The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-12-31

aed With tho punishment she had received,
she began to chastise her herself.
The cries Of little Jacobini reached the
ears Of he- brother, who was amusing him
self in the e.-den. Although generally a
quiet, be was a bold and passionate boy.
He rushed towards the house--he burst into
the room where bis stepmothsr was crafty
ing her cruelty and hatred on bis helpless
sisler-he rushed forward.
Woman Y he cried, in the manner Of
Que whose reason has left him, eff yo1 strike
my sister. ! will strike you !"
"BOy !" she exclaimed, ia frenzy and
struck not only bis sister again, but him too,
aud applied ePithets to both, which, for the
sade of human nature, il is as well not to
repeat.
4 have said that be Nas bold and pas
sionate-he was also tall and strong hoy
for bis years. He grasped her more 6erceIy,
and as she continued to vent her rage on
both. and to strike at both, he dashed her
to the, ,AoOr, and exclaimed again
ssWoman! if you strike my sister. will
! s6ilm 9ou r., =:
~ At tBzt moment ts tsthef entered sbe
house. Mysteries again came to plead the
cause of Mrs Kerr. Walter bad seen
enough. He seized hold upon bis son He
chastised him-unmercifully he did so for
be also, on occasions, was a man Of violent
passion but, as With augmented rage be
struck bis son. tile boy, while be submitted
patiently to bis chastisement, gazed in bis
face with a fearless and stern eye, and
when he had exhausted his rage and
strength, the boy turned on him and said
Are you done, sir shall tell my mother
this MY mother !"
When Walter kerr heard the words
II shall tell my mother" and especially
the words-''MY neither pronounced by
his son, and the emphatic manner in which
they were pronounced, be trembled-his
heart fllled-he burst into tears, and stretch
ing out his hand, be said Francis =
But the boy eAeaimed-"No " refused
the offered hand, and rushed out Of the
room.
Throughout the day he was not again
seen and after many days Of diligent
search after him had been made, it was
ascertained that he had entered on board Of
foreign trading vessel from Newcastle.
Twelve months passed, and the vessel again
arrived in Newcastle but the captain
stated that the astonishing boy (as he term
ed Francis) bad left him. he knew not for
why, nor for where while they we're upon
the coast Of Africa, where many vessels
were.
The tidings fell sadly on the heart Of
Walter Kerr but he had other evils to
contend with He had lost his son /; and /
with his villa, his grounds, his carriage, and \
his visitors, lie had lost the half Of his for
tune But the ambition of Mrs Kerr was
not yet satisfied Her husband did not Z
possess landed property sufficient to think
Of being a Justice Of the Peace for the
county yet she thought it would give her
additional importance were be chief magis-
trate in the town of H. | will not /
say that Mr. Kerr had not a sprinkling OF I
ambition in his composition himself, and he
more readily agreed that he should aspire
to the honor Of being elevated to the bench
- - 49, -i.;-. ,hat sho had nrn |
posed to him. Therefore, after bestOwing
the necessary and customary (though lille
gall fees on the corpOratOrs, which made /
another fearful inroad on his monied prop
erty, Mr. Kerr had the honor and grstifca- /
ton Of being elected chief magistrate Of
the town Of Il.
"NoW," thought he. Harriet will sure
ly have reached the height Of her ambition;
she will be content now"
But be was mistaken. She not only dis
covered that the idea of magistrate, stand |
ing behind counter, and working amongst
bales Of goods, or casks of sundry liquors,
was intOlerable, but she declared that the
efluvia which he brought with him from
his warehouse on bis hands and garments,
was quite as obnoxious as though she still
lived over it. And further, she added, !
that you might as well attempt to wash the |
Ethiopian white as wash it away. II rend- !
cred her incapable of taking her dinner
every day
Once a q, Walter Kerr gave way, for
the sake Of peace" He gave share in
bis business to shOpman who bad been
With him for many years, and became
sleeping partner himself Jscobini was now
a lovely girl Of seventeen but her persecu-
ton had increased with her years, until it
became insupportable. She was treated not
only as a servant but as a slave. Her
father beheld whit she endured. and he
thought of the dying injunction of his Han
nah, and sighed but his interposition tend
ed only TO increase the sufferings which his
daughter endured.
Jacobini possessed all the meekness and
patience which had characterised her moth
er but she was prosecuted beyond their en-
durance. She tied up few Of her clothes,
the plainest that she bad, and with the little
money which she had been enabled to gath
er together, she left her fathers house at the
dead Of night, and, wandering towards the
next town, took her journey to London,
where, through the instrunentality Of a
friend Of her mothers, she was in a few
days hired as child's maid to a merchant in
the city.
Her gentle disposition and requirements
soon rendered her favorite with be family;
and when they aseertained her history, she
became as one Of them.
About this time there was a young man,
one William Jordan, came from India to be
initiated in the mysteries ofbusiness BY her
master 1t was soon evident that be was no
uuinterested bebolder Of the gentleness and
beauty of Jacobini. There was, perhaps,
something ofthe ardent temperament Of the
CLINE in which be was born in bis compost
tlon and he suddenly made declaration
of bis affection with an enthusiasm which,
while it perhaps pleased, at the same time
intimidated the retiring and the timed Ja-
cobini. She therefore listened not to his
words, and sought to svOid him. But the
more her reserve grew, and the more she