Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-01-07

IA
; wind fretted, lapsed up to Mrs. BaInber,
very back-door. !. Pirates might hav
: landed and carried her off at midnight
it they had been disposed, although Mrs
: Bamber was not daunted by fear of sucl
violent abduction. In the old days pi
|. Tatical crews in rakish crafts from th,
! Spanish main had not been unknown il
} the waters of this very haFbor, and Stone
port had been. more intimately associa
ted with the slave trade than was gooC
for its reputation at future date. Like
SO many. towns on the coast of NeR
England, prosperity had ebbed away
the bud OF promise been bhghted by
some mysterious fuctuation of com
nlerce. There We're those who detected
j a righteous Nemesis in. the decay OF
Stoneport; and here it was left to cruin-
BILE away ia the sunshine, moss
grown memory Of the past The shop
!, bell rang suddenly. and a girl entered
.s'Oh, Mrs. Banlber /" she cried !; and
throwing her arms about the little wo-
man, burst into tears. 81 .-- s>e... .>.I
/ The girl was taller and larger than her
companion, and yet clung to her.
/ HAS anything more happened ?" in
quired Mrs. Bamber, alarmed. ssNow
don't give way, my dear. rs, =
81 can't help it, sobbed the girl, ex-
eitedly. s'Mr. briggs has been 10, see me
again He came to the school ronm,
/ with all the children staring and told me
that he woulG not forclose on the Platt
property if l would marry him Oh,
what cruel, cruel bargain 90. -.
'Yoa never promised =" began Mrs
/ Bamber, breathlessly .-..'..--'. s..
/ The girl drew himself up ... ,-....
II said no. .t.,.-. ~
i Charlotte Eaton was very attractive,
certainly, even in her anger, With flushed
cheeks and fearful eyes A little scarlet.
I hood covered her golden hair, and gave
/ her something of a childish beauty. At
this moment there was a stir in the de-
serted street people appeared like mag
| ic A sleigh, curved like a shell, and
lined with robes of feecy white fur,
/ drawn by spirited black horses in fash.
ing harness, and driven by solemn ne
gro coachman in livery, slowly passed,
/ The sole occupant was 3 small man
| wrapped in sable, with q keen, narrow
| face, who gazed down on the commotion
/ his splendar excited with irrepressihle
/ exultation. This man was Hiram
/ briggs, and to show bimself ostenta-
( tionsly to his world of Stoneport was
/ pleasure which bad not yet palted on the
| rich man.. ~. 4,
s'His mother learned her trade when. /
/ did," said Miss Simmins, the miliiner. 81
am sure nobody thought her son would
| come to owning everything - -.f..t1
The elder briggs had indeed worked
| in. secret many years, directing little rflls
of wealth, CLEANED from any. humble
/ source, TO his own dingy warehouse.
/ hfiS4.ritr auJ ra3iaaDf tho
Stoneport had not divided his riches un-
til the son, now forty-five years. lid, sud-
denly emerged from the bondage in
which he had heen held by his stern pa
rent while living to assume the role of
millionaire. Hence the astOnishment of
the town hence Hiram n love of dis.
IN Mrs ae,t,.r'. .S,,, T.. 90, s 4
grew rigid - sfg pissed tie wld
os with Indignation, and the young
school mistress, with a curious admiI-
ture of envy and repulsfon. Had she.
not been urged, nay, almost threatened
troth with Charley Pfatt, to share the
sleigh with its fleecy robes Might sbeS
not save the Platt homestead, indeed, ,by
paying this very price. of marrying Hi
ram briggs Mrs. Bamber took her
hands. .s.-..t. '.s,r,. -.
'sCharlotte,- let us. go to this man, and.
beg him to release them, said she, earn
estly. .''You must have influence with
him. >....-- Gles.
Il am afraid to go. said Charlotte (:
Afraid? When yea are L, be Char
ley 5 wife We unst s.ght for him, my
dear 5-
These two champions saw the sins of
I4rsr~ in ha liprh nf tV1tn rti
sanship. He was a mean man, and the
power of money would naturally make
him tyrannical; moreover, he had select
ed Charlotte Eaton to fall in love with
as the sweetest and most blooming
young lady in Stoneport. Hiram briggs
could certainly afford to please himself
at last !! Unversed in the delicate phases
of romance, he could by no means win
smile from Charlotte, and discovered
in wrath and CONSERVATION that Charley
Platt was his rival. He would fore
close, and take possession of the house.
Stoneport sa W in this measure only the /
graspiug tendencies of the man who
wished to establish a home, while the
victims detected revenge. Probably
factions were wrong. ... /
Mrs. Banber, with trembl ng Char A
lotte by her side, presented herself be- !.
fore the tyrant. He still dwelt in the
wing of the warehouse where his father
had been conteuted to abide Perhaps
he was chagrined to be found in the
small parlor, which he had furnished
with yellow satin curtains and sofas,
when he would SO soon take possession
of the house on the hill. The mission +.
was scarcely a successful one, although
Mrs Bamber made herself spokesWo-
man on the occasion with all possible 4
energy. She even offered up her shop.
since DR. Platt had given it originally,
and was laughed at for her pains. MIR.
Hiram briggs was not q pleasant man
to ask for favors. especially when he
came quite close to Charlotte, and said,
harshly :: ~ essl, = $3.50 ~. }res;:s.
ssYou know nay terms - ~ : :..:..--s
s After that Mrs. Bamber drew her
companion away without saying another
word. ....s ~ ........
seIIe is q brute, said the little woman 4
tingling with modification at the remem.
brance of the coarse laugh which had
greeted her proposal of yielding ur her
all. 49, III ..,t ~ ...-l
They met q young man at the. corner
of the street. 49, ll.,.::;... 4
& Take care of her., said Mrs. Bam- 4
Der, transferring Charlotte tohis,e charge. 4
''My dear Mrs. Bamber, I do not need /
the Injunction, said Charley -Platt, ia a
voice be stroye to render steady and 4
cheerful, as he drew. the girls hand 4
through bis arm with an air of tender |
protection. Charlotte and Mrs: Bamber
looked at each other raeaningly; then
the latter turned away with. a little pang 1
at her heart. These two were made for 4
each other handsome Charley and pale,
frightened Charlotte but how wonld it 4
be with, them. if evil in the shape of
Hiram briggs stepped between r When /
she reached her own door Mrs. ,Bamber {.
was not only disturbed and distressed, as
she had, been. all day, but thoroughly
ont of temper. She would. have, liked
to.set the world to rights, and only sue
ceeded in raftfing her own. amour. prepye
in the interview with a brusque, rude
millionaire. Perhaps it was this mood. !.
that made her. shake her head at the
three pictures in her window. r.; ~ &
oh, there you are ]! / only wish /
a. lrs "a sq.Rs