Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-05-17
the HOUSEHOLD.
sw,FTER THAN u wEAvER's
SHUTTLE.
ny JUDITH ooEsIDrSE.

A shnndaTV
IN nor smoks, nor air the roaring OF battle
~ yn,ns'a ears-that ercest, deadliest battle, the
LII for daily bread; dimmed colors seen
sbronoh acres Of plate glass want and sin, and
orief. thriving bravely in acres OF difs men and
el,o,, e,,, and children to the right OF one men,
I .oornen and children 10 the left OF one busy
s..aic of wheels and sbod hoofs in the midst, and
smong them ALL shorter than the tallest, shorter
hs head, for instance, than that great gray
mortal marching on IN front Lnsas 50 @ uo.erLh @ IN
sho1lder and his head thrown back, walks .
sriaht faced. clean. skinned, hght-hAred,. hazel
sred. notwithstanding. not altogether unhand-
s3me Young man walks briskly. as though the
aSnrId waeeed we'll for him this Friday morning
HIong Whitehall, down the Strand, through
Temple Bar, into Fleet Street, on they go-the
-rav ahoulders and the close-clpped, fair head
eetasdfastly, the one behind the other-noW
little nearer--now little farther, but always
J;stinct and separate from the lettering crowd.
and by degrees a sense of something remarkA-
hle and fine about the shoulders establishes it
saif in the clipped head and tie hazel eyes
look At them more than at the womens yellow
plaits and powdered faces. 80 muon 80, Ihoeed
,hat when they turn at last down gloomy street
~ inhuman and uninviting aspect, 3 smile posi-
,;vaIv creeps over the brisk young mans good
tamvered pink and white face, for that is the
street down which he will turn tools now turn
ing in fact-and-
The brisk young man pulls up. The gray man
rsrchea on. swinging his umbrella round and
ronnd like fiail, as II he meant to march clean
over the side OF the world before long.
At The foot of lamp-poet lays little silver
sbield. with q red cross painted omit. Two sharp
hazel ewes pounce on it-a well-shaped, sun
burnt hand picks it up, and away go swift young
legs in great buoyant bounds after those gray
shoulders. - IT., A..
atand. .still-they make them right-ab0ut-face,
and then CHEEKY, chirpy, musical voice says,
with little laugh "a merry soul, I'll warrant,
this brisk young NAM
II think you've dropped this 2"
"By Jovs, SO have I" Then plunging deep
into breast pocket, and bringing up capacious
nocket-book wherein to stow away the treasure
trove. 'You couldn't have done me greater
Kindness. Wouldn't have lost this for worlds, 1t
saved my life. Why !" breaking on short, and
staring hard at the amused, laughter-smitten
face before him "your name isn't Stapylton r.
Yes 1t isl" answers the chirpy voice, loud and
amnbatio t'And yours is Arnot Gwynne. How
dye do, my dear old fellow Fancy onr meet
ing again in this Jolly unexpected way"
And they shake hands, and laugh, and look
and speak their pleasure as men will, who. with
d hearty liking for each, suddenly chance to
come face to face after years of separation:
"And 30 old dreams have come true et last,
saws Gwynne thoughtfully, when arm linked in
arm, they are slowly walking on. "You are q
barrister and am doctor, and grateful pub
lie pines TO reward our merit" smiling that Curl
Gus bitter-sweet smile OF his.
"Oh hang the grateful public" replied Mr..
stapylton, who is . young man of energy aud
purpose, according to his own showing. The
public's beast between pig and an ASS. Give
me Art Humanity ScienceW With very big
note OF exclamation between each noun-substan-
tive.
Certainly, provided you don't so in for Com
munisml"
"Don't you, then1 ?" much surprised. "Don't
you believe in the virtues Of equality and JUS
tcel"
"oh paper, yes In the flesh, no. I saw rath-
er too much OF both in Paris, laughing drily.
You were in Paris, then, during the revolu-
tlon ~
"Yss, and during the siege too. was mem
Der of the ambulance stan"
"At one time fanced should like to run
over Just to see how IL all looked!"
Il don't think you would have been repaid for
your trouble. evenif you had escaped being
shOt."
"Being shot" incredulOusly; "they didn't
shoot Englshmen |"
Didn't they, though they nearly shot me,
that's all know" with laugh
"Bless me you don't say 30. What put you
up against a wall, and" knitting up his brows
and halting In amazement.
Put me up against wall, and very politely
unbottoned my coat, and"
My dear fellow, how horrible and was that
shield picked up the thing that saved you ?"
Yes the red cross on il is the cross Of the
them they knew was . surgeon, and let me
of As rule they didn't maltreat people who
looked after the wounded; !" quite calmly, not at
all as il he were relating anything wonderful.
"Humph !" and MIR. Stapylton looks him up
and down and takes in the full grandeur OF his
superb manhood. "Ill bet anything you never
winked an eyelash you always were such an
awfuly cool hand, you know" Then, with as
sudden fervor, by jove How glad am to
have met you, and he grasps him lovingly by
u
dalen bells when you're talking, and always
look back on my school-days as the perfection
Of happiness, for after our pmash came, and the
dear old dad died, and my mother got 30 low and
all that well-it wasn't over cheerful, with q
feeble, melancholy little laugh worth many words.
Poor old fellowl" They are back In their
hannels and striped black and white caps; the
sedge-fringed river is behind them the setting
sun picks ont the gold upon the barges, and lii.
gers tenderly on lfhey Church eight trembles
on hundred metal tongues. Now for the scam.
per home through Christ church meadow and
down Merton street 'cut along, youhgstor
through with you grins my son now Il.
Stapyton, Esq, barrister-at-Aw. OF the Inner
Temple and better known to tho readers Of
light literature than the stones of Westminster.
ALI the blood runs quicker for such memories,
my friends. There are no such suns to set now
s1ays.
Mot that I'm bowling, you know, "pursues
the said baTrister-at-law after bit, hinging up
his chin and smiling like king; I've got ac-
custOmed to it all now and take life as it comes.
Besides, there's the future; and my belief is that
steady work must tell at last"
"Of that, suppose, there can be no doubt,
replies Gwynne, soberly; 1.-THE nature OF the
work itself is more what one has to look at.
Yes, OF course. Well I'm in the literary
line not entirely tiction-articles, reviews,
poems-that sort Of thing, you know, but all fo
an end, q purpose. i want to knock the leat
out Of the brains Of the rising generation befor'
it's had time to settle to tear up and trampl,
down and generally annihilate Mrs. Grundy and
superstition, and" waxing violent and lunglnl
out tercely at nothing in the strength OF HI
right arm.
Just the same as ever" laughs Gwynne
"brimfu of enthusia 3m and ideas aud romance!
and there is kind OF pity in his tone, though HI
mouth is smiling.
81 worship the ideal" loudly, and with en-
phasis 'it il always before me, shining as day
light shines at the end Of long, pitch-dark cav
ern, not as farthing rushlight to be snuned ou
by every gust Of popular prejudice and opinion,
eontemptuously.
BON y much amused at the exceeding brisl
ness and volubility of this hazel.eyed youn
man, I'VE must see more of each other"
"Rather !" promptly ''you don't suppose Il
going to lose eight of you again, do your II
living down at Surbiton for the present got som
capital lodgings there"
'Surbitonl" echoes Gwynne curiously,
strange brightness playing in his eyes.
Yes, no end OF jolly place-rlver you know
and boating. and lovely scenery; you must con
down and see US ; my sisters with me now
there's only we two left !" and sigh, but
clearing up again, II really think you'd ike