The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-01-23
BETTER THAN HE SEEMED

I
BETTER THAN HE SEEMED
]. A quaint old town was Hereford
Its buildings were sntiquated AM
its inhabitants clung 80 tenaciousl,
to the traditions of their forefather
that no more obstinate or exclusiV
set Of land owners could be found il
the shire.
Scarcely more than two Thousand
souls comprised the population, bu
what they lacked in numbers wa,
balanced by the extreme respecta
bility of those who lived and carried
themselves as little lords among the
tenantry. Hereford had its banking
house. To be sure, il was dimin-
utiVe appendage of the big concern in
Liverpool, but Mr.. Sandhurst Upton,
NJ. P, resident partner, resided over
its dignity and lived in the old brick
mansion at the top of the hill,
screened from vulgar gaze by the
heavy yew trees that formed a Gordon
about his retreat. Hereford also had
its established church and its good
vicar, DR.. Stole, who, thoughan aus
tere man on the church homilies,
could, nevertheless, at times be as
decorously jolly as the worst of his
parishioners, and was rough rider
when the hounds were in full CRY.
The family of Mr.. Sandhurst Tip
ton consisted of his wife and two
daughters. The former was a tall,
stern-looking lady, with enough dig
nifty to have satisfied the most ex-
elusive aristocrat; while the daugh-
ters, Augusta and Cecily, to the dis
gust of their parents, most unac-
cOuntably had imbibed notions al
together too plebian for their nation
and birth. 1t was Mrs. Upton who
had insisted on their being educated
abroad, and it had even since been
to her a source of lamentation, and
her more astute husband, who had
opposed the scheme, but nevertheless
yielded > to his wife's wishes, never
failed to remind her that the conse-
quenee was the result of her own
folly.
Mrs. Upton knew this full well,
therefore she never sought to gain
say its truth, only she extenuated
her mistake as best she could, re-
minding her lord that she was edu-
Gated at the same institution whittier
she had sent her daughters, and had
come out sans reprocAe.
Precept and expostulation seemed
lost upon these wilful girls, and they
only laughed at the lectures they re-
ceived, freqeuntly replying by some
clubhouse phrase they obtained,
heaven knows where. Two London
seasons had failed to eradicate the
bIemish of their characters, and now
Mr.. Upton and wife had resigned
themselves to the unhappy conVic-
ton that they must patiently endure
that which they.could not cure.
The sisters were out one day on
horseback, and as was their custom,
they were unattended by an escort.
Augusta, who was a dashing horse
woman, was riding near the edge of
a wood that was bounded by a thick
thorn hedge. On the opposite side
was young man who had. fallen a.
sleep reading book, which was ly
ing on the greensward At banter
from Cecily, Augusta put her horse
at the hedge and leaped him clear
over it. A cry of pain Immediately
followed, and the young sleeper
sprang to his feet, then staggered
and fell, with his forehead cut open
by the hoof of Augusta Tipton's
horse.
The daughter of Sandhurst Upton
possessed a courageous mind. She
neither screamed nor Wept at the
consequence of her unfortunate
prank.
cite your horse and climb over
here this instant" she called to her
sister; 81 believe I've killed poor
fellow. How perplexing this is, to be
sure" She had sprung from her sad
die, and knelt beside the bleeding
man, while he was all unconscious
of the fair fingers which were twist
ing a cambria handkerchief about
his temples.
Cecily, in conformity to her
sisters summons, had scrambled
through the hedge, and was doing
what she could to bring the stranger
to consciousness.
@He is handsome-don't you think
so, GussyT she asked, gazing on his
pale face.
Her sister made no reply, but
clutched at her Ujnaigrette and ap-
piled it to his nostrils.
1t happened that Cecily at that
moment spied a letter lying on the
ground near the book. In an instant
she had caught it up, and with wo-
manly curiosity was examining the
superscription. It was post-marked
Brussels, and was directed to Mons.
Louis Bernier, London.
Cecily pressed her hand upon her
brow, as if in thought, and then hand
ed the letter to Augusta. The latter
looked sharply at the superscription,
and then remarked: Oh! that's it.
How strange"
"Where did you hear that namep
asked Cecily. 81 am sure we have
come across it somewhere"
"In the newspaper, replied her sis
ter. "Don't you remembc-, a few
days since, the announcement of
Count Bernier's son being implicated
in that French plot, and the flight of
young Bernier to Belgium"
"True enough" responded her
sister, "Wouldn't it De romantic if
our stranger and young Bernier were
identical?'
Augusta pushed the letter in the
young mans pocket none to soon, for
he opened his eyes and gazed Ian
guidly at his fair companions.
"Do you feel much pain?" in
quired Augusta. 81 really cannot
my sorrow at having been
the author of your accident. tits
very strange you did not hear usT
81 was asleep, mademoiselle," he
replied, in a low voice that had just !