The Portland daily press., 1875-09-04
SELECTED STORY.
Morley Fell.
CHAPTER I,

perhaps, a more beautiful bit OF scenery than
The Vale of Waterthwaite, and vet there is
nv Vernon, few years back asserted to me
he cared less TO think about. and vet which
more engrossed and occupied his mind. There
it was, however that he Occasionally had
spent some of the happiest davs of his school
bow lite. for thitber. dnrin0 both the mid
summer and Christmas vsc.t;ons be Was
accustomed to RIM down from town
where his father drove a trade and nrosoered
well. not Gin skins of cots - hut az q LAWYER
to his old uncle who not only kent a GOOD
table, but one or two good hacks. which Har-
nv was glad enough TO mount. when one or
other of the nacks of barriers was astir that
were kept by gentlemen in the neiobbor-
hood.
The little town or village at Waterthwaite.
from which the valley takes its name. is com.
paratiyeIy little known. although several good
trout streams. besides an AVERAGE amount of
good moorland for oronse miols, induce MANY
to take ADVANTAGE of ira natural resources.
and there while owau their brief holiday oun
or rod in hand Rabbits also az in most
narts of favnred Westmoreland, abound. and
so voung Vernon. who knew how to eniov
.most of the good thinos ot this life onoht tn
have hooked with nIessure in after.ti5na on
the DAVIS he had nassed at Watartbwa;te
indeed for several pears ha conId mot SOW
enonoh in nraise Of his nIeasant trim. dow, ~
Westmoreland "a many of his onondam
.cbooI. faljows could tosI;fu pnt for1 ;ndoad
knew how few bonrs changed the WIN 10
current of his tbonrhts. nav. the whole .enor
of his lie. from an incident that befell him
during necessarily the last time he STAYED at
his uncle's house.
Poor Harry! we we're ALWAYS chums. and
to me alone he entrusted the sad story of his
earlier life. The heat of India. where he was
ordered with his regiment some Years ago,
finished him up; he came home with a bro
ken constitution, which quite seemed to give
away when on seeking his fathers home in
London, he was met with the sudden news
ofhis parents death, which occurred month
previous to his landing: and almost to deaths
door, he confided to me the events of his past
life. a life. once hriobt. suddenlv strnck down
and apparently now ebbing away into eter.
nity. How deep was I moved after hearing
the tale am about to relate. 1 first made
Vernon's acquaintance at school, and as we
were in the same class. consequently doing
the same work, and also in the first eleven,
we naturally were thrown together, and ac-
quaintance soon ripened into firm friendsh
he was tall, athletic young fellow, and his
charges in football became matter of history
in the school after he had left No one with
a good heart could have helped liking hin,
Though there was some half.dozen DULLES
who were glad to hear that be would not turn
up again next half, but the school in general
were grieved at his departure. He too felt
sorry enough to leave the old place, where he
had experienced so many pleasant terms but
60 he felt he must, for his nineteenth birth
day was close at hand, and it was high time
that he devoted year to hard reading with
private tutor before going in for examine
ton, as, to tell the truth, he cared more for
his bat than for his books when with me at
Penford under good old DR.. Williams, The
half year came to a close. On the morning
following the breakup. Harry accompanied
me TO the station to see me off, as nv train
started about two hours sooner than the one
which carried him to Kings Cross.
swell, old mai, the best OF friends must
part,n said. as took NV seat i'm the down
train for Yorkshire,
"Ahl but shall in months time be down
at Waterthwaite." he cried. as the train be-
gan TO move off. land will tell NV uncle to
expect YOU any time this holiday: YOU must
come" =.
With nromise that T would if conld
which, unfortunately, most unfortunately, l
now hal;eue 7 was npahle to fnlf;ll 7 ref;rod
e1o oSneve, was uuaoie w iuinr, l ie1neu
Hon 'ne WinuoW " lie perusdi Vi my Pehny
paper. Little did I imagine that the next
time saw him should see quite A different
ba;na rro,, tha ;nro,," nn,,u 4 fIIo ho haI
:.uS I.oul Iuo Joyouo youns ieno" wuO nHu
just low parted from me. AND, curlously
that saw him next about twelve months
after this, lust for few minutes. 1 was
struck instantly by the great change not only
In his face, but in his general appearance;
even his walk was not th e same, To nv
anxious inquiries he rephed that he had not
been very we'll: but could see that some-
thing had happened. and that at the same
time my questions seemed out of place and
painful to him. Although his manner was
constrained, still the warm friendship he had
previously entertained for me did not seem to
have waned, and when chided him for not
writing, he said he hoped soon to have done
with ali book-work. which had kept him
much engaged; and that when once in the
army he was going to try to get to India.
where "you viii, be sure to hear from me ali
about tiger-hunting and pig-sticking. and all
sorts of queer adventures" 1 never got a
line: and the first intelligence I had Of his
having actually gone out to India, and having
re turnd again after a lapse of TIRE wears.
was from himself, in note scrawled in these
words:
Dear Lavrence-1 daresav Won have torootten mo
but $50, it's my own fault. i have just returned
from India on sick leave. to find that my dear old
@ hpnl ago was 70 nne
Of recovery feel it's true and I'm ead Of it. DO
come up and see me, il you still alive. God grant
this may nnd you Don't write but come at once;
old cbum 'ne "'sn u usns i'an a"u your
HARRY VERNON.
As YOU NAV well imagine. I was awfully
shocked and 1t was moi until 7 was beinS
whirled away by fast express towards Lon.
don, with q small port manteau packed with
such few necessaries as should REQUIRE. that
was able to reflect calmly on nv Sudden and
mysterious summons. I had almost forgotten
my quondam school-fellow, inasmuch as moth
ing ever served TO call him to mind, except.
perhaps. an old cricket-bat he had pressed
upon me in DAYS of wore. and which 1 never
now handled. At first, when used to look
out for letters that never came, I pictured
him as a good type of the insincerity of this
world; but for long time he, of ali people.
perhaps. had least entered my thoughts.
But now, as my mind dwet on the strong
and hearty young fellow, whom had once
so intimately known, the memories of old
DAYS flooded upon me. Again / felt myself
at school; again I seemed to hear Young
Vernon's cheerful voice and telt a glow
Of friendly exultation thrill through me
as he "drove hard to the Off for a
sixe- in an aIl.importapt match: again
I heard his hearty greeting. and felt the
hard suueezes of his hand. with which we all
ways met again at school: and now the Tears
started TO nv eyes, and all nv old affection