Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-09-07
THE EDEN OF WILDWOOD.

Paul Rendford was thunderstruck. Fol
once in his life he was aroused to some
thing like consideration of a subject il
hand.
Paul was four-and-twenty. At the age
of eighteen he had been left an orphan
and heir to an estate worth million; an(
his uncle-his mothers brother-had been
appointed his guardian. This uncle was
Arson Betterman, an enterprising mer
chant and true-hearted man. After Pau
came OF age and became master of his
property, through the advice of his uncle
he employed lawyer named Lovett to act
as agent--to look after rents, and so on
and gradually this Lovett, who proved te
be an apt and ready man Of business, hai
gained into his hands the entire control OF
the property: and so implicitly had Pau
trusted him that he had not even deman
ded vouchers TOR his bank transactions.
In fact, Paul Renford had generated in
. to listless, aimless being. His natura
abilities, of the very highest order, ha6
been prostituted to the most useless Of al
pursuits the mere seeking of pleasure fol
the purpose of killing time. At first he
had lived moderately his youthful vigol
had held him aloof from the need of slim
ulants; but of late a long continued round
of dissipation-parties, balls, clubs ani
billiards, in which night was appropriated
to wakefulness and the day to sleep-haG
SO reduced his physical vim that without
stimulants he found no comfort.
And now Arson Betterman had come tc
inform him that Porter Lovett had left
this:country with every available scrap of
his property.
''Do you mean, 2 gasped Paul, when he
could breathe, ''that he has taken all 90
"Yes-everything. You had allowed
him such unlimited sway that he found nc
difficulty in getting every dollar into his
hands. You know best whether YOU
had any of your property invested in bus
mess or not.''
"Not penny"
"Then 1 feal you have little at hanf
which you can call your own
SIN heavens name, Uncle Arson, wha
shall do 20
"Really, Paul, see but two ways oper
to you. You can can lie down and withel
and die under the stroke; or you can do al
thousands Of others have done in misfor
tune-arouse yourself, put on the armor O.
true manhood and fight the battle brave
ly."
II must earn my own living 20
cit would seem 500
"And how?'
81 can give you a place in my store"
ssNO, no, cannot commence the battle
here-not here In the city, where l have
led the van of folly and dissipation Let
me have time to Think
s.All right my boy, and meantimeI will
be thinking tOo.'
On the following day Mr.. Bettermar
called; but Paul had not thought what hi
would do.
"What have you thought uncle ?"
s'I'll tell you what l have thought my
boy. Back in the country and yet, mo-
very far from the city, are the mills owned
by friend Sargent. They are in quiet Sc
cluded village, the inhabitants of which
are mostly his own operatives. Mr.. Sar
gent will give you a clerkship there, an(
the pay will be ample for your support"
"But," said Paul. "may we not fine
Lovett ?''
"As yet we have been able to gain nj
clue to his whereabouts. He is = man no
easy to be entrapped. But we can tr
further, if you please"
Il will 60 up and look at the mills"
And so Paul Renford went up to Wild
wood, as Mr.. Sargent had named his set
Element, and he found it rural and retire.
enough. But it was beautiful spot, new
ertheless, and he had a strong inclination
to accept the profered situation. He re
turned to the city on the evening of Mrs
Spitenstinger's grand party. He wondere
if he had better go, when he learned fror
the servant of the house that no invita-
ton had been sent him. On that very a.
ternoon he met the Misses Spitenstinge
on the avenue, and they did not acknow
edge his salutations.
$50, so," he muttered land that is a
I am worth to them !"
For little time his heart sank but b
, rallied.
"Come, come, my boy" he exclaimed
shifting himself upon his breast ''thel
may be something in life yet. Be brave
And the very next day he accepted tt
clerkship at the Wildwood mills, an
entered at once upon his duties. For
time he found it dull, hard work; bl
: gradually his health improved, and the VII