American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-05-11
g VOL XNII.

Reach. on his part, coached his fathe
up on tine state of the funds; and had h,
advised Pihcrton, would have saved hin
from losses. When the ID d. s congrega
ton, upon the conclusion of II ministry o
twenty years, presented him with silve
teapot and six hundred sovereigns, Keacl
took his father aside, made him spend al
the six hundred in Egyptians" and il
two months after sell out at Il premium
which made six into eight. Then he spill
the eight into two parts. and divided
them equally between ''Russians" ant
Turks" both went up, the first tn,
more rapidly; and when Dr. Stokel
1 thought fit to retire, Reach con graduated
the pater, us he called him, upon having
Il neat little ''thou.'-a pet abbreviatioI
with city men for Il thousand.
"You were quite right to sell inst be
fore dividends, pater. Egyptians dom
stand quite so well er dir. ,"
Il don't touch the interest,"" said old
4 Stoker: lit smacks of usurv-"
Quite right, sir" said Reach, pairing
his nails: Il will tell you always when t.
sell out, and when to buy in" 'Why
not?" he whispered to himself: ''it will
come TO me some day"
/ So Reach Stoker, Esq, rising at his
bank, and beloved at home. prospered
with everybody except Polly Pilkerton.
The reason was not far to seek.
I
of the music lessons, young Benjamin
| Mansell who also sat under the great
Stoker, and made his boots, came round
ostensibly to talk about the leather mar
ket and the price of skins, but in reality
to look at Polly Pilkerton. Old Mansell
and old Pilkerton were boyhood's friends;
| but the saddler, conserving with Il higher
| class of customers, had learned to look
down on the bootmaker.
! II NTapcoll 90 uo,J n
workman as Pilkerton; SO there could be
no reason for this show of pride. But
when has pride reason? Old Mansell, a
thoughtful man, like his son, and boot
makers in general, smoked his pipe
thought that his friend showed Il stiff
upper lip" and said nothing. Young
Mansell, on the contrary, felt the slight,
, and would have resented it; but he was
over head and ears in love with Polly.
Love makes a man swallow a good deal.
Ben thought that he was not fine enough,
and therefore improved hims elf, both
mentally and as far as bodily adornment
went. He was a fine, manly young fell
low; thoughtful and observant, and deter
mined to win his way. He did not take
bad way to do it. Polly observed his
improvement, put his motives-with the
unerring conception of women when they
are themselves concerned-down to the
for it.
II can't think why you encourage that
young shoemaker, Polly?"
''He is a bootmaker, father-and we
are but saddlers."
"Bootmakers and shoemakers are all
the same-'snobsr said old Pilkerton,
bitterly. The loss of his money had made
him very cynical; and his darling wish
was to marry his daughter to a man who
Ua ut nDly above
ton in life.
'Snob or not" said Polly, coloring at
the insult, 'he is more polite to you than
Mr. Reach Stoker."
Both were thinking of the same person
at the time.
"Ah, that is man. said Pilkerton,
with gusto. "He's sure to rise in the
world"
81 hope he WILL" said Polly, tossing
her head. That same evening she con-
soled young Ben by going out to walk
with him, round Russell Square and down
by what old Pilkerton called the Fond
ling" She had will of her own, this
Polly.
'"Tain't quite proper place for
young lady to walk, it's so lonely said
her father
''Lawl-and you and mother used to go
a counting round there when London
WASH. half SO FULL said Polly, with a
laugh, holding up her face for her father
to kiss. l can take care of my
self; and Ben and l have walked and
talked together since we were ten. He's
so clever, and So fond of poetry, and tells
me such pretty things"
This was true. Benwas an enthusiast;
never talked of himself but when he had
read some noble book or poem; and he
was always reading, and spouted it out
to Polly-sometimes the people thought
the young couple quarrelling they had
not come 10 that yet; they had not even
made love.
But if Ben had puzzled his long head
for a week-and he was no fOOl-he could
not have hit upon better way to catch
Polly. When he recited, in his grave
tones and manly voice, and his good read
ing-taught him more by his own heart
than by the penny ElOcutionist he
took in, and the quarter he spent at a
Mechanics, Institute elocution class-Polly
insensibly connected herself with the
heroine, and Ben, as the nearest male
creature at hand, as the hero, and her
pretty eyes turned on his often glimmered
with dewy tears under the gas-lamps.
All! those happy autumn walks happy
Russell Square! happy :" Fondling r'-
then so appropriately named. I" l say,
Ben," said Polly, taking hold of his arm
so closely that it made him shiver de-
lightfully, "tell me more about the PA
trician's Disqualification Mildred won't
have him, and she's in love with him all
the time, you know How stupid women
are; are they not, Ben ~
" No, Polly: how can Think so, when
you can take all the points so well
They are mt stupid. They think with
their hearts,"
"That's why they break them so often,
putting 'em to an improper purpose.
But, Ben, if Miss MiIdrcd-wasn't it
Mildred rejected you on your being "a
a-not a patrician, you know-what
should you do, Ben ~
q should break mine, Polly, if 1 loved
her as L can love"
"How's that ?" said Polly, with
feigned funny little laugh.
"With all my mind, with all my heart,
and with all my oul,''-here he gave
Pollys arm, quite mechanically on his
part, Il tremendous squeeze, and the
same delicious shiver ran through her
frame" and my neighbor as myself
said Ben; CHATS in the Church
Catechism, which DIR. Stoker breaches
against, Polly"
els it 90 said Polly. The tone of her
there's ten O'Clock Benz How late it is
What ,riU poor father say 2"
The old saddler worked away at his
contract early and late, and took so much
trouble that each saddle was indeed fur
nished "as per sample Seven hundred
and fifty saddles take a good deal of work
4