The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-04-04
THE TWO NEPHEWS.

lu6 W. MT tIC 81 o.
| At the parlor window of pretty villa
near Walton-on. Thames, sat, one evening
at dusk, an old man and young woman
The age of the man might be some sew
enty years, while his companion had
certainly not reached nineteen. HeI
beautiful, blooming face and active, light
and upright figure were in strong con
trast with the worn countenance and
bent frame of the old man, but in his
eye and in the corners of his mouth were
indications of q gay selfcOnfdence
which age and suffering had dampened
but not extingnished.
No use looking any more, Mary"
said he "neither " John Meade nor Peter
Finch will be here before dark. Very
hard that, when q sick uncle asks his
twoI nephews to come and see him, they
can't come at once. The duty is simple
in the extreme-only to help to die and
take what choose to leave them in my
will Pooh when WIS a young man
I'd have done it for my uncle with the
utmost celebrity. But the worlds getting
quite heartlessl "
"Oh, sirI' said Mary.
.tAnd what does 'Ob, sirl mean ?"
said he. "D'ye think 1 shs'nt die? I
know better. A little more, and there'll
be an end of Billy Collett. He'll have
left this dirty world for cleaner-to the
great SORROW (and advantage) of his af-
fectionate relatives! Ugh Give me a
glass of the doctors medicine.
The girl poured some medicine into q
glass, and Collett, after having contem-
plated it for moment with infinite dis
gust, managed to get it down.
''I tell you what, Miss Mary Sutton y
said he, g don't by any means approve
of your 'Oh, STRIP and dear SIR and
hate to be called sir at all. Why, you
couldn't be more respectful If you were
charity-girl and beadle in a gold
Mary Sutton, if you please. I've been
your lawful guardian now for more than
six months, and you ought to know my
likings and dislikings."
'My poor father often told me how
you disliked ceremony" said Mary.
'Your poor father told you quite
right" said Mr.. Collett. Erred Sutton
was a man of tslent-a capital fellow.
| His only fault was & natural inability to
keep q farthiDg in his pocket. Poor
Fred he loved me-pm sure he did.
He bequeathed me his only child, and it
| isn't every friend that would do that.
ga kind and generous protector you
have ever been %
"Well, 1 don't know Pve tried not to
be brute, but I dare say have been.
Don't speak roughly to you sometimes
Haven't I given yeu good, prudent,
worldly advice about John Meade, and
made myself quite disagreeable and un-
| like a guardian Come, confess you love
this penniless nephew of mine"
"Penniless, indeed"
AZ All, there it is" said Mr.. Collett.
What business has q poor devil of an
artist to fall in love with my ward And
what business has my ward to fall in love
with poor devil of an artist But that &
Fred Sutton'sdaughter all over. Haven't
I two nephews? Why couldn't you fall
| In love with the discreet one-the
thriving ? Peter Finch--cOnsidering
he's an attorney-is q worthy young
man! He is industrious in the extreme,
and attends to other peoples business
only when he is paid for it He despises
sentiment, and always looks to the main
chance. But John Meade, my dear
Mary, may spoil canvas forever and not
grow rich. He's all for art, and truth,
and social reform, andspiritual elevation
and the Lord knows what. Peter Finch
will ride in his carriage and splash John
Meade as he trudges on loot"
The harangue was here interrupted by
a ring at the gate, and Mr.. Peter Finch
was announced. He had scarcely takeI
his seat when another pull at the bel
was heard, and Mr.. John Meade was an
nounced.
Mr.. Collett eyed his two nephews with
q queer sort of smile, while they made
speeches expressive of sorrow at the ma
ture of their visit At last, stopping
them, he said:
Enough, boys, enough p' said he
q let us find some better subject TO dis
cuss than the state of an old mans health
want to know a little mere about yoJ
both. / haven't seen much of you NJ
to the present time, and for anything
know you may be rogues or fools"
John Meade seemed rather to winci
under this address, but Peter Finch sa
calm and confident.
"To put q case, now," said Mr.. Col
let, this morning poor wretch of
gardener came beging here. He coul
get no work, and said he was starving
Well, l knew something about the fel
low, anu DclIoNo uS Outy bOlu III
truth 50 1 gave him q shilling to get II
, of him. Now Pm afraid / did wrong
What reason had 1 for giving him
! shilling? What claim had he on me
What claim had he on anybody? Th
! value of his labor on the market is a
, thst a workiDgman has a right to anC
when his labor is of no value, why, the
: he must go to the devil, or whatever ell;
he can-eh, Peter2 That's my philost
phv; what do you think"
, 81 quite agree with you, sir" said NJ
2 Finch perfectly agree with you. tt
+ value of their labor in the market Is a
= that laboreas can pretend to-all tn;
4 they should have. Nothing acts mo-
9 perniciously than the absurd, extraneol
! support called charity"
: i'Hear, hearv' said Mr.. Collet
i " You're a very clever fellow, Pete
$ Go on, my dear boy, go on"
"What results from charitable aid
4 continued Peter. ''The value Of labor
s Kept on a1 unnatured level. State cha
: ity is state robbery, private charity
j public wrong"
s That's it, Peterl" said Mr.. COllet