The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-05
was 10 Chanccl
By ANABEL c. ANDREWS.


"Strlvc with the wanderer from the better path,
Bearing thy message meekly. not In wrath"
Above. the lcafy branches touched it'll
sunset colors, making an arch through
which tie October sunshine glittered with
every breath of the fragrant south wind.
Beneath, an emerald carpet of moss, with
here ard there fleck OF color where
tinted af had fallen. On the messy roots
of an old tree, Lucia Impbell sat making
wreath of autumn leaves. Her COM
panion. Gus Hall. vas stretched Mt full
length nn the groai, handing the leaves
within h reach
want to say Ist here, dear reader, be-
fore describe them to you, that they are
not characters of novel or romance,
but just such personages as you and | meet
every day. In short, they are human be-
ings. with all the ults and frailties of tue
rest of US.
Gus Hill vas tho only living child of
Abijah Hill, II wealthy lumber merchant in
the town Of Hudson. His mother was
dead, and a maiden aunt kept house for his
father. His PR ie'. ion was that of law
yer, but he had inherited his mothers prop
erty, so it wasn't necessary for him 10 prac-
tice to obtain his daily bread.
Right hero all his temptations COM
menced. For Satan finds some mischief
still for idle hands to do;" that was true, a
good many years ago and 1t hasn't lost its
truth yet. / know ] always skip descrip
tons of peoples personal appearance, so /
will simply say he was tall and blonde.
Perhaps you think he looked insipid well
he didn't !; and he wouldn't if he'd parted
his hair in the middle and waXed his nous
tache. The old-establshed citizens OF
IL said he was an idle extravaganza
young deg, with good enough in him some
where, which good they were afraid would
die for want of proper cultivation" Nor
was this all it was rumored that he had
hccn seen intoxicated the night Of Mrs.
Kidder's party. Most of the YONG men
knew he ''drank little, you know, but of
arsenic and not die from its effects but q
man who does not take IT certainly win not
die from its effects.
haye told you of his habits So t, be
just must tell you of his good ones. He
was truthful, generous to fault, always
even tempered, and n young man of more
than ordinary abilities but unless some
saving power interviewed, il was evident to
many he would go to ruin.
Luella Campbell was the youngest
daughter of family of five children. She
was a lovely girl. Strictly speaking she
was not beautiful Her large hazel eyes
and almost perfect form, were her only
claim to beauty, and yet she was called
1.-THE beauty Of H." 1t was her pure soul,
her loving and merry disposition, which
made her so, rather than beauty of form or
feature. After this long digi ession we will
return to our story.
Gus and Lu had been walking in the
woods, and now before going home they
fingered few moments as have described.
He was saying:
$50 it is tomorrow night, you young
ladies make your attack upon our hearts,
and-pocket books?"
yes" she replied, laughingly. ''Be
sure you are well supplied with both, you
will need all you can muster"
"What are you to do p he asked.
30, I'm to be post mistress'-there will
be large mail for you, Gus"
swell, is there anything can do to
make myself useful, beside buying waste
paper?'
"Yes, lots of things, shall call on you
for any and everything
81 shall be at your service all the even
ing"
They chatted merrily the remainder of
the way home, where Gus left Lu, to write
letters for the postoflice, grave and gay,
merry and merciless. She had written a
number when she thought of Gus and how
much he needed an earnest appeal from
some one to reform. The idea occurred to
her, "Why not /? might write a letter
and give it to him from the postofllce to
morrow night"
She took her pen and wrote him n long
letter, showing Inn just where he stood,
In do hn in int ,Nn,. ,
and also from doing nothing. She advised
him to leave H for n time, as he
could mere effectually break off from old
associates. and begin life anew. She
signed the letter, "a friend who speaks in
YOU sainted mothers name" She sealed
it and wrote his name upon it, So she
should make no mistake.
The evening of the fair was all that
could be desired The town hall was bril-
lianlly Illuminated for the occasion. All
were there, for ii was held for charita-
BILE purpose, and lis townspeople
were not lacking in generosity. Lu had
charge of the posIofllcc, and dispensed let
ters to anxious applicants at twenty-five
cents apiece. Her courage failed her, and
she decided not to give the one she had
written to Gus. She was fearful he would
be angry with her for some plain truths
she had stated. He would feel hunibed at
the low apparently estimate she put upon
him and above ALL she thought he would
say, "She has no right to set herself as my
mentor l am nothing to her."
This last consideration had decided her
she would not give it to him. She was t.
take part in tableau, and 50 she asked
Clara Cogswell to tend the post office dur
ing her absence. Just as she was turning
away, Cad said, "there are no envelopes.
Lu have you got any ?" Lu put her hand
in her pocket and pushed aside the large
one, the one she had written to Gus, and
handed Cad package aud number OF
letters, some sealed, others unsealed. She
had been gone but a few minutes, when
there came tap at the window, and then
Gus's merry voice
'How many bushels of letters for me
Lu 2"
Cabs pretty face peered out from behind
the curtain, as she replied, "One Mr.. I'm
pudence." He handed her dollar and
look his letter laughing. Poor Lu, she would
not have looked So serene in the tableau, IL
she had known her letter was in Gus Hills
pocket instead of her own. She had hand
ed it to Cad with the rest, and Cad had
given it Immediately to Gus. "Was u
chance or something more p Gus intend
ed to read his letter, but some one claiming
his attention just then, he thought no more
about 1t until he reached home. As ht
o...o.o,va 20 aatnpioh M