The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-01-30

DIE in the distance till silence Ia found,
And earth rsdemands once more.
All the Year Round.
BEYOND A DOUBT.
Paul Wayne WAS q bachelor of forty
i've. Not one Of the hayward, noma
die sort, but who occupied o splendit
house and took excellent care of a,
orphan who called him Uncle Paul
He was blest with the best heart in tn,
world, and Possessed 80 many of thu
requisites of good husband and father
that it was 4 matter of great surpris.
among his friends that he remained sin
gle. Those who knew him best rightly
traced his single blesseduess to his owl
fault. most wonderful obduracy an6
unvillingness to give up an impression
once fully entertained. This character
istic injured him in his business affair
too, but those with whom he had bust
ness differences attributed it to what,
for . better term, they called eccen-
tricity.
Paul Wayne had his love passages in
his earlier manhood, but they came to
nothing but disappointment, because of
this obdurant and unalterable determin-
alton to abide by his first impressions,
whether these agreed with subsequent
facts or not /; indeed, whether it suited
the other party Of the love affair or not.
Young girls do not generally like q
lover who is not the least bit pliable.
While their natures demand strong,
manly love, for something that shields,
there il intermingled with it all touch
Of the conquering spirit to be recog-
nized. Paul Wayne's lordly way of
wooing. . way which to his lady friends
seemed to say, wait until I am ready
and I have only to name the day,
brought him At least one ridiculous iilt,
but to it all he only said, Is he put the
girl Out of his memory, "She will
regret it, beyond doubt"
Mary Dale did regret it /; for she mar
ried . man who broke her heart by
brutal treatment, and deserted her
while she lay helplessly sick with
girl-baby on her bosom. The girl
baby was given to Paul Wayne with the
last bresth of the dying mother, and it
was baby Mary Dale who, at seventeen,
called him Uncle Paul.
"Mary. Philip Hastings is a bad
man. know it beyond doubt. lam
not deceived"
How do You know it, Uncle Paul ?"
We'll, how do you know anything?
Why, there are many ways and reasons
for knowing and thinking 30 one is
we'll, it don't matter. know it beyond
. doubt"
he knew il, and that was enough for
him. And Mary knew him we'll enough
to end such an argument at once. It was
Just the proper moment, too, for Philip
Hastings. the "bad man." was an
nounced. While We leave the lovers
together enjoying brief morning call,
We will go out with Paul Wayne, and
down town.
"Bad man, beyond q doubt. Bad
company. He is always with that man
Qaigley; what in the world brought
that man, that wretched Quigley, back,
when We all thought him dead and
buried years ago." And Uncle Paul
thrust his cain against the pavemen
with . nervous impetuous motion, and
looked mp to see-Quigley.
They passed. Paul Wayne looking
straight ahead down the street. the
other casting quick elances at the stern
face OF the bachelor, hoping for q look
OF recognition, then stopping to look
ut the retreating figure, as if to be GER
tain that it was the man. A few wards
separated them, and then Paul could
not resist the curiosity to look back. |
and their eyes met. It was awkward
but only for an instant, the bachelor
turning quickly and proceeding ON his |
way.
eff I could only talk to him a mo-
ment. But the poor get but few words.
and these not kindly ones will let |
him Alone" and the man Ouiolev
dreaded his way among the throue Of
men bearing strange faces. He had been
gone for years, and a new generation
had sprung up. Few gave him q look
betokening recognition. Now and then
man with whitened hair and bowed
form would half stop, gaze at him an
instant with . curious, inquisitive look,
- If trying to recall something of the
past, then pass on. Farther away from
the hustle OF the business streets the
stranger paused in his walk, and said
again, aloud to himself, eff could
only talk to him moment" The half
piteous tone fell upon the ear of two
light hearted girls who were passing.
and shade of melancholy passed over
the face OF the younger as both turned
to look at the speaker, and We recog-
nize our Uncle Paul's Mary. Not
superbly handsome girl with oriental
eyes and the soft, sensuous laneuor of
the famed east. but Q good, healthy,
pretty girl, something to love fondly,
something tangible to stand the wear
and tear Of life, something worthy of
mans striving efforts.
That evening there vas an icy party at
Uncle Paul's. Mary had been amusing
him in the earlier hours with cold
fashioned songs" as Paul called them
and the two were in the midst of these
pleasures when Philip Hastings was an
nounced. Uncle Paul could not escape.
He had nowhere to go but to bed, and
it was too early for that. Young ladies
need not be told how really disagreeable
the position when young gentleman is
present who loves her, while an elder
member of the family is immovably
anchored in the room, and who in turn