Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-17

LAoiS dCCleulteu anu uiS liiHcu poSlCiOn, uoIi
socially and morally, at Woodend than AM
of the poor portrait-painters who had founC
their way there. And it was not the pov
erty of the trade that was its crowning
drawback
The minister, like all wise, honest men
-Scotchmen particularly-had due res
pect for wealth and its power but the
ministers of the Kirk of Scotland had alsC
need to be disinterested and their hardy
habits of mind and dody were not much
affected by the prospect of poverty. But
though the minister had little doubt that
Sandy would starve, or lead a life of miser
able dependence, perhaps vicious comprom
lse, it would not have made material diff
erence in this case had the minister been
acquainted with the changes in the world
which put moderate competence within
Sandy's reach, and caused the step he had
taken to be within the bounds of right
reason Sandy was right that, in the Ed
lnburgh OF the day, not only was there a
wonderful and glorious maiden literature
among "thc writer lads" whom the minis
ter classed together rather contemptuous-
ly, but painting, as an art, for the first
time coyly blushed and smiled as a true
sister Of the bellies iettres, which Mr.. Stew
arts cloth did not altogether despise when
Robertson wrote history and Blair rhetor-
| ic. Runciman's painting of the Clerks of
Penicuik's house seemed to promise a new
era never attained, such as prevailed at
Venice when Tntoretto and Paul Veronese
painted marble palaces both within and
without. Better still, national academy
was really to confer status and impart in
struction where youthful genius was con-
cerned. But what was the struggling in
fancy of art to the minister, who indulged
III the pictorial faculty in his own way, and
quite another way, by drawing Sandy, as
he had fondly hoped, standing up severe
in youthful beauty, not unlike one of Mil
toms archangels, swaying by the breath of
| his mouth, for their salvation, multitudes
in simple country kinks, or in what the
Reformation had spared of rich abbeys and
cathedrals in towns and cities and again
Sandy, haggard, and sordid, and soiIed,
| haggling with Jewish dealers, whom Mr.
Stewart. confounded with pawn-brokers :;
or journeying wearily from town to town,
| taking in scanty orders, and fattering OBJ
sequiously y the owners of the puffed-up, vul-
guIar, mean faces, which he copied with
secret disgust?
Mr.. Stewart did not absolutely forbid
Sandy his course, or threaten him with ut
ter reprobation if he pursued it, because
the minister's reasonable sui, in the middle
of his wrath and modification, revoltcd at
violence. He wrote to his son in stern re-
proach and rebuke Sandy defended him
self like a creature at bay, and refused to
force himself into the priesthood, for which
since he had not the necessary qualifca-
tioLs
Mr. Stewart, beside himself, accused
Sandy of going nigh to disappearing, --of
proposing to take Providence into his own
hands. Afterwards, Sandy came home for
a few days ; wretched visit, when his
father never addressed him directly beyond
helping him at table, and his mother "look-
it in his face" as if her gaze would melt
stone. Sandy was now as stone to his
father for the sweet temper of the lad
had been goaded and driven to the point
when sweet tempers steel themselves to
doggedness, less hopeful and tractable in
it's despair, than any amount of original
arrogance and perversity
Sandy saw that he had broken the fami-
ly circle and rendered himself an alien from
it. He said to his mother and Jess that he
had better go away and fight his battle for
himself, and it would be best that they.
should not hear the accounts, because these
would only cause fresh strife and condem-
nation. Some day they might see he had
not been so far wrong.
Sandy watched his opportunity and one
fine harvest-day, when the minister, the
servants, and andre Cornfoot, who had
borne "the young minister" on his back
many sunny morning lang-syne, were all
abroad engaged in the ingathering of the
glcbe corn, he kissed his mother and shook
hands with Jess, and departed without
other leave-taking or blessing out into the
world, which is generally cold enough for
penniless painter, taking no more with
him than the stick and the wallet Of one of
the wandering apprentices OF the kindly
land of Wilhelm Meister
When the minister returned and found
his sons place vacant, he must have guess
ed that Sandy was gone but he made no
sign. Wandering apprentices are gener-
ally good pedestrians, and wonderfully en-
dowed with friends but when the first
touch of frost nipped Mrs. Stewards gilly-
flowers that night, Sandy's mother dreamt
of him lying down like Jacob, with stone
for pillow, but unlike Jacob, the heir of
the promises, under the serene sky of Pal
estine, rather unlike an Esau, getting his
death of cold, shivering under the gray
clouds and the bleak wind, by the bare
Scottish roadside.
The door of the manse was thenceforth
shut against Sandy his name became
forbidden sound, not only as that Of "a
stickit minister,"-and the Scotch with
grim humor, deride failure in proportion
as they applaud an achievement it a fa-
vorite line,-but as an ill-doer Neighbors
carefully avoid mentioning Sandy to his
family, while they talked loudly among
themselves, and pitied the poor Stewarts
for the sore hearts they had got from the
prodigality and ingratitude of their only
son. The minister strove manfully not to
visit his pain on the blameess women-folk
Peace was restored to Clovenford, but
the heart-ache there was acute and inces-
SAINT. Almost the only event-and it was
never spoken of--was the arrival of one or
two foreign newspapers, with foreign post
marks, addressed to Mrs Stewart, in San
dy's handwriting, which proved that San
dy had managed to go abroad to follow his
studies. possibly as a travelling tutor but