The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-08-10

from the old lawyer at home. And
this was part OF that letter:
Only DEAR CHARLES My gray hairs
are almost brought with grief to the
grave. My speculation has failed
have lost For myself, seeing that my
DAYS are we'll nigh run, / care not; for
you l grieve most deeply. What can
/ say to you? Curse me if you will;
Tut, believe me, | meant you no wrong
If | can ever repay you part Will
do so; but / dare not promise.
AMBROSE WHITMAN.
Charles Alton wrote back not one
word of complaint
II am sorry, for your sake, that you
failed" he wrote to the old man; "but
for myself | know not that | ought to
find fault. If the money had been
with my banker | might have been no
better off, for /, too, have failed. In
short, am hard up. But | must
have money--a few thousand dollars
and | may retrieve my loss. l shall
send man down to look at my prop
erty--at the old home-place am
gong to hire money If him. and give
him security in ~ SWil you make
out mortgage You can do this
much toward paying your debt to
me.
So Charles Alton hired money Of a
New York broker, and pledged the
old homestead as security He hired
ten thousand dollars; and though the
stately mansion, with its broad, rich
acres, was worth much more still that
was all the money he could get adj
vanced upon it. But ten thousand, or
a hundred times ten thousand, was all
the same at the gaming table.
Two years Two years of sinful
pleasure-of an aimless, and misspent
life
Manned in spirit; broken in health;
sad, sorrowful, and sick at heart
Charles Alton sat in his cherries
chamber. and wished thai he was
dead ! The friends who had sur
rounded him while he had money had
all forsaken him now that his purse
was empty, and he was alone in the
world. He had not even money
enough wherewith to purchase a bot
tie OF brandy. What had he that he
could sell ? He oyerhauled his trunk.
and IN one corner, where it had lain
untouched for many long month, he
found small book, with covers of
purple morocco and silver clasp. He
opened it, and read: "Lottie Page, to
Charles Alton"
For little time the young man sat
as one in dream. And this was
what he dreamed:
lie was boy again-a blithesome,
happy boy--and he stood by his moth
er's knee while she read to him from
that holy Book. And his fond sister
was with him, and she was proud of
her brother. The book was in his
hand as it had been ON that evening
when he first received it; and the
words of the giver sounded again in
his ears MARY and | have read in
1t together at the Sabbath-School -
Lottie will never forget you; and when
we don't see each other any more she
will pray for you, and love you Just
the same
And then, with the Bible clasped in
his hands, Charles bowed his head
and wept-wept and sobbed like a
heart broken child
Mother, sister, father-all gone all
gone, save Lottie On all the earth
not one was left to love him.
"Lottie ,cW nerer forget you"
As he repeated the words he start
ed to his feet. AS a drowning man
catches at passing straw, so did this
poor wretched voyager upon the sea
of life turn to that one bright star
the only star that shone for him in the
broad expanse that arched 50 darby
over the wild waste of waters that had |
borne his shattered bark. There was
no argument-no hesitation. He wo'd
die if he remained where he was--he |
could but die if he went to her. The
Book seemed a talisman to him, yield |
ing him promise of new life. He
pressed it to his lips, and then he put
it in his bosom; and then, upon his I
knees, he said to his God that he
would do no more wrong until he had
seen Lottie.
x
A calm, beautiful afternoon in Sep /
TENDER Lottie Page sat alone in the
little drawing-room of her aunt's cot
tage, engaged in sewing. The girl of
fifteen had grown to- the woman of
nineteen-still fairy-like i'll the fault
lessness of her form, but wearing up /
on her face the stamp of that maturi-
ty which marks the child of necessity
and experience. She was very beauti-
ful--beautiful in all that makes the
lovely and loving woman. Those blue
eyes had taken to themselves won
drous depth of azure light; the brow
had expanded with thought; and if
the brightness and freshness of the
rose-tints that had flushed her cheek
in childhood had been lessened, no
sign of fading was perceptible, but on
ly that more delicate tint of full per-
lection which even the full blown rose
puts on long before the blight of with
erlng falls upon it.
BY and by a shadow fell across the
painted floor, and when the maiden
looked up she saw a man standing IN