The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-04-21
The Voice In the Heart.
By LOUISE CHANDLER NoULToN.

By LOUISE CHANDLER NOULToN.
Pierce Richmond took up a letter which
had jus. been brought in. and glanced al the
superscrip:ion-"Hon. Pierce RI chmond =
He had seen his mama thus written Otter
enough before but it suggested, just now, a
curious continuation of the train of though,
which had been abso,biug hin. 1t was his pride
to be . elt-made man, and he had been going
back. this morning, over a halfcentury, and
remembering his boyhOod. The little brown
cottage, with the thickest of sweet brar
round II freighting the summer air with fra
Grance, vas pretty spot when Ire lived there
the only son of bus mother, and she wild
ow. He could see it, looking back, as plainly
as if the fifty years were only mist of morn
ing rolling away from before the well known
scsne. How pale end quiet but tender and
long suffering his mother was, He felt
again her fond kisses, and remem bered~ how
ber lips used to tremble when she called him
br fatherless boy. And again his veins
seemed to thrill with the joyish pride ofthe
old days when he sat beside her and told her
that ne would grow up stout and strong, able
g do . a1hE work among men, and then
she never should toll SO wearily with her
needle anv more
If she had bu: lived, aud he had her to
work for, Perhaps it would have kept his
hear, fresh and unselfish. But he shiyere6
again with throb Of the old agony, a. he
rememb mbered how he had found her one morn
ing with a smile frozen on her white face :;
and know that the lips would never welcome
him any ore, or The eyes res; on him with
their sad teuderness-that his mother had
gone from the land where she was a pilgrim
to the home eternal in the heaven.
4
which write, recalling that time, fifty years
ago, when he was ouly twelve, and his mother
had left him alonel A shy, shrinking boy
own future-.a mother boy as the phrase
i, in the country, and quantity touching, it
always seemed to me. He had been all his
sife under her gentle wing, and now he could
6ud there no mere shelter.
Yet his lot was not intolerably hard He
was apprenticed, by the town authorities, to
prosperous farmer: and he had comforts
able home, 10 more work than was reasonable
and little schooling in winter. Bat no one
loved him-this boy who had lived, hitherto,
in An atmosphere Of mother love-and So his
proud, sensitive hear. grew cold and hard
He cared for no one but himself, and though
he did his work faithfully, he endeared him
self to none. He seemed to live IN a world
of his own, into which he was not disposed
to open ANY doors Strong purposes grew
into his nature in his silent musings. He
would make himself a name, a position, a
career! But all his plans ended, as they
began, with himself and it IS sad thing
when . human being has none else to live
FOR.
When he was twenty one. with his " free
dom suit on his back, he marched away
from Freyburg, and went into the world, to
begin the career when, through all those
brooding wears of bis solitary boyhood, he had
been planning. l will not weary yoy with
the processes by means of which he achieved
success. Enough that n last he esteemed
himself to have reached it. He was a rich
.nae, well known in fine ncial circles and a
term in Congress had given him right to
the title of honor upon his letters.
"Pret;y we'll he said aloud. after all there
memories had passed ike a long panorama
before him-"pretty well for old Tim Scar
borough's bound boy. | think l may call
my life a success
And, if surrounding earthly and temporal
are the standard of measurement, you would
not have pronounced him far from wrong
had Jou glanced about TIE apartment, half
study, half breakfast room, where he had
lust been taken his morning meal. To be q
as soon as he WAS abe to live elegantly he
had surrounded himself with tt. appliances
of luxury. On the floor of :his his favorIe
room, a soft, warm carpet yielded like wood
land moss to his fost-fAll. Handsomely
bound books filled the cavern cases from
floor to ceiling. Chairs upholstered in Rus
STA leather held out capacIOus arms TO him.
His breakfast services was Of silver and
porcelain, and at the least touch of that be II
beside him, itself dainty tov, trained ser
warts were ready to obey his behests.
These thing. to-day-and, back 5fty years,
the little three roomed cottage the mother
pale and weary, but tender and himself bare
foo,ad, coarsely clad, but young and strong
and eager, hopeful, and with all the futures
possibilities before him. Was he richer
now.
A tap upon the door elected half ungra>
cious come in" for he was not yet ready to
break the spell of his own thoughts. He had
traced the career of that barefoo.ed drea mer
of ffty years ago TO the present standpoint
of the Hon. Pierce Richmond. He wanted
TO LOOK onward little, and speculate whether
any moro ground remained 10 he possessed.
But when he saw the new corer he reused
himself at once from his Dreams and became
.Ihs alert, watchful man OF business. 1t was
his confidential agent, Solomon Osgood, who
was charged with experimenting his real
estate and collecting his rents 1t was the
FIRST Of the month now, and there were &C.
counts te be rendered in. They seemed
satisfactory for the most part; but 4. last Mr..
Richmond aaid in an inquirng tone
And the Widow Hatit p
Yes. was going to speak about her. |
hope you will be willing to wait little for
her rent. She has been in trouble
Hum! Yes! So she was last month
and the month before, and the month before
that" Mr.. Richmond said rather curtly.
"Vsry true" tho agent answered gravely.
eLa.t month her little Jack died, and the
month before that he was very sick; and now
the only one she has left seems trying to
follow in his brothers footsteps. Sickness
brings deal ofexpeuse. and comes hard On
poor folks
Mr. Richmond considered little then
said with quiet determination
1" don't want to be unfeeling, Osgnod, so
I'll not tell you to send her off now but
must say plainly that Cont want such teE-
ants. Giving in charity is one thing, and
renting houses is another. When | want to
give can give; but | want the interest on
nay investments, when it comes to matter
Of business"
"Iil be security for Mrs. Mafht-you shan't
lose by her" the agent remarked. in the tone
of one wounded little. His employer look
ed at him curiously.
you're philanthropist, Mr. Ossood," be
said, with smile rather satrical, vet ro.