The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-01-29
THE QUAKER's LEGACY.
An English Engineers Adven-
lures in Missouri.
TCOntinued.1 ]

: leather with steel clasps. But In the
meantime my thoughts had been busy,
audI had come to the conclusion that,
however churlish my conduct might
appear, it was my duty to refuse.
we'll remembered . conversation be-
tween old Mr.. Ward, the senior OF my
employers, and myself On the day
when I received my final instructions
before starting for Arizona, my princl-
pal had been emphatic in his warning
to beware of any offer or opportunity,
no matter how specious or tempting,
that might jeopardize the suecessof my
mission and the safety of the cash In
my charge.
II don't pretend to give advice to a
man of your experience, Mr. Hepton, as
lif you were young Gil Bias going out
to seek fortune. OF ordinary pitfalls
and perils know you are capable OF
steering clear without aid from me; but
(excuse me) | knbw this continent a
great deal better than European can
do, aud know, too, that since, the
war began snakes in the grass have be-
come legion. So many traps are set,
that nothing but extreme caution can
keep out of one or other of them. How
ever innocent or praiseworthy an action
may be, it may lead to Fort Lafayette
and double irons, and your best chance
will be to avoid intercourse with stran-
gers as much as possible. Above all,
\ carry no letters, were it for your Aown
brother"
Such were the shrewd old merchants
own words, and they recurred to me at
that moment with something OF pro-
phetic conviction. No doubt, Ill the
present case, there was nothing to APP
prehend, and had been journeying on
nv own account should have consent
ed: but had no right to disregard the
Interests of Ward and Jenner: still the
| words stuck awkwardly in my throat,
somehow, as l declined to undertake
Mr.. Pell's commission. l had hardly
dared to look at the young lady, as l
clumsily but quite intelligibly com.
municated this averse decision. i
did not like to see look of pain
come over that sweet little face,
or possibly flash of scOrn from those
gentle blue eyes. l knew i'll what an
0dious light must appear, and inward.
" invoked malediction on Ward and
,jenner, Mr.. Seward and Secretary Stan
ton. The old Quaker bore the disap-
pointment better than / had expected.
| His sallow face became deeply flushed,
certainly, and there was sparkle in his
eyes that showed that the ''old Adam"
was not wholly asleep in that long
trained and peaceable nature; but he
merely rose from his chair, his gloved
hands trembling very much as he leaned
on his staff and passed his feeble arm
through that of his daughter.
81 crave thy forgiveness, friend, mas
much as have troubled thee" was all he
said; and the words were so gently spo-
ken, that my heart smOte me not q little
as the door closed on the departing Wis
itOrs. was left alone to chew the cud
of not very enviable reflections. To
most of us there is something painful i'll
refusing to grant a prayer, just as there
is positive luxury in giving. Many
men cannot deny q street beggar with
out an inward twitch of the nerves.
And in this case the petitioners had been
40 worthy of sympathy, the favor so
slight, that / felt ashamed and angry
with myself for what must seem my
wanton hars hness in rejecting the re-
quest of Mr.. Pell. sat resolutely try
ing to think of other things, of my ap-
preaching journey, of Arizona and the
mines; but still the faces of the old
Quaker and his beautiful daughter
seemed to rise up and reproach me.
What fine old fellow-quite picture! !!
and the girl, how exquisite was her evil
dent affection and care for the intirm
old man! They were simple, quiet peo-
pie, manifestly, who knew little OF the
world, but
Just then my meditations were in-
terrupted by light tap at the door,
and Ruth Pell appeared, flushed
and trembling with eyes that glis-
tened with tears. She made one or two
efforts to keep down the sObs that
choked her voice, and then spoke with
an evident effort, while her little hand
nervously twitched the corner of her
Indian shawl.
"Oh, Mr.. Hepton, what will you think
of met But, indeed-indeed, am so
very, very wretched can't bear to see
poor papa so cast down as he is by
by. Oh. sir, he is sitting silent in
his elbow-chair, in our lodging in Frazer
street, crying = actually crying! 1t
i frightened me, Mr.. Hepton, for he is not
one who makes parade of his sorrOws,
and never saw him weep before; but
he is quite heart-broken now. He had
so set his hopes on the legacy reaching
aunt Susannah at last; and, indeed,
had looked forward to our going back
soon to Philadelphia, for his health is
not what it was; and-but you cannot
care for this, Mr.. Hepton, and-and
She broke down altother, sobbing Bit
terly. i did my best to console her,
though felt myself horribly guilty, a
brute of the deepest dye. Presently
Ruth became calmer; and, looking up
through her tears, said,-
THANK thee, friend; see thy heart
|. is kinder than thy words; and 10! l can
speak more plainly now, for indeed l
feared to be spurned away from thy
door as an importunate beggar! But
oh, friend Hepton, wilt thou not relent
and do this little thing to pleasure an
aged man like my fatheri If it were
not that know thou needest not pay
ment for q service, l would"
And here she brushed away her tears,
oho lOOhSo ~
Her voice was very sweet and tremu-
lous, and it seemed the more touching
when she required to the quaint, formal
mode of speech proper to her sect, and
which she had ut first seemed to forget
in the eagerness of her address to me.
I easily enough guessed that this
peculiar phraseology had rather been
learned as lesson than adopted from
any innate taste for its cumbrous
diction; but it dropped very musically
from those innocent red lips Of
Ruth Pell's. OF course l vehemently
protested that my refusal had been
prompted by considerations of duty
alone, and that under no circumstances
could have accepted bribe for doing
ON act of common courtesy.
1 But Ruth interrupted me. She was so
very anxious, she said, to get back to
her sorrowing father. Might she take
good news with heri See, she had
brought the money and the book back
with her-uncle Jobs hymn-book, on
which her father and her aunt had look
al th rayararoa axar ciuca fhaC Wara