The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-10-27
OLD PRlMRoSE'S CRIB.

1t is o fine thing, they say, to be an
Elton boy. Nothing to do but little
Latin and Greek in the intervals OF
cricket, pockets full Of money, tutors
more like servants than masters, plenty
of friends in Q similar position, and nc
need to give q thought to the future
Well, 30 it may be; and yet, for my
own part, don't believe they enjoy
themselves half as much as boys do a'
an ordinary working school" True
they need do little or nothing unless
they like, but what o modification II
must be for studious boy to know that
he IL looked down upon by bis compan'
ions! how queer he would feel when
he read the answer given by master
when asked what position reading boy
would hold among the others. III
would not be against him if he were
good at cricket or other games also.
True, too, they have lots of money, bnt
then half the pleasure of buying thing
is in the wishing and longing for it first
and the Christmas sovereign is doubly
welcome when it is the only one to be
looked for until Midsummer. As to the
thought for the future, it is my belief
that the knowledge that he will have to
earn his bread, only makes a boy work
with will, and probably. with better
results. Just the same in after life
When one goes for Sunday stroll under
the trees opposite the Serpentine, how
grand the swells look with their silky
boards and moustaches, marching up
and down with beautiful ladies, and
holding and smiling to each other
ono is tempted to grumble that ones
own lives are not cast in such pleasant
places. But, oh dear, fancy this being
the business of life! Could anything
be more doleful than to awake on sun
day. morning, feeling that one is gong
to do Just what one did on Saturday and
Friday, and all the other daysf II
would be enough to take the zest out Of
ones extra half-hour in bed. But then
don't suppose swells have such extra
half-hours.
am writing the thoughts that came
into my head while walking rapidly
away from my fathers counting-house,
on a certain Christmas Eve that l well
remember. 1t was natural that my
views should be one-sided, for l had
never beeu an Eton boy nor q swell my
self; whereas, / had been for many
a wear Mt Mr.. Smiths Commercial Train.
ing School on Blackheath, and since l
left that establishment at seventeen, i
had been working in my fathers office
as hard as any OF his clerks. NOW OUT
of office hours my father was-ana am
thankful to say, is-the kindest OF men,
but he by no means let's the grass grow
under his feet in the way of business,
nor under those of his son. At the time
write of, sovereigns were more plenti-
full with him than they had been in my
school days, but they were still far from
black, and now and then he had hard
work to keep his head above water.
Consequently he passed for hard task
master, and certainly Office hours were
long, and intervals of relaxation few:
But how valuable these few were!
Christmas was the great holiday OF the
wear with us, of course. Did any SVEN
ever look forward to anything in his LIE
as did to that particular Christmas
holidayi doubt it very much. And
now, at last, here it was. / walked
forth from my fathers counting--house q
free man: free, that is, for the long
ssace of three days. There was no more
thought of business In my head than II
the West Indies had never been heard or
/ wondered whether the people passed
in the street had such holiday before
them; I pitied those who looked too
poor to take more than the festal day
itself; smiled in the faces of strangers
from pure happiness. And they looked
smilingly at me, too, even some OF the
poorest, for was it not Christmas Eve
hGentlemen, this Office will be closed
from this afternoon till Friday next" /
had lust heard my father speak the
words, and they were still sounding in
my ears. Three days holiday! Three
boundless, beautiful, merry. glorious
days! And ! knew so well what to do
with them. All, did l not =
There never was, OF could have been,
in this world such a delightful little
woman as Mary Primrose-such q be-
witching, coaxing, artfal, artless little
maiden. She had big brown eyes, with
such q saucy loving look in them; her
hair was as soft and as glossy as seal
skin, and her lips as red and fresh as
roses. Then she had a laugh that l defy
You to help joining in-there was such
Joyous ring in it-and the neatest,
trimmest, roundest little figure. Old
Mr.. Primrose was o wealthy sOap-boiler,
and dearly loved his little daughter,
who was his only child, and his heiress.
But he domineered over her a little too,
and when Mary and first fell into that
uncomfortable habit of blushing when
ever we spoke to each other, we took
very good care to turn our faces away
from the old gentleman; who, however,
was generally coming the cnrrent
prices too deeply to notice our guilty
looks. used sometimes to dine vt Mr'
Primrose's, and sometimes to call III
formal way, and it is astonishing how
often Mary and used to meet, entirely
by accident, in the Temple Gardens,
near which her father lived. l fell
in love with her, of course. Who
could have helped iti And if she did
not care for ME, pray what was the
meaning of that tiny dimple that used
to spring up in each corner of her de-
uure little mouth, whenever she saw
me coming round the cornerf But
when l thought of Mr.. Primrose,
trembled. He would meyer consent to
his daughters marriage with tho son
of o struggling merchant, and would
Danish me with seorn, telling me tina,
had deceived him-whieh, for that
matter, was entirely true. So, after
going through-in imagination-all the
agonies of emigrating to Australis
without letting Mary suspect my love
and returning in twenty years or so tt
find her welded to another-Of cours,
j told her all about it. This was or
one blessed 95th Of December, just
twelve-mopth before ny story begins
Mary confessed that shs lQyed me, and
we wandered up and down the Fempls
Gardens, as happy and rs tholghtles'
rs two young kids. Mary had never
looked so pretty ~ OH that day, spt
what q delight it was to call her b,
her Christian name for. the first time
Ny own name, by-the-by, is Joseph.
think she must have known it before
but | told it to her then, ut any rate
and we both thought it quite singular
coincidence, considering my feelings fol
Mary, and that ! hgd become cngaget
to her on Christmas Day,
Aaor xv.ra .noaosd Iuead IN vial,