The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1877-06-08
LOVE AND LAW.

There are always two sides to thes
questions, you know" said Murray Len
nox.
Mr.. Arkwright, the lawyer, balanced
himself on the two hind legs of his chair
and polished the end of his nose re
fectively.
Not doubt of it, MY young friend
not doubt of it," he said, 81 but, yor
see, it's my business to see only one side ,
"That may be law, but it isn't justice, ,
observed Lennox.
"The two terms are not necessarily
synonymous"
81 did not come here to chop logic,
said Lennox, little impatiently.
WELL" nodded Mr.. Arkwright, with
the least possible approach to smile or
his lips, " didn't begin It,"
"Just let's sum up the question" said
Lennox. "Here / am, made unexpect.
edly rich by the discovery of an old paper
whose very existence has been unsus
pected for years "
Exactly So" assented Lawyer Ark.
wright, under his breath.
"And these young girls-these Miss
Ellerslies-are made beggars by the same
discovery"
"Not beggars, my dear young friend,
not beggars; you are altogether too
sweeping in your assertions"
"But they are seriously impoverished? %
Well-yes; 1 suppose that is the
state of the case. But you are not re-
sponsible for that.
In a measure am.
Quixotism Mr.. Lennox-mere Quix-
otism. Pray dismiss any such far-fetched
idea from your head. ! assure you p
&c / beg your pardon, Mr.. Arkwright
1 did not propose to detain you further
than to obtain the address of Mr.. Ellers-
lie.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders,
but nevertheless wrote few words on a
slip of paper. Murray Lennox glanced
at it in surprise.
What, it is a tenement house in
Bland street :" he exclaimed.
Exactly so but it is quite respect
able neighborhood, / believe. "
Mr.. Arkwright plunged once more
into a drift of tape-tied packages and
big books bound in dingy russet leather,
as his eccentric young client departed.
Tenement houses may answer every
purpose of shelter and protection, but
they are not the exact beau ideal of home.
And this tall red brick in Bland
street was no exception TO the general rule.
1t wasunquestionably "genteel," how
ever. Miss Farley kept a select school
on the first floor; Mr.. johnson, who
gave lessons on the flute and piano. and
Mrs. Drecy, who "cut and fitted dresses
in Partisan style on the very lowest
terms" occupied the second story; and
two or three pale seamstresses, wood
engraver, a clerk, and a manufacturer of
artifcial flowers were packed compactly
away above, like sardines in box; and
two young ladies had the southeast room
on the fourth fool, young ladies who, to
use the original expression of Mrs. Ryan,
the landlords wife, chad seed better
days"
Kate Ellerslie sat by the window that
dreary November day, her chin resting
on her hands, and her eyes fixed mourn
fully on the opposite root, where a colony
of dust-colored sparrows were pluming
their wings. She was bright, regular
featured brunette, with large brown eyes
and very dark hair, her figure slender as
a reed and quite as graceful.
She looked up languidly as the door
opened, and Emily, her Junior by two
years, came in.
Emily Ellerslie was not at all pretty.
No one would have vouchsafed her a
econd glance in the street; no poet
would ever have been stimulated to rhy-
metic rhapsodies over her gray-blue eyes
or brown tresses; yet when you came
face to face with her you could not but
confess that she was very pleasant to look
upon, with wholesome pink cheeks, a
complexion entirely independent of (" rose
BALM" or "cream of pearls" and pretty,
regular teeth, that shone brightly when
ever she smiled or spoke.
Good news, Katew she said, cheerily,
taking off her hat as if it were an encum-
brance to the pretty head. "Pve a
whole dozen plain shirts ia make"
Kate looked distastefully down upon
the bundle of "plain work" which her
sister tossed gleefully into her lap.
"Shirts" she sighed. Oh, Emily,
who would ever have thought we should
come to this ?"
Shirts aren't disagreeable to make"
said Emily cheerfully. "All we have to
do is to fancy them embroidery or GRO
chet work 20
"My imagination is not so powerful as
that ''
"Cultivate it then, DEAR" said the
young sister, with a laugh. These
must be finished by Saturday noon"
BY Saturday noon!' cried Kate,
alt is not possible"
"oh, yes, it is. Come, dear, get your
Kate EIlerslie burst into tears, and
threw the unofeuding Enthusiastically
from her.
You never had any aristocratic
pride, Emily. You would be willing 10
slave yourself TO death for five shillipgs."
Five shillings is a very handy sum
now, Kate" said Emily, as she went pa
tiently down on her knees to pick up the
scattered rolls of work.
But it's q shame" went on Kate,
flushed and indignant, I" that I, who was
born to better things"
She paused, with the hot current of
words yet on her tongue, as knock came
to the door.
Its only Mr.. Harley, in the next
room," said Emily, as she rose to her
feet. al know his knock"
Mr.. Harley was a tall, fresh-looking
Young m an, with bright hazel eyes and
smooth, broad forehead, who had re-
Gently engage d the one vacant apartment
on the fourth story of the house in
Bland street. A literary gentleman"
Mrs. Farley had called him; while Mr..
johnson asserted, with less elegance, that
ne was "ewl editor of one of them pa
pers that never tells the truth"
Poor people assimilate more readily
than those who surround themselves with
the barriersof form and ceremony and,
in one week of theif neighborly prox-
unity, Mr.. Harley and the Miss ElleIs-
lies had become the best of friends.
"Tbe loop has come off my necktie
again." Mr.. Harley began, apologize
ally. "Dare | venture to ask you 20 sew
it on a second time, Miss Emily ?"
Emily smiled and nodded as she