Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-06-22
Misesllaau.
From Putnam's Magazine for July.
His HOnOr'S Daughter.

Judge Fanshawe's house and Miss Heste
Campbell's stood side by side on Pearl ave
nue., but with difference The Judge
mansion scared upward. like Uhland's CdstI
by the Sea, and had lofty portico with futeC
pillars and seven stone steps to the sidewal X
and plate-glass windows of the Ii. Ost impos
ing dimensions. But Miss Hester's domicil'
was narrow, hat-faced, two-storied, with ont
timid little step advanced from the street
door, aud had an air of not wishing to in
trude, and of being on the point of gettinG
itself OUT of the way, if only people wouldn'
look.
" They seem resolved that shall CO., the
consumptive little spinster sighed. g an
offered mints of money for my estate AND
when | refuse. am elbowed by brown stone,
clawed at by iron ratings, and gIared at by
great windows, tilrI feel like httie Red Rid
ing Hood before the wolf, and expect every
moment to see a pair of wide Jaws open, and
eat me up quite. The very horses paw at
my sidewalk when they are drawn up in
front of it, and the coachmen say things to
each other, and point at me with their
thumbs. q wonder why it seems more igno-
minious to be point ted at with the thumb
than in any other way p But transplanting
would kill me, laddie. 1 must live out my
little time here in my childboOd's home.
When am gone, you can do as you please. "
The person addressed as @ laddie - was a
stalwart young man of twenty-seven years at
least, with fine, spirited face, blue eyes
that saved his mouth good deal of talking,
and thick tawny hair that fell into separat e
locks like plumes-Lieutenant Donald Cam p
bell, Miss Hester's cousin and heir.
Seeing this gentleman look at her with a
Scotch mist in his eyes, the little lady made
haste to brighten up, and add, with a smile,
" And what should l do without that pretty
creature to look at :? .
The soldier blushed family all over his
face his mouth, that had been compressed,
melted with something sweeter than a smile,
and he turned his eyes quickly away and
looked out the window, to hide the sudden
brightness in them.
1t was an October cleaning, and as he
faced the window, Lieutenant Campbell
looked across the narrow side-street that
separated them from the next house, and saw
a charming group, framed in living sculp-
ture of wind-t tossed woodbine, surrounding
the library window opposite. A shaded
lamp hung from the chandelier, and threw
circle of brilliant light into the center of the
room. In the midst of that light, painted,
as it were, in strong relief, like one of those
old pictures we see on background of gold,
sat Judge Fanshawe and his daughter,
slim, bright girl of nineteen, both reading
from the same book. Rose had drawn a
tabouret close to her fathers side, and leaned
on the arm Of his chair, turning the leaves
as they read, and his hand rested on her
shoulder. The same beam of light that made
his forehead look marbIe-white, and glim-
mered on his eyeglasses, slipped lower,
dropped a crinkled gliding in her dark hair,
and showed her brow, fair as lily. The
dark blue of her dress lay soft, fold on fold,
against the red of his dressing gown, which
seemed to have stained her blooming cheeks.
Miss Hester had, with good reason called
Rose Fanshawe '' that pretty creature
The book they read must have been anus
ing, for all the time a smile played around
the Judges Lips. aud now and thsu Rose
glanced in his face and laughed.
As the young man gazed lingeringly at
them, the readers both looked up, then rose
to meet visitor who came toward them from
the shadows surrounding their golden me
daIlion.
Lieutenant Campbell pulled the curtain
down with a snap, then lighted the gas and
drew his cousins chair round before the fire,
standing behind her moment, leaning on
the chaIr-back, while she looked uneasily
into the transparent violet flicker in the
CRATE. Then he came forward to the chimney
corner, and stood there, very erect, with his
hands behind him. " Hester" he said, .
am not yet thirty years of age: but | am
very Old-fashioncd fellow
There was no apparent reason why the
young man should mod this very irritating
fact, but his eyes flashed as he spoke. -
am so old fashioned as to hate a swindler,
and to be angry when see respectable people
welcome him ;" he went on, excitedly. " Do
you know how that fellow got rich ?''
Miss Hester looked up wistfully into her
cousins face, knowing full well the real
cause of his anger - Mr.. Francis Grey,
you mean ~ she asked. Z" Is he rich ~
'' Rich? he is a Midas, ears and all. |
know his history. Five years ago his father
died and left him with expensive tastes no
profession, and ten thousand dollars-immi-
nent beggary, of course, for a man like him.
What to do2 His eye fell upon Blentdavir,
the arch-nurse of stocks
And now they go up, up.up,
And now they go down, down, downy.
'' BIentdavir was relative, and felt
obliged to give him lift. lie gave it in the
way of whisper in Grey ear, When stock
gets down to %, buy all you can get. Yer
bum sat sapienti. The fellow took heart, and
set himself to watch and wait. Before long
it was hinted that Blentdavir's stock was
getting little weak. Then it began to sink
slowly. Do you know what that means,
Hester Can you fancy how the news was
received by hundreds and thousands who had
invested their little all there? Fancy the
widows, the orphans, the overworked fathers
of families, the teachers, shOp-girls, factory
girls, sewing girls-alI the toiling crowd
who had stinted themselves in the present
for the sake of laying away something against
rainy day. You may be sure that they
had pale faces and wild eyes and heavy hearts
as that stock came down. Hold on Blent-
davir said it must come up again
suppose some of EN- did hold on as long az
they could, or dared but finally there was
panic. The poor wretches rushed to sell
and save at least a little, and Mr.. Francis
Grey bought up all that he could get, anC
wished for more. A few of the initiated
snapped up the rest. Then there was &
pause. Blentdavir wept with one eye, and
with the other exchanged a wink with his
master of the cloven foot.
'' Probably Grey WASH t quite easy for a
while. But in the fulness of time it was
perceived that the stock, having reached it
zero, was creeping up again by quarter
cents and half rents, a step and halt ster
and halt. Then the steps grew frmer. by
cents and fves. You know how such things
q go. told you so, Blentdavir said to the
hungry ones, rubbing his hands. They did
not rub their hands. The mercury was out
of their thermometers, and the bubbles
burst.
a Now there was dignifed percentage
then a sudden rise to somewhere among the
nineties,y Grey sold out, aud found himself
the owner of decent fortune. But the
gambling spirit was up in him. He specu-
lated in this and that-not honestly, but
taking advantage of men s necess sities-and
every thing he touched turned to gold for
him. He is rich, and growing richer, anC
be bids fair to become power in the land
Business men look at him with wonder and
blinded by his success, forget how it wa
won. But, Hester, call him swindler y
While finishing his story, Donald Camp
bell bad come out of his corner and walked
up and down the room two three times
He took another turn in silence, then came
back to lean on the mantel-piece.