The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-06-18

ouu NO udc uOOt LudG, WI OOu dSeictuuco,
we'll find these soothing and comforting
words verified in oor ain case"
To this William Waterstone made nc
reply, but remained gloomily absorbed in
bis own dismal reflections These were in
deed bitter enough-and bitter also were
those Of the partner Of his bosom, on this
melancholy occasion but they were light
compared with those of their unhappy
daughter. Il was on her that the threatened
calamity was to fall with its fullest force,
and it was to her that it was TO bring the
largest share Of misery. But this requires
explanation and we proceed to give it.
MarlOn-for such was her name-had
long been woOed in vain BY wealthy suitor
who resided a short distance from her
fathers house. This person, whose name
was Maitland, was miller to business, and
a sufficiently respectable man (; but be was
precisely three times the age Of the young
creature whose hand be sought. He was,
besides, a widower, with several children,
and was otherwise by no means such an
object as was likely to attract the eye or
engage the affections of . woman younger
than the youngest Of his own daughters.
But John Maitland was wealthy cir
cumstance which, though it was Of no
weight whatever in the eyes Of Marion her
self, was of great consequence N those of
her parents. They, however, although they
secretly wished that their daughter would
give favorable ear to the miller's suit, did
not urge her, at least otherwise than by
indirect illusions and hints, to admit his
addresses; and from even this, seeing that
her repugnance to him was unconquerable,
they had latterly abstained altogether.
Notwithstanding Marion's coldnees 70 him,
however, and her dislike of him, which she
could not conceal, Maitland continued his
visits, and persevered in bis suit, although
to all but himself it seemed an utterly
hopeless one But Marion's conduct in
this matter did not proceed solely from
dislike to Maitland. 1t was Influenced by
double motive-a repugnance to him, and
love for another.
The favored suitor, whose name was
Richard Spalding, was a young man, the
son Of "a neighboring farmer, who had every
thing to recommend him but wealth, Of
which be had none His father was in
stIaitened circumstances and their united
labOrs-for they titled and sowed the same
fields together-were unable to improve
them. Indeed, the situation Of the former
was almost precisely that of Waterstone.
They were tenants of the same proprietor,
and old Spalding was also in Arrears
arrears which he could not psy-to his
landlord.
Having given this sketch Of the situation
in which Marion stood with regard to
affairs Of the heart, at the period of our
story, we recur to the scene which that di-
gression interrupted
After another long and silent pause,
broken only by the suppressed sobs Of the
poor girl, and at times by heavy and deep
drawn sighs from her mother, the latter
again spoke.
ooh, my Johnny John" she said,
" if ye but kent o this I'm sure, for a
that's come and game yet, yef wad stretch
out helping hand to us in this hour o
distress ~
BETSY" excleimed her husband,
angerly interrupting her, and starting to
bis feet with an unwonted energy Of man
ner, "havena often tell't ye never to name
that migrate, that undutiful son, in my pre-
sence ?-and how comes it that ye have
dared to disregard my injunctions, and that
at time, too, when I'm overwhelmed, rem
dered desperate, wi other cares? How
could ye, woman, add to my distress, by
naming the base fallow before me -
These were harsh words from father Of
his own child but, so far as circumstances
could enable that father to Judge, they
we're not unmerited. William Water
stones son-his only son-who had been
bred millright, had gone out to the West
Indies some five or six years previous to
the period Of which We write and during
the last three years of that time his parents
had never heard from him, although they
had learned that he was not only living, but
rapidly accumulating a fortune. A score
of letters, at least, bis father had written
him through the medium Of the mercantile
house by which be had been first sent out
(and which kindly undertook not only to
have all his letters forwarded to his son, but
offered the same obliging services in the
case of communications from the latter to
the former), without ever receiving any
answer and this was the more unpardon-
able, that more than one of these letters
contained requests from John Waterstone's
father for little pecuniary assistance to
help him out of his difficulties.
These, however, were equally unattended
to with the others ard it is not, therefore,
to be wondered at that old Waterstone
should have charged his son with ingrati-
tude, and considered his conduct undutiful
and unnatural. This was, in truth, as we
have shown, his fathers opinion of the
young man but, oh what can weaken a
mothers love? What can witber the
strong and deep rooted affections of her
bosom for the child Of her love The con-
duct must be infamous indeed that could do
this.
Mrs Waterstone, although she did allow
that her son ought to have at least written
them, yet thought, and, when she dared,
spoke, of him with the most tender regard.
For his apparent neglect Of them, she said,
she was sure there was some good reason,
that would one day be explained to the as
tisfaction Of them all What this reason
could be she owned she could not conjec-
ture but that was a circumstance which did
not in the least shake her faith in its exist
tence. When her husband, therefore, on
the present occasion, upbraided her for
naming her son, and accused him Of ingra-
titude and undutiful conduct, she, as
she always did in similar circumstances,
stepped forward with the ready but unsatis-
factory defence alluded to.
"Be patient, guidman, l beseech you"
she said" be patient and, oh. man,
dinna think sac unkindly O the puir ladde
| Ha'll ho ahle 7 warrant TO pie a guId rea-