Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-11-26


Mr.. Randolph followed his wife's
gaze Perhaps he defined the associa-
ton which suggested itself to her mind,
for his tone was certainly modified as he
answered:
"That is true, need not have paint
ed 1t quite SO black. Perhaps Toms fu-
ture may not be so bad as my croaking.
At all events. give your pretty little
head no further concern on the subject,
for the boy is unworthy of it."
81 can't help wishing, Luther, that
you had given him one more trial. said
the lady. speaking more to herself than
her husband.
The gentleman turned upon his wife
and regarded her with one of his pleas
ant smiles, in which lurked the faintest
tinge of irony.
MARY" he said, 81 regard you as a
most exemplary woman-in short. as the
very flower of your sex. In all your re-
lations, as wife, and mother, and mis-
tress, I believe you to be unequalled.
But in all business matters your judg-
ment and opinions would not be worth a
sixpence, at least on any subject where
interest and sympathies were enlisted.
That soft little heart of yours would be
certain to lead your good sense captive,
and you'd be grossly imposed upon and
deceived on every side, All, my dear,
man who has had to fight the battle
of life as | have done to make my own
way in the world. knows better than all
this. He may harden and tougher him.
self on every side. He can't afford to
turn his store into reform school, nor
himself into mere philanthropist. He
must look at these things in business
point of view else he will be ruined"
Here spoke the hard, sagacious busi-
ness man. looking at life from stand
point of self interest; he had broaded
outlooks sometimes, but his horizon wa;
now narrowed to one of money and gain
The words grated along the finer in
stincts of Mrs. Randolph's nature. A
faint shadow crept over her face, faint
er sigh to her lips. Perhaps, for almos
the first time in her life, her womanl,
intuitions warned her of some laten
hardness and selfishness in her husband
nature. She did not, however, attemp
sat aTg1s s TR TessOng hi was aash21s9 II
false and superficial. Her question di
not even touch his late remarks, bu
went straight to the discharged ofic
boy.
"How came Tom to fall into this ba
company, Luther ?"
''The answer is easy enough, Mary
1t all comes of that cheap boarding
house. and the folks inside of it. Boy
with his salary have to put their heat
| where they can, and people who tai
them on low terms, with provisions
t these starvation prices, can neither a
y ford to be exclusive with regard to Il
t class they take in. nor to offer an a
| tractive home to their boarders.
r "Tom, like the rest, bolted his foo
s suppose, and had no place but Il
!, streets to pass his evenings in, and
course green boy from the country a
: forded fine chance to his fellow-lod
IS ers to induct him into all sorts of folli
l. and sins. and he hadn't sense or streng
to resist them
It Poor boy All. Luther, if he We
n ours !" and the mothers soft brown ey
i glanced again toward the white heap
e life, and brightness, and bloom, viii
it lay on the floor.
4 And again the fathers eyes follow
m hers, and the hardness melted out
them now. and he said fervently:
~ "God forbid would rather lay i
a. boy in his grave this hour, than KIN
to he should live to be turned adrift in
N youth, in this great city, with no frien
as to protect. and with temptations lyi
ID in wait on every side to devour him. y
c. "And Tom had mother, too. and {
n. must have loved him once as we do on
ed Luther. | almost hope she isn't al
n now, for | can judge by my own he
that it must break hers to know Il
to her boy is lost"
ne "Yes, she is living" Mr.. Randol
no answered, almost reluctantly. 81
i'm member Tom told me so, and that
of was a widow and that he was her o.
tv son; although he had little sister
,f- side. Foolish boy, to run his n
tn straight into that trap !" added the 6
,e- tleman. half angry at himself to
that his heart was beginning to rel
ed toward the culprit.
mi Tears brimmed the eyes of Mrs. R
" dolph From the first she had taker
,en fancy to, and an unusual interest in,
nd bright-faced little Office boy, whom
| husband frequently dispatched up to
mt house with some note or message for
I'VE mistress.
The boys bright, prompt. pleas
ow, manner, his quick intelligence, the ct
tesy of speech and bearing, which il
- j C..1 L.