The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-09-12

tell the boy the truth! Evidently, how.
, ever he cared very little for my opin
> ion, but sat pinchlng his lips, vaguely
staring into space MS usual. 'Il..
l"fou do not think any publisher
would take them, i see Well it's slike.
! ly.g Did You SEQ these linesTn picking
I up a page. "This passage, now?'E
I, reading 1t. 81 think no one could have
said that more finely" iaH
J He had chosen the best stanza; but
the speech made me- dumb.
N1ou need training, Steadman,n ]
said at last. SIT is only right to be
honest with you. Two or three wears
of hard study would fit you to make
some maFk in the world. But you need
thnti and my advice to you Is, to nut
your papers resolutely away, and Eo
to work. Make enough money to give
yourself schooling, and you will be the
more fit to hold the pen when the time
comes. The worlds q big workshop, i'm
whlch man can shape what filte he
Il Pleases; but it Is n workshop STILL"
His eyes had wandered OFF before /
had hnished,-a faint, dreamy smile on
Yes, elucation. or course that will
be included. mean to be profound
scholar, when the time comes. /
Lh.ousht OF making the law my profess
sion, 1t VIII be very short time
l asked no oexplanntlon,a and he offered
none, folded his papers and put them
away, then tried, in his simple, nnob-
trusive way, to play the host. What
ever castle in the air these poor Stead
mans had inherited, the mere delusion
had given n certain dignity, and an al
most grace of bearing to them, not 10
be hidden by their laborers' habits and
speech. Abel talked of different parts
Of the States with IA hungry curiosity;
~ ~ hf1fN. h r.
found, f
"Nothing enlarges mans mind like
knocking about Bit" l said. "YOu
could easily make trip down to the
Gulf Most of these lads hereubouts
that meet have been down to New Or
"Oh, they! RaitsmenP To be sure.
to be sure. What would one see of So
ciety iii TINT way? Who would recoU-
nize you as other than n common river
dogf Some day mean to travel as n
| gentleman should.n
Then stopped abruptly, and turned
the conversation to the capital, uues-
tioninS me with regard to the District of
Columbia, growing rapid and eager as
he found that was familiar with the To-
calities, and showing a singular accu-
raey of information himself about them.
About one range Of country, especially,
he was curious,-the plantations in the
Eeighbornood of Washington, particu-
larly certain belonging to IL family
named Shepler, which were the finest
by the way, in the District. Finding
that knew them, he made me describe
the homestead, negro-quarters, woods,
anu water-courses. was puzzled at
his curiosity; but the lad was full of
vagaries, saw, and INDUCED him.
oIhe heirs are minors" said. in
conclusion. 81 happen to know tho
property; for my brother had u claim
tn Hsn
see the face of the country.n Gs III
He grew suddenly reserved at that,
drawing within his shell, and dropped
the subject instantly. Soon after, lie
took up nm old violin.
"Shnll play for you ?" lie asked.
My cars shiVerpd in anticipation, but
assented. He held the bow firmly,
playing n simple air or two with much
genuine pathOs, but III ignorance of the
art, of course. / said nS much, adding,
"Iraining, Steadmani training! You
must have tito nchieye anything per-
manently good"
"of course; l never doubted TINT
ltut know what is in me. Some day
the world Will understand
The vnnity was so unconscious and
childish that it ceased to be Offensive.
l began to feel an interest i'll these
boys, but most in the poor OverworSed
mother. had picked up, in myscFaIn-
bling life, enough knowledge of mcdi-
cine to judge of her case. The next
morning after consulting Matthew, l
made a thorough examination into the
cause of her disease. Matt waited ont
side. When l came out to him his face
was pale, and he bit and moistencd his
dry lips INCREASINGLY.
well, Mr.. Humphreys2"
"Your mother must leave this plnce.
The work and the fogs from these
swamPs are killing her. Dry mir and
nfH II l,n1f .
He stood paler than before, but not
speaking word.
"You think it impossible, Matthew"
1 said, gently.
''Nothing is impossible"
It troubled me TO see the grave, stern
look onthe merry ~1nce, which never had
been there before. L fully explained
my reasons for Judging as did, know
ing him to be reasonable and acute be-
yond his years. offered to do what 1
could, III my poor way.
ut is naly due from one man to an
other, sMatthew.n 4
mo, this is for mother, Mr.. Humph-
reys; must take care of mother my
sell, standing with his hands in his
pockets, his eyes fixed on the ground.
Abel had come up and listened like
frightened woman, the muscles of his
face working, tears in his light-blue
"Cheer up, Abe" said the younger
boy, heartily "I've thought of II plnfi."
"Therc is one way, Matthew" said
Abel enger1y. ''If omIy''--
mo, none of thatpt-sternly. ave
We had enough of waitin' for an if.'-
We'l help ourselves now.''
An hour nfter, / saw him lock up his
shed as if he had done with it, and pres
emily come out of the house with his
face washed and his shoes on, and tnke
his way across the fields.
That afternoon at the mound, Doctor
Peters, the owner of the farm, began n
conversation with me about the Stead
mans.
at was the ruin of the old man, !" he
said, "waiting for his rights. It kept
him n lonter all his life. What little he
made was by digging, just enough to
hold body and soul together, hoping
year. But there is no die in her."
"C-m 1 exclaimed.
"H es, .yon,s her-place. The way of it
was this. She was a Faweett, Betty
FawGett; I've heard my grandmother
talk of her. Her first husband was a
Colonel Shepler."
H0f the District ?"
'Yes,-AleXandria. They had no
children; but the Colonel, he leaves
her all for her life,, and after she was
gone 1t was to come bncll to the Shep-
lers. Afterwards she married c.; but
she holds on to every dollar of the old
Colonel's money. Now old Stendman
WAS the only one of that family living"
Do you mean to say, that there is but
one life between these boys and the
Shepler propertiesH' it61El
lttJust so but the tliEa, ia IA tois,I, ono