The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-10-26
Revolution in tho wheel Of Fortune

their rise and fall like felloes upon Their Ak
les. In tamilie5-especially In TINS country
| where there are no laws OF primogeniture--
the wheel of fortune revolVeJ on an average
about once in three generations, -sometimes
the revolution is even more rapid. The rich
| fathers of the present time will probably have
poor SONS succeed them, and perhaps miserable
grandchildren after them; whilst the poor, but
industrious and economical parents of this gem
Grafton will, very probably, see their children
rise higher than they in the scale of fortune;
and if their grandsons are not all Governors
and Presidents, it may not be because they
are not worthy of those high distinctions. The
scrub ariStocracy of village and city life, too
Of which we have quite as much in this, dem
ocratic country as there Is in Engand-is des-
tined to modification and contempt. =
few years ago was called to the humble
abode-not much better than hoyel-of
family in the outskirts of the village. ~Itwas
to assist in the burial of a young man who
had died, evidently, for the want of those com
forts and supplies which were necessary to
save life naturally frail and delicate. The
mother was what Paul once called "a widow
indeed"-that is, she had husband living;
ut he was not only of no help or honor to
the family, but burden and disgrace to it,
being miserable drunkard and vagabond.
AT the time of my visit, he had wandered of,
no one knew or cared where. The "widowp
had seen better days. knew her parents in
the days OF her maidenhood, and then she
was ruddy, blithe and gay. But she married
man of great social habits, too social indeed
for his virtue; for he fell into the social vice
of drinking with boon companions, and, pas
| sing the point of self respect, he abandoned
himself to shame, and his family to want and
wretchedness. The mother struggled hard
and long. She had five children when I was
called to help bury her eldest son-three girls
and two boys. The house they occupied was
mean howell, like an Irish mud hut, located
amongst rocks and away from all naighbors.
The furniture, of course, was very spare and
cheap, the food but little above starvation
| point, and the children though neat and clean,
were most coarsely clad. The mother, poor as
she was, was not sloven. With but a little,
she kept that little in perfect order.
recolect the two boys--the eldest remain
| ing was then about sixteen years old; and he
was all the support the mother could rely up
on. Often had he been down to the village
soliciting charity, but oftener asking for work
whereby he could earn a few shillings for the
purchase of bread. As he stood over the rude
coffin Of his dead brother, I saw the tears flow
from his eyes and heard his bitter sobs--not
merely because he had lost a loving brother,
but chiefly because his mother had losta need
ed son. I approached, and placing my hand
kindly on his agitatod head, endeavoredl to
tranquilize the grieved spirit Of the lad, babe
him look with submissive confidence to Him
who doeth all things right, and earnestly ad-
vised him to take the place ofhis departed
brother in his duties to the family, and to re-
member with faithful care, the fond mother
who bore him.
The lad soon obtained situation as a boy
of allwork, in the family of one OF the neigh
boring village capitalists, and there sought to
make himself as useful as possible -remitting
his small monthly wages to his mother The
master, by fortunate speculation, had become
wealthy, and like some others, whose only
qualification for good society was his money,
had claimed to belong to the "Huppercrust,"
and maintained an memorable line between
himself AID those in poorer circumstances. In
this spirit his own sons and daughters were
Taught to- consider themselves as made of bet,
ter flesh and blood than the poor tboy-
Edward Rounseville-and were not encourage.
ed to1nake any further Intercourse with him
than was absolutely necessary To the duties
of the kitchen, especially in the evenings was
his time devoted, with no companion but the
servant maid, who, no more than himself, was
allowed to enter the sitting room or parlor, ex-
cepting on special services, nor to occupy seats
at the dining-table with the rest of the family.
Edward was bright boy, and good boy,
capable of sustaining a respectable part in the
society of any young people of his age. More
over there were yet in his veins the remnants
of a noble blood that had distinguished his
ancestry; and he felt very sensibly the sights
and neglect bestowed upon himrby the sin Of
poverty. The sons and daughters of his
wealthy master were no better by nature, dis
positions or habits than he; and yet he was
not allowed associate with them, or engage
in any of their amusements. Like one of the
ate Southern slaves, he was banished from the
Preside and the table of the family he served.
AS already stated, his only companion was the
/ hired girl in the kitchen, who was female
of personal beauty and .aacheerful temper.
y,ror ,,,,6 a.. ,,,,y
worthy the respect or affection of her proud
mistress or the daughters of the household.
Her place was that of a mental, and that place
she must know and keep. % WI
1t was not long before his widowed mothers
circumstances required that he should return
home. He did SO. When the gold Of Cali
fornia was discovered, he contriyed, by the aid
of a lady friend of his family, to adventure
thither. He called at the home of his former
master, Capt. r. to bid adieu to the family !;
they patiently heard the relation of his pur-
poses, but could hardly condescend so low as to
bless him in the kitchen where the interview
was holden. He arrived safely in California,
and wrought at the mines two full years. He
happened to be successful, and returned with
twenty thousand dollars in his pocket. His
good fortune was borne with modesty. He
had too large soul to be lifted by wealth above
his worthy neighbors nor did he measure
other mems merit by the length of their
purse.
On his return, Capt Rs son Thomas, at the
suggestion ofhis sister Mehitabel, sent card
of invitation to the rich Edward RounseTille,
to visit their mansion and enjoy the congratu-
latiohs Of the now cemplaisant family. He
saw the trap that was set to catch him in the
tolls of matrimony. He did, indeed, visit the
house, but he entered by the kitchen door, to
take his former companion to yife----the hired
maiden, rather than the simpering Miss of the
parlor.. Edward purchased q beautiful resi-
dence opposite Capt. R., on the same street,