles Harry
Graymarsh ever thought of his father, do
not know. He had never been thwarted by
him in all his life, and perhaps he could not
imagine that the rod of parental authority
should first be welded in matter of such
import; besides, what was there IN modest,
beautiful Alice Lee to awaken any one aver
sion? Certain it is that when, one evening,
Al
arm about the waist of his betrothed, Harry
lifted up his eyes and saw his father standing
behind him, he felt bashful and confused, but
not alarmed.
The old man vanished as softly as he had
appeared, and Alice did not even,see him, but
a storm was brewing, and it broke over Har-
ry's head that very evening.
edo you know that you are the son of the
richest man in the place?'' said Graymarsh,
standing crimson with rage before his son,
'..that you might marry an heiress if you like?
and here find you making love to a girl in
my own factory, and you say you mean to
marry her-you actually say that to my face?''
81 repeat it," replied Harry, 1--WE are be-,
trothed.'' - ~ .r5 et-s
There were hot words between the father
and son, after that taunts and reproaches, the
first which hadever passed their lips and the
sun went down upon their wrath. They part
ed for the night in anger, and neither sept.
1t is an awful thing when. those who love
first quarrel, and wounds are made which are
the harder to heal for the memory of past
tenderness. Old Graymarsh had been in his
own way tender father and Harry a dutiful
son. A stern parent and a bad child could
have been reconciled more easily. zoa+
| Since af1uence had given him the oppor
tunity to be more idle, old Caleb had felt
some touches of the gout, and one of them
twinged and sweaked him the next morning
Therefore he sent grudging message to Har-
ry, telling him that he must go to his place
| to the factory, that morning, and received an
angry but obedient answer. Then,5 before
Harry was off, a servant left the house with
a note for Alice Lee, bidding her not to go to
work that day, but present herself before him
in an hours time. She must be got rid of, he
! thought. He would bribe her to go to some
distant place. This common factory girl
could not wed his Harry But when She
stood before him in her modest beauty, it was
very hard for him to speak to her as he had
i intended This was no coarse creature, am
bilious of wealth, and setting snares for the
rich mans son; something of the soul of Har-
ry's dead mother shone upon the old man
! from her earnest eyes, and he felt 'softened.-
They were together in a little room, the win
dows Of which looked upon the factory; she
was standing near the easement with hereyes
upon the dark pile; he seated at the table tri-
fling with some papers and wondering how to
begin. In the silence, the whir, whir of the
machinery came plainly to the ear, and Ca
leb thought the noise was stangely loud and
distinct. He remembered that impression
long after, and wondered that it did not troub-
la him at tl,a