Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-03-15


these injudicious proceedings, and would
gladly have checked them if he could. Mr.
Orville, Leonard's first friend, and his best,
felt sincere interest in the motherless child,
and longed to stretch forth hand to draw
him out of the slough into which his helpless
feet were being led, but had no power to do
so. The few hints which be ventured to drop
on the subject were pointedly ignored BY bis
host, who was man of determined and vio'
lent temper, and was particularly jealous Of
any interference in his domestic concerns
and he feared to do mischief, rather than
good, by any more direct efforts to accomplish
the purpose he had at heart. He tried to
keep Leonard as much with him as possible,
to amuse him with innocent stories and SIM
pie games, and thus draw him off from the
noisy mirth of the table. But though he did
sometimes succeed in bis kind purpose, yet
the boy betrayed an unfortunate leaning to-
ward the very habit whose growth he was
most anxious to prevent, and seemed never so
completely in his element as when seated in
a high chair at bis fathers elbow, taking sips
of his wine, and listening, though with i'm
perfect comprehension, to the jokes and sto-
ries which circulated around the board.
Years passed. The boy, as he grew older,
gave evidence of some noble qualities, and of
talents which, if cultivated, might have turn-
ed bis mind into loftier and more wholesome
channels, and led him to the contemplation Of
the pure, the beautiful, the good. But the
best impulses, the highest aspirations OF his
nature were suffered to run to waste. No
careful hand was there to train their growth
or prune away the withered branches, the
brambles and the weeds, Of hurtful passions
and fatal weaknesses, with which, like neg
lected garden, his mind was overrun. And
as childhood passed into youth, the stronger
and ranker became this pernicious growth,
though beneath its noxious shade some pre-.
cious germs lay concealed, which might yet,
if Providence we're kind, be brought to frui-
ton in more propitious day.
No one could look at Leonard without be.
ing involuntarily attracted toward him. His
fair, pale face, with features as delicate as
girls his thoughtful brow, his deep dark
eyes, soft, yet brilliant, and expressive Of all
that was tender and pathetic in his soul, his
slender form, gentle manner and singularly
sweet, musical tones, seemed to belong to one
of the purest and most refined Of beings. His
childish br,squerie and wilful, daring mode
of speech had quite disappeared and though
the fearless spirit was still there, it was hid
den beneath an exterior so calm and so mild
that it was lost to notice. Yet there were in.
tervals, when like the smouldering fires Of a
volcano, the deep passions of his nature would
leap forth, and appear ready to consume him
and all around him with their ardent heat
His was character which, properly mould
ed, would have been an exceptionally fne
one; but which, unhappily, was all but ruined
by bad example, and the total absence Of
counteracting Influences.
When Leonard was about sixteen, a change
came over his father, which the lad at first
noticed without divining the cause He had
never, in at these years, seemed to acquire
any affection for bis son, though he accepted
bis companionship, and behaved courteously
toward him, as he might have done in regard
to any one of alien blood. But now this
coldly kind department gave place to moody
irritability, to sudden outbreaks of apparent
ly causeless rage, which surprised and per-
picked Leonard, until at length it was re-
vealed to him that heavy pecuniary losses
had placed bis father in position of great
embarrassment, from which, it seemed, that
there was no outlet of escape. For the first
time, he took upon himself the office of coun'
sellor, and endeavored to persuade Mr.. Man.
vers into adopting the most honorable course
left open for him to pursue-that of selling
his entire property, clearing off all debt, and
starting anew in the world. But this was
laughed at as piece of egregious folly. he
was an idiot, milksop, to suggest such a
course. Why should he acknowledge to the
world that ruin was impending over him,
when, by little judicious management, it
might be averted. "Howi" asked Leonard.
His father significantly bade him wait and
see. Soon after that, q new order of things
was inaugurated in the household. A cer-
tain room was set apart for some mysterious
purpose. Strange men we're admitted at late
hours, shown into the said room, and there re-
mained, nobody knew how long-often until
the small hours we're preparing to usher i'll
the dawn. Then old friends--men with whom
the household had always been familiar-be.
gan to join these gatherings, too, in which,
at first, they had taken no part. Silent meet
ings they were, no loud laughter or noisy jests
were heard proceeding from their midst and
Leonard, excluded from all share in them,
by his own pride, which made him keep aloof
since no one sought him out, marvelled in
secret, at this curious new regime, but never
came near the truth in his guesses as to 'its
origin or its object
[To BE CONTINUED.
pGe Various projects have been proposed to
shorten the dreaded voyage between Europe
and America. One plan contemplates rail-
way across Newfoundland, connecting with