The Republican journal., 1874-01-08

clerk OF Smithson Brothers absconded last
night His employers had had their sus-
pisions aroused hv some circumstance or
other, and hintel an intention Of looking
into his accounts As soon as he learned
this he made business in the country n
pretcnsr for his flight, and il is supposed
that he is ON his way to America
To Lottie's strained ears every word OF
this was horribly audible. and the next
minute she was running down stairs, put
ting on her hat .,nd shawl as She went.
,.Ifl am asked for she gaspcd to the
wondering hou1elleeper, say that | am
ill--that | have gone tony mother's hut
don't stop me-don't question me or |
shall die
But il was TO the home of Austin Craw-
lev, a fellow clerk of Charities, she first
took her WAY. She would not give up all
hope tin she had seen him, ana heard his
lipS confirm the dreadful tale; and as She
went alone She tried 10 comfort herself III
repeating. III cannot be Charlie Mori
son Il ,etaultcr. II fugitive from ,juStirc-it
is impoSSible.
Mrs Crawley herself answered l.ottie's
knock and her smiling, cheerful face made
the glrl feel her own misery grow sharper.
-Nt
ritv vet.'' She said "Would not Lottic
come in and wait rhim? She was quite
alone. for Mi Crawley had been al Smith
sous all day taking tn place (shc be-
lieNed) OF Charlie Morrison, whose absence
seemed to have put the firm Very much
out OF their WAY. There was nothing
amiss. was there ?" She added, as She took
4 closer survey of Ii visitors face.
Bat her question remained unanswered.
for Lottc was already hurrying away.
The last faint hope that the report
was Il dreadful mistake had pcriShed be
fore Mrs CraWley's placid utterances.
Austin. the gay and careless, whose spend
thrift habits had often displeased his
parents. had preserved his integrity:
while Charlie Morrison the SON of many
PRAYERS. the steady. intellc tual Young
man. who indulgcd in no low tastes. no
loud attire, had forfeited his high char
actcr and diSgraced his fdmily-thiS was
her conclusion.
Away through thes busiest streets Of
London, hurrvin% on with her face mut1led
in her veil. lest amy one should perceive
the anguish depicted ON it. She walked
till she found herself before the we'll
known offices OF Mcs~rs. Smithson. They
had been closed hours earlier; but the
old man who was porter and carc-taker
was standing at the door, talking TO some
curious acqualntances.
tnpcrceived by the garrulons speaker,
l4ottie paused long enough to hear her
lovers name coupled with words indis-
tinctly caught relating 10 the large sums
Of money that were missing.
His father was here this morning. as
soon a. the news was made public the
porter went on-"sllch respectable old
gentleman" But here his voice was
lowered. and Lottie passed by, hearing
only something about the Young man 5
brol1cn-hearted mother as She went; but
it reminded her that she was not alone in
her grief; that the LOVING parents, who
had cherished their son in his childhood,
and seen him gradually expand into the
| bright, intelligent man, must be well-ni@h
| crushed beneath the blow that had so sud-
denly fallen upon them Oh what WAS
her griet to theirs?
And now Lottie flew to her own haven.
the arms OF her mother, and there Wept
the first ,ears her burning eyes had she'd
Mrs Warde. with infinite pafiencn and
tenderness, sustained her child during
those hours in which her anguish was NJ
most more than she could bear.
Never again would Lottie accuse this
dear friend and comforter of being want
ING in sympathy Who else would have
borne % kindly with her wild bursts Of
| impatient sorrow-hcr restless, pacings
to and tro-her passionate complainings ?
| Who else 50 skiliully taken advantage OF
1,nr t, h1S
knees. and teach her to bow her head 10
| the Divine viii ?
''Ilow good YOU are to me, darling
mother"'' she 9obbed, when Mrs. Wardt
| had prevailed upon her TO lie down, and
was bathing her aching head land in
| deed don't deserve it. have been so
selfish, so un@rateful, that if YOU knew all
my hard and bitter thoughts You would
surely cease to love me III all =
Mrs Wardcs only reply WAS to stool
and kiss her; and that kiss uprooted the
last fibre of sellishness in her child's heart
| Never again did Lottie let her vanity stand
in the place Of duty; and in the midst OF
/ her trouble could be humbly thankful that
this dear mother was still all her own.
All that night she wept and bewaileC
herself, but when morning dawned and
she saw how weary and exhausted Mrs
| Warde was looking, Lottic put her good
| intentions in practice and restrained her
| grief
While her mother rested. She movec
quietly about. dressing the little ones
whom her altered looks and swollen eyes
awed into unwonted soberness; nor was
it till every task had been accomplished
that could spare Mrs Warde fatigue that
she seated herself at her mothers feet anC
wept herself into the sleep of cXhaus
| ton.
But stronger arms We're sustaining hen
when with u start, she aWolc. 1t was
not the mild face of her mother that bent
over her and smiled at her, it was Charlie
| Morrison himself. and for 4 moment she
believed herself to be III Il happy dream
stCan it be YOU? ?" she asked Wisttullv
''Speak to me, for ! know not what tC
think, nor what to believe
s'You may believe that Charles Morrison
has committed no act that dlsgraces him,
said her rejoicing mother, who stood by
"Need we tell you more? ?"
Lottie pressed her hands To her head
and looked from one to the other, till the
tender smile on Charities lips confirmed
the tdmgs.
II seem too much bewildered to be as
glad Us should be- she exclaimed
''Am | really awake has there been nc
robbery after all? That dreadful news
paper.-why did | believe the paragraph
| heard Sir John read from ii 2''
''Sit down here, you poor, pale child,
said Charlie, land let me help you out OF
your mysttication. think it began the
night before last, when | sought you ou1
at Sir Johns to say goodbye before
went on 4 hurried journey, and to tell yot
the two-fold object Of it,
II heard, dear, that the man who was
the cause Of all your fathers mistortunes
was at Birmingham; and Messrs. Smith
son freely gave me permission to 90 there
and see whether my remonstrances, and
if those failed, my threats to expose hi,
nefarous proceedings, would induce hin
to do justice TO your fathers widow anc
orphans
"And YOU succeeded?"
Beyond my expectations. have just
| IA 81