Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-10-26


ahouse. He was then II, and. as hand
some a fellow as you mignowish to see.
though I'm his father as says it. He
was a general faYorite in office, sand at
last got trusted to collect some of the
debts due to the firm. About this time
there came a sudden changeI in
bis habits and appearances which alarm
dill me and his mother very much He
9pttp keepingEl late hours, made some
hid acquaintances, and began to dress
Mttravagantly. 1t was no use onr. caur
tioning him, for he seemed determined
to 90 onxhis own course. But all the
scrTow and disappointment we felt was
as nothing to the fearful blow that al
most stunned us wken,aon a chance ex-
amination of the books, it wa found
Sam had embezzledif his employers
money to d hundred snd fifty pounds,
From the moment of that terrible dis
coEey your, mother dropped anddroop-
ed until she died. What he had done
I WIN The money he would never tell;
but the head cashier (Mr. Robert Will
mot, he who went soon after2toEAustra-
lia) declared that more than nee he
heard the boy talk about horse-racing;
and it was I'M this way we always con-
IsSdered the money had gone. AS for
Sam himself, he Stuck to it hard and
fast that he was not, guilty of any dis
honesty. He sWore that the money
he'd collected had always been paid
over to the cashier; but the evidence
the other way was too strong, and our
boy was branded as a thief. Mr.. Will
mot, who was angry al Sans insinua-
tons, wanted him sent to prison; but
Mr.. Baker was a merciful man, and did
not bring. upon us further disgrace.
After this Il felt I could
no longer remain in Nj.
Bakers employ; and thus / went to
u Tools. So that Sam
might have q chance of getting back
his character, Mr.. Baker gave him a
letter of Introduction to a merchant at
Bombay, somewhere. in India, who
might be able to find him employment
such as wouldn't have temptations.
Sam eagerly jumped at the offer, but
up to the moment of his departure de-
clared himself innocent of stealing Mr..
Bakers money. Poor fellow, it was the
last we saw of him. Before the vessel
reaehed India she met a fearful harri-
care, and every soul on board her per-
ished."
Overcome by these painful trecollec-
tiOns, Abel buried his face ifAhis hands
and wept. Complete silence reigned
in the room for a few moments, and
then Polly controlling with an effort
the strong emotions that swept through
her heart, crept to her fathers side and
placed her hand in his.
"Dear father" she said in broken
tones, ''the story of your sorrow makes
you dearer to me than ever" ssa...-.
s'The old man withdrew his hand from
her embrace, and, when she had kissed
the tears from his cheeks, resumed: b
"There could be no doubt of your
brothers. guilt, and I was too sensible
of the kindness of his employers to al
low them to suffer. I resolved, come
what might, thatI would do my best to
repay them. For this / daily denied
myself; for this I narrowed your op-
p~ortunities of education; and this, next
to your happiness, my child, is the OBJ
ject of my life"
"Dear father, and until nowyou have
always led me to believe that the amount
paid half yearly was to discharge a
debt of your own"
|"My darling, was it to your interest
to know the truth? When your brother
left England you were but a child. Up
to tonight, it has been my constant en-
deavor to hide the real facts of the case
from you. l had hoped to have paid
off the whole amount, before you got
married. Toms proposal tonight,
however, has frightened the secret out
of me, for l could not allow him to
marry you without knowing the truth"
"And now l do know it, MIR. Webb"
exclaimed Tom, who had been trying
to speak for some time, but had been
unable to do so, owing to a strange SEN
sation as of marbles rolling up his
throat and a determination of water to
his eyes" now l do know it, / am
more than ever DESTROYS of making Polly
my wife. l thought of having the banns
put up next week, and then we can be
married before another month is over
our heads"
"But, Polly" inquired Abel, sis not
that rather soon?"
His daughter was at that moment. en-
gagged in attending to the fire, the bright
ness of which had during the recital of
Abel's revelation become somewhat
dimmed. Just after he spoke, a CHEEKY
flame again shot forth and disclosed a
happy smile upon Polly's face and a
blush upon her cheek, forming quite
sufficient answer to the question.
"Well, my Children" continued the
old man, "do as you will"
Tom Smith sprang from his chair,
and was wringing Abel's hands in token
of gratitude, when the sound of foot
steps ascending the stairs caught Abel's
ear.
"Here, Polly! quick with the CANDLE"
he cried; "there is some one wants us,
or has mistaken the floor"
The room had hitherto been illumin-
ated solely by the titful CLEAN of the
fire, and just as folly had got the
candle alight the door was opened, and
in strobe, Mr.. Baker-Baker, Junior
whom Abel had left but an hour and a
half hafore