The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-02-25

I was the son of an ironmOnger In q
large way of business in Nottingham,
and was intended by my father to sue
eeed to- his, business, He gave me a
faif education at the gramnar-school
of the place, but, like most boys, l had
taste for adventure, and when l was
seventeen had an alteration with my
father about the shop, ran away and
enlisted in the Tenth Foot. My father
found out what + had done, and wrote
to offer to purchase my discharge, but
I refused, and went out to India with
my regiment I was . steady, well-
conducted man, and soon obtained my
sergeant's stripes. When in India,
heard of the death of my father-my
mother had died many years before
and also, that when his business was
wound up, the surplus remaining was
very small, a few hundred pounds,
which were placed to my credit in Eng
land. After came back fell in love
and married. My wife was the daugh.
ter of a French eDaigre, with nothing
but her good looks and her kind heart.
I purchased my discharge, and with
my little property bought and furnish
ed a house at Deal, where we let lodg--
ings.S My wife managed the house, and
l gave lessons i'm fencing and drill to
the few schools there, and to casual Wis
itors. We had one child. When she
was stem years old 1 lost my wife, and
after that all my feelings centered in
my child. 1 watched over her and
loved her as only man can love his
only child. So things went on until
your son came as lOdger to us. l
knew nothing of him-was ignorant
that he was the only son of baronet
and heir tn large estate. l knew no
thing of ituntil one day / came home
and found my child was gone, and a
letter from her saying that she was Sc
cretly married, and telling me the rank
and position of your son. was as
proud, sir, of my good name as you
could be of yours. 1 shrank from the
idea that it should he said that 1 had
been 4 party to my child taking in
l knew how the world would put it
the heir of a rich and ancient family,
and I wrote to say that until you ac
knOwledged the marriage and APPROX
ed of it, / would not do so. My pride,
sir, was less deeply grounded than
yours was. Kate wrote to me from the
south of France, where they had taken
up their residence, to say that you
would not relent, and that they were
peniless. Now, sir, my pride urged
me to do the thing which it before had
prevented my doing. I sold my house
them, and set to work with my own
hands to support myself. Hush, Sir
John BartOn-there are no thanks, no
acknowledgements due. I did what 1
conceived to be my duty; you did what
you believed to be yours. Months af-
ter, letter reached me from my dear
child. Her husband was attacked with
cholera. She had a little girl, and had
no friend but myself. She implOred
me to come out. Fortunately, l had a
few pounds by me, and l hurried to
Marseilles. / found Kate dying, and
that her husband had expired three
days before. She told me you had been
written for at the same time with my
self. / have since heard that you did
not receive that letter till a week after.
1 closed my dear child's eyes, / laid her
by the side of her husband in the stran-
gers cemetery at Marseilles, and then
finding you did not come, and suppos-
ing you would not forgive, / took the
baby and came home to England
Since then, sir, I have kept her-have
brought her up, trust, kindly and
well. At first the nomad life / led
could do her no harm, but as she grew
up saw that it was for her good that
she should regain her lost place in the
world. thought you might grant the
forgiveness to the grandchild l believed
you had refused to the son. came
down here and found that had mista-
ken yOu-that it was only an unfOrtu>
nate accident which kept you from
standing beside your sons grave; and
then l was able to resign Kitty to you,
secure, at least, of her future"
The baronet had listened deeply mOy-
ed once or twice he had tried to inter-
fere, but the speaker had stopped him
with peremptory gesture. When he
ceased, Sir John Barton rose and took
both the hands of the other:
d" have, as you supposed, long mis-
taken you, as you have, with greatly
more reason, mistaken me. Yours
now is the triumph. Be generous, sir.
You give up this child to me-this
child whom, much as l already love,
you must love far more. At least, share
her with me. Make this your home.
My whole hope, my whole aim in life,
now is i'm the child and her happiness.
Stop and aid me to bring her up"
"I thank you, sir" the ex-sergeant
said; 81 thank you from my heart,
for / feel that your invitation is no idle
compliment; but it il out of the ques-
ton. Your rank in life is infinitely
above mine; and I-yes, am only too
proud to accept a position like this"
" Your pride, then, is worse than
mine," the baronet said warmly. "1
am, acknowledge, proud man; but
am not too proud to feel without Bit
terness that my son was supported by
your generosity, that your hand laid
him in the grave, that you have
brought up his child. Think you that
/, a rich man, with no means of spend
ing my wealth, can ever repay such
obligations rs these ? Do you think
that shareing this home with you could
ever make me feel that my debt was
Cancelled? And do you forget the child !?
Will you 60 away from her, and take
from her the friend who has heretofore
been father to her? Sir, you have
thought me proud; what is my i'ride
to yOursw
The old soldier was evidently moved
with the address, and at the extreme
earnestness and sincerity with which
it was spoken. The baronet saw his
advantage and rang the bell:
Do
There was silence until Kitty enter
ed. With cry of joy she ran up to the
old soldier.
"Oh, grandpa, grandpa! 1 am SO
glad! kiss Kitty! l am 50 happy |!
New grandpa SO kind to Kitty; but me
want old grandpa, too -s. E
"He won't stay with you, Kitty"
the baronet said; "He wants to go
away instead of living here with u.s.
Come, SIR" he said, "givc way, for the
sake of our dear child. This house is
large enough for us both. You shall
have your own apartments, where Kit
ty can spend part of the day with
you. You can live the life of a hermit
there if you like, and can join US here
when you like. Nothing can eyer do
for you can ever make me otherwise
than deeply your debtor. Surely the
house is large enough to hold Kitty's
two grandpas, ELI, Kitty? Tell him
So" FL i1S ~ t.i.f-
Kitty, who was nestled i'm her old
grandia's arms, now whispered to
him:
Naughty grandpa, why you want
10 go away and make me cry? Me
love you; why you go away from
Kitty?p 80
And so the ex-sergeant gave in. For
a time he went away, and then can :
back again and took up his residence