Ellsworth American., 1877-06-21

= tculaTs anu autDiTtu tHtiu all tue ulotc III
/ Tom.
Don't compliment me on my good looks
! May. because | haven't any, then see
| ing his sister about to object to this.
he added hastily. but I'll change my neck
| Tie and luxuriate in a pair of cuffs II you
want me to- saying which Tom strobe
| of with his beloved Homer under his
arm.
| What dear brave boy he is, and how
well he bears his poverty, thought May,
As she looked after him. lie deserves an
unusually good wife aud hope he will find
one. wonder how he aud Miss Fleet
wood will get along:' tParenthetical.) }
| The fact Is, he ought TO marry some rich
woman and then he would have time and
money TO do all he wished. But, dear me /,
| 1t would never do TO mention IL 10 him in
| the world
Tea time came aud with il the company.
| Not very numerous certanly-only Miss
! Fleetwood and her father. Nevertheless,
a. Tom came into the sitting room aud
was introduced. he wished for the first
| time in his life almost. that he was good.
| looking. lie could not have told why II
| he had been asked. Miss Fleetwood was
not handsome rs far a. her features weLt;
! but there was something ia her tacc that
impressed Tom Instantly. What is this
| indescribable something in some charAc-
tiers thst makes them so loveable? II GER
ta!nly is not comeiness OF features, nor
grace. nor any gilt or talent that attracts
u,. 1t is the pure, living soul within that
makes up for. aud supersedes all defeats
| of outside nature.
/ Like the shy character he was, Tom
rarely went into society. His poverty,
! too, and his liit. as hard working student
1 forbade il; so that he had never met Miss
Fleefward before, though she was on quite
| friendly terms with his sister. He had
/ heard hi. sister speak of her often in the
/ highest manner, as "A woman possessing
/ uncommon abilities, together with large
amount of common sense. From which it
NAV be inferred that Mrs. Carol did not
think that the two qualities were always
| found together.
A. Mr. Fleetwood was talking with Mr.
| Carol. and a. Mrs. Carol excused her
SELF in a short time. Tom was lett Ia enter
| tain Miss Fleetwood. lie sat In hIs chair
awkwardly debating within himself a to
what he should lay TO open the converse
ton, when Miss Fleetwood saved him the
/ trouble.
How 10 you ike the college, Mr.. Wal
/ laceE
Very we'll replied Tom. delighted that
she had mentioned 4 subject that hc could
talk about. From the college il was easy
to pass to hooks and literature. so that
that Mrs. Carol coming IN 20 announce
supper, was agrceably surprised to find
the Two earnestly engaged in going over
a late poem by a noted author.
The supper passed of pleasantly, and
the evening was the most delighted Tom
had ever spent. When the guests had
gone, and Tom was alone in his room. he
| thought TO himself. but did not say IT, that
Miss Fleetwood was the most agreeable
person he had ever met. She had shown
| u rare sympathy and interest in his though
! and plans that did him much good.
i believe | could work lifetime for
4 such a woman he spoke half uucon scious-
ly; but pshaw, whats the use Of talking
! IfI--ge., IT, he said rather bitterly
l. Tom Wallace in love vithMiss Fleet
wood already?
Not yet But he i Lot far from It,.
This feeling OF love is something like 4
| southern plant, bursting into luXuriant
| vegetation In the space Of a few days or a
week. Again, 1t is like the Northern
flower, sending its roots into the soil slow
Is. expanding its petals surely, and there
by becoming more hardy and more firmly
/ rooted.
With Tom the latter ease was analogous.
| Circumstances were such that after this
| evening he saw Miss Fleetwood quite Of
ten. Each time he saw new qualities OF
mind and soul; but so gradually had the
new position taken hold OF him that il wa,
only by shock that he came 10 know the
depth OF it.
lie was walking down what is called
the students walk one day, when he
heard couple of youhg fellows talking in
rather loud tones, as young men are apt 10
do when they have pretty fair regard
for them selves.
i think they'd make 4 good match. don't
you?
That depends. Joe is a pretty good
fellow; got good start in the medical
profession; but seems TO me Miss Fleet
/ wood might do better
Might take YOU laughed the other.
but Tom dropped into the rear and heard
/ more. The little he had beard was enough
| Tor him II was plain now that he loved
| this woman not feebiy. but with the
whole strength of his strong nature. He
went home bewildcred. Aud the next day
be performed his duties mechanically and
| absently and at the close went of by him
| self and every one else. What business
had be to fall in love with a woman. rich,
accomplished, and in many respects his
superior: lie. Tom Wallace. the man of
| all the world who prided himself on MS
povery and independence.
I'm A fool" groaned Tom; and many 4
man has said the same in like circum-
stances but il don't care his disease.
Neither did it cure Toms in this case
| The weeks went by and Commencement
was near, Tom looked forward to the
day with a feverish anxiety. Il was TO be
his last day in CT graduated at
| the head OF the class, and had nothing to
fear as to his standing in College. Better
still. position had been offered him. upon
the recommendation of the President. OF
| Professor In a western college. But il
was as much as the poor fellow could do
to think that he probably should never
see Miss Fleetwood again.
Ii is a fact that you can no more reason
with love than with a child. Arguments,
and logic, and common sense are alike
wasted on it. So Tom had discovered
since that day on the students walk OF
late too , he had begun to think that his
boasted independence was a-sball we say
| sham?
After ALL did not the man who had rich
| es at his command, have more real power
| than one who struggled for his daily ex-
istence? Notwithstanding this, Tom
could not give over all his previous con-
| ylctions at once. and thus several passa-
gt. lputiu titlI iHlo MS
which his pride would not allow him to
erase. So that as he found himself upon the
platform that bright day in June giving Mt
terance to some Of these passages, he was
| frightened to think how wide was the guilt
| between him and the one he loved.
| 'In leaving these walls and faces so dear
to Us. perhaps never to see them again. it
| is a deep satisfaction SO many OF us to
think that our greatest triumphs and joys
have been won by individual effort. And
so we hope to find in the world that indie
pendence of self action that will undertake
anything, suffer anything, rather than lean
| on another's means or abilities
Thus spoke Ton. giving expression to
what might have been called once his hob
| by. independence.
IfTom could have caught sight of Miss
| FleetwOOds face during his discourse he
might have been puzzled how to account
for the expression of it. She was perfect
| ly calm. but looked so strange and was so
pale that her father was alarmed. But she
assured him she only felt faint, and would