The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-06-22

| pdrDOh p6Slues, lGIJ inc university
without taking degree. 1t is too late
20 start educating ones self for law.
yer or doctor at thirty. Do you think
L could get secretaryship AS TO,
competitive examinations--Inev knew
but little, and have forgotten that little
long ago."
my dear Tom," said Fassil gravely
Eve have always been friends, and | dc
not know any man would sooner have
for brother-in-law but we must look
the thing squarely in the face. Ju. has
nothing; she is entirely dependent
upon me, and live up to my small in.
come 50 that she will be able to bring
you nothing to help"
"I knew that, old fellow"
"Well, then, it is absolutely necces-
sary that you should, as you say, have
some other source of income than the
interest upon five thousand pounds. 1t
is true that Ju. is an excellent manager,
way; but then, think what your habits
have been %
CHAPTER u.--A PEoDIGIoUs ACORN.
If you suppose that by draining a
country you can get rid of Will-o'-the-
wisps, you had better answer those ad-
vertisements in the Times which are ad-
dressed to gentlemen with small capital
at their own disposal, and you will
be speedily undeceived. One Of these
misguiding imps proposed that Tom
Chatteris should devote his life to poti-
chomanie; another, that he should be-
come a manufacturer and retail vender
of ginger-becr; while others, less harm
less, sought to transfer his remaining
capital into their own pockets, on pre-
texts so transparently fraudulent, that
Tom, with all his natural taste for
speculation and sanguine belief III "good
things" saw through them at once.
He likewise tried for vacant secretary
ships of several public companies, but
found that the directors gave those posts
to their own nominees, and only adver-
tised for the sake of appearances, lest
the shareholders should suspect them of
jobbery.
By the end of couple Of months he
was heartily sick of bootless correspon-
dence, and bothering his friends for
testimonials to no purpose; and started
off one day alone, to walk away fit of
the blues, eschewing the high roads, and
following rural footpaths. One of these
brought him into wood on the crest
OF some uudulated ground and as it
was now the last week in October, the
foliage was very finely tinted ; for the
year is like a olphin-its brightest colors
come out when it is dying.
Tom Chatteris was always affected
pleasantly by beauty i'll any form, and
the scene cheered him up, and inclined
him to take u more sanguine view of
life than he had started with.
"After all, how jollily we might live
in an Australian or American clearing !
might not like the idea but am GER
tain she would enjoy herself when she
got used to it. She would be gi wing up
nothing, except her grandmother, and
William will look after her. What is the
best can expect in England? To sit
at desk all day, and never cross horse
again; while as squatter, my life would
be perpetually in the saddle. By Jove !!
l will so over tomorrow and put it to
her."
A rash VOW which was never to be
kept. Bat the making of 1t did Tom
good, for it represented a feasible,
practical plan. All was uncertain and
surrounded with difficulty at home !;
but if Ju. would consent to colonial
roughing it, their future was clear, dis
tinct, simple. So he cheered up, like the
lost traveller who comes upon laHd-
mark; and, instead of hurrying on at
the pace he had started at, he began to
pause where the gaps in the wood af-
forded him glimpses of the fertile coun-
try spreading for miles beyond.
A splendid oak, some three hundred
yards off, seen at the end of the ride,
attracted his particular attention-it
was so lofty, so wide-spreading, and its
leaves were so much thicker than those
on most trees Of the same species round
about. Tom was sadly materialistic,
even in his most romantic vein and as
the day was warm for the time Of year,
it Immediately occurred to him that it
would be pleasant to smoke pipe un-
der that oak, and mediate upon his new
emigration scheme. But he had hardly
gone far enough from home to sit down
and rest yet would it not be better to
continue his walk? Curiosity decided
this question; for while he was looking
toward the tree, he fancied that one of
its lower boughs shook; and as there
was not breath of wind stirring, he
wondered what was the cause, and went
toward it to ascertain.
The motion was not repeated; per-
haps it had been only fancy. But stay
was that dark object dimly show
ing through the leaves? A queer growth
of wood surely. Tom sauntered quietly
up to with twenty PAGES of the oak;
and then suddenly sprang into run,
for the object took a human form; and
presently he found himself Immediately
under the body of man, who was
hanging by the neck from rope attach
ed to bough, which spread convenient
ly above.
By raising his hand, Tom could have
touched the pendent boots, which were
in good repair, and well blacked. The
rest of the clothes were respectable,
though running to seed and chimney
pot hat, which lay on the ground, was
gentlemanly hat. But Tom did not
want to touch the boots, for to pull
the legs of a hanging man is not the
best way to resuscitate him. Neither did
he spend time in examining his apparel
the little matters have mentioned were
at glance. On the contrary,
he swarmed up the tree, which was hap
PLY easy to climb, and lay out on the
bough with the readiness OF a sailor.
In the early and sanguine days of his
secretaryship-hunting, Tom had provid-
ad hinSalf with q paukpifa ot a SuDpr-