Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-11-22

SihAiSt hS hSid out Ills manu- w It lclulIS
saying:
J Well, Fielding, old boy, the anchor
is weighed, but you are not alone"
"oh, yes, see; how are you, old fell
low" said Burden; but / saw by his
manner that he was displeased at my be-
ing there; so making some excuse, l pre-
pared to leave the room.
Don't go, old fellow" said Burden.
Il confess | did not want you at first,
but now you have came would rather
you would stay. You and | have al
ways been friends, so you may well see
the end. Besides, you might be able to
do me favor"
FASTENED to assure him that anything
l could do for him would do with pleas
ure.
"Now let me see what | can do" said
Fielding, feeling his pulse.
can tell you the exact amount" re-
piled Burden, with faint smile. "You
can do-nothipgP'
looked in my friends face and saw
that Burden was right.
You see know what is coming l
have felt it creeping on these six months
or more. 1 was certain nothing could
stop it, and as you see, | was right l
have no fear of death-the only regret |
have is for poor little Charon there"
Is he your son ?"
No; | found him shivering on
doorstep some years ago. | don't think
he could have been much more than
eighteen months old. 1 had just lost my
dog at the time and felt lonely, and he,
poor little wretch, looked so lonely too
that it struck up sort of sympathy be-
tween us and brought him home"
But why ON earth did you call him
Charon ?"
Because he was the son of Erebus
and Nox; at least he was found in the
night, and don't know who his parents
were p
"What do you want US to do for this
boy?"
Bring him up. Please to hand me
that paper. Thanks. This is my will,
whereby leave Charon property to over
the amount of five thousand pounds.
want you fellows to become executors, if
you will, and see that the little imp is
cared for. You will? l thank you. Fill
in the names and l will sign it. There,
thank goodness that is over. You can
alter his name when / am gone, to any
thing you like. You must take care of
him for my sake"
"Nonel You have often asked me for
my history, Fielding, and now that | am
so near my end you shall hare it. Now
don't stop me, old fellow, l know what
you would say must not excite my
self to talk much. Yon see | am almost
as good doctor as you are; but | feel
that | cannot last another day, and as a
few hours cannot make much difference.
| prefer dying my own way, / may as
well keep my mind employed as not; so
sit and listen to what no one has heard
but yourselves"
We took our seats on each side of the
couch and Burden commenced his histo-
ry:
six and twenty years ago | was
clerk in a merchants office. | can't say
| liked the business, but stuck to it and
got on, for | loved my masters daughter
and hoped by hard work one day to be
able to make her mine. I was an or
phan, with neither kith nor kin to look |
after me, but the love l bore Milly kept
me quiet and industrious. l rose step
by step in the office, and Mr.. Bruce, the
merchant, was never tired of sounding
my praise.
All went on happily until he discover
eG that loved his daughter, and then
his passion knew no bounds. / need not |
enter into the particulars. Twas turned
from his house, but not alone, for Milly |
and | had been secretly married three
months before.
We took a quiet little lodging in the
suburbs, and | went every day into the
city in hopes of getting another situation
| had little money that had saved, on
which we lived-lived, oh so happily,
that even at this distance it seems hea-
venly dream too bright for earth. Milly
was always trustful that her father would
relent, and always believed that |
should soon obtain another appointment
but we were both deceived. Time roll
ed on our little capital was almost gone
our hopes almost exhausted, but our love
bloomed as fresh as ever. | tried litera-
ture and made few pounds, but my
but too often came back
without being read; still | struggled on,
and wrote several songs with certain
amount of success, and once more hope
seemed to beam upon US,