New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-11

was in her morning robe, with her abundant
hair floating about her, 80 long that she
could throw it around Lewis and almost
smother him with it, which made him look
very foolish, thought. She petted Lewis
in the most ridiculous style, and made him
was almost as affectiOnate as to her own
son; and when told her how l was left an
orphan in my fourth year, and how had
not relation in the world, big, hot tear
| from her brimmed eyes fell upon nv hand,
which she was holding while she talked to
me. she said / must let her be mother to
| me; and she called up Lewis and told him,
In her serious, impetuOus way, that he was
| to look upon me as a brother and be always
kind to me.
Mrs. Lewis was an indulgent mother, but
| she was strict too, as her stepfather direct
| ed her to be, and his word was, to her, law
in everything. Lewis went to bed at nine,
and so did while was at the castle. We
begged half an hours grace sometimes, but
she would never yield. even when she was
III the middle of a song. She sang divinely,
and Lewis loved to hear his mother. Some
times he would keep me awake for whole
hour after we were in bed, listening to Mrs.
Lewis voice in the drawingroom. l was
obliged to keep awake, being his guest; but
this shows how inconsiderate he could be.
He had begged Mrs. Lewis to allow him
to give me one of his Shetland ponies on NV
birthday, and he had surprised me with it,
with bran new saddle and bride, which
was very good, am quite free to own; but
he might have remembered that liked fish
ing much better than riding, and that /
should have been more pleased with hand
some rod and tackle.
One day, Mrs. Lewis stepfather seeing
me ON the terrace alone, called me to him,
and began to question me on the lite that
my guardians had projected for me. When
l told him that had not heard from them
for a year, and that had not the least idea
of their intentions in regard TO Inc, he pulled
my ear and muttered: - Poor lad poor
lad this is the way the world is managed"
And so the subject was dropped, and Lewis
and /, at the end of the holidays, returned
to school. ,.s4 ~
Misfortune overlook me when / was on
the point of entering at the Middle Temple.
NV guardians died. and, to my horror and
amazement. was informed that their affairs
were involved to my utter ruin. They had
speculated with my money, and out of
good fortune which my parents had left me,
had something less than three hundred
pounds lett. l communicated my distress to
Lewis, and he sympathized with me he
would have been a stone had he done less,
seeing how intimate we had been from our
early boyhood. Mrs. Lewis had been for
father had died overwhelmed with ruin in
a great lawsuit, and she had the castle no
longer, and young Lewis could keep only
one horse now, and was obliged to give him
self fewer airs.
The wreck was more than respectable;
but it was a wreck. | was among those
who did not desert them, and did not dis
dam to ride in the modest brougham to
which poor Mrs. Lewis was reduced, and |
II. htr& Il.
table. Lewis never forgot my birthday; |
and Mrs. Lewis was good enough to insist, |
when she heard of my misfortune, that | |
should let her pay my Temple fees, and |
that should accept of "A couple of rooms in |
her house, to be with Lewis. She saw. | |
suspect, that l exercised very salutary in |
fuence over him. How could look churl- |
ish and refuse, especially when Lewis Joined |
his entreaties with those of his motherl 1t |
wanted no little moral courage, however, to
keep with the Lewises. although they
loaded me with attentions, because people
talked about them in the neghborhood; and
the tradesmen sneered and jeered when the
plain little brougham rolled past their
doors, or / and Lewis walked home to DIN
ner. l had no other home, however, and
hardly farthing in my pocket. AS have
said, l was without relation in the world
but / do take little credit to myself for
can make no secret of it never liked
Lewis.
Mrs. Lewis paid all my expenses while
she lived, just as she paid those of her child.
could hardly see anything in which she
made a difference between us; and when
here was any slight advantage in Lewis
share he made it up to me, for [ was shrewd
enough to see that he could not do without
ne; he was full of dreams; he was forever
alking about his uncle and the grand DAYS,
ind whether he could not redeem the for
unes of his family, laughed at him, con-
ess, and advised him, with the small for
,une that remained, to put himself in some
rood business in the city. He shrugged his
shoulders and would not hear of it. but
vent dreaming on; and believe his mother
him; he pinched himself TO EN-
boy lawyers, who were to reopen the old
horrible lawsuit, and win back the tens of
thousands of pounds, and the old castle.
We were to walk on the old terrace
nee more, and smoke our cigars
gain in the old familiar wineries. =
{ was sad to see the infatuation which
assessed Lewis. He was not unmindful of
ne, must say, in all his dreams. / was to
ave my share of the glory when he got it. q
he case came again and again before the
ourts. | had been called to the bar mean
ime, and Lewis had insisted that should
marked. 1t was business to Inc.
nd any business to young barrister is
1elcome. So appeared. 1t was really an
fort of friendship ON my part, for the bar
'as laughing outright at young Lewis as ,
fool who was throwing good money after
adj. There was no hope for him. The Judges
ttered when | rose; the public smiled when
evils took his seat among the attorneys
When we failed my Temple friends would I
Dme round me and ask, Well h rs Young !
lfatuation had enough of it now?"
Lewis brother died when he was about {
neteen, and Mrs. Lewis followed soon
ter | thought Lewis would have gone
adj He was certainly an affectiOnate son: S
ut who would not have been affectionate c
it'll such mother! Had it t been for
s precious lawsuit he would have fol L
wed IN month or two; but, as the diff C
lilies increased and the chances grew less v
I'd less, he only grew firmer in his resolve n
spend his last farthing and the last hour d
his life in the fight. He spared me all l u
ked from him, which was not much, and t
, contrived that we should continue to v
Te together, SO that might carry on my b
ofession. intended, you may be sure,
refund him to the utmost penny, some a
y; but who can tell what the morrow may t.
ing forth | don't think he expected to
repaid. He never said so, and there a
ere times, l know, when had money and c
had none. Nay, there were two or three O
casions on which he was locked up. He
tually carried on his plans in the spong- V
g-house, and when he was let out. walked G.
ralghtway to his lawyers. He would meet G.
e with that strange, sad smile on his face, g
Id the first question would be, how was n
'tting along did l want anything In p
rev months all troubles would be over,
III we should be in clover. For must do |
M the Justlce-one leaf of trefoil he might "
Lther was to be for unnr hnnnhlo napnnn4 | 4,