The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-11-09
"WHAT is TO BECOME OF SAM?

IT was generally supposed that Sam
was what is called deficient" As to
his own family they were sure of it; at
all events, they treated him as if he
were so. Not that they were unkind to
him; on the contrary, they were all
very fond of "poor old Sam" but it
seemed to be taken for granted that
whatever he said was not worth MOTTO
ing, and that almost everything he did
was to be made fun of more or less.
He was, in fact, the family butt, though
the shafts were, as a rule, so tipped
with good nature as not to hurt his
feelings. ,..
Of course, there were some patent
reasons for all this. To begin with,
there was something manifestly pecu-
liar or backward in his mental devel-
opment. He never could learn like
other boys, and all masters had shaken
their heads at him. Then there was a
heavy comicality in his face and an
awkwardness in his gait, together with
a stunted growth, all of which be-
tokened an abnormal condition of ma
ture, and furnished some excuse to his
brothers and sisters for regarding him
as an oddly in their midst. At the
same time it was yet more excusable in
Sam himself, and far more accountable,
that, being thus accustomed from his
childhood (and he was now about nine
teen) to be treated as if he were little
better than fool, he settled down
more and more to being one. Hardly
ever did he attempt to say or do any
thing in serious earnest, since almost
everything he did or said was treated
as a sort of joke.
There was one exception to this.
Mothers always know best how to deal
with the weak in the flock, and Sans
mother never laughed at him, and new
er despaired of him. "What is to be-
come of Sam?' his father would say;
"he'n never earn his own living" and
his mother would quietly answer:
''Wait a bit, my dear; there is more in
him, perhaps, than we think, but it
wants to be drawn out, and | doubt if
we are acting wisely in laughing at
him as we do" She said "we,' GOOD
soul, but that was only her discreet
way of putting it.
Now, Sam had a sister, Mary, of
whom he was especially fond. Perhaps
it was because she was the sister near
est to him in age, but is was more like
ly because she placed little more con-
tldence in him than the others did; il
wasn't much, but it was more than he
got from any of the rest He would do
anything for Mary, and when certain
Mr.. st. Leger in the neighborhood took
fancy to her it was amusing to see
how Sam resented the engagement.
This Mr.. ST. Leger had lately come into
the neighborhood, no one knew where
from; but he had plenty of money and
very agreeable manners, and was gen.
eral favorite with the Frere family.
Sam, however, never liked him from
the first, and when at length he be-
came Mary Frere's accepted sutton,
Sam aversion to him became intense.
1t must be owned that Mr.. st. Leger
took no pains to win him over TO a
more friendly state of mind. He had
fallen at once into the habit of making
light of the poor fellow, which, as we
have seen, was the family custom, and
when he saw how Sam shrank from
him, he had certainly gone out of his
way to poke fun at him. 1t was an
amusement and quite in accordance
with the general practice. ...
The day was fixed for the wedding.
and the Sunday had arrived when, in
Difference to Mary's particular wish,
though very much against Mr.. st.
Leger's inclination, the banns were to
be published in church.
The Freres We're all in their place. a
great square pew in front of the pulpit.
The names were read out in due course.
Mary was recovering from her electric
shock of hearing them; the villagers
were interchanging glances, some even
cautiously rising little to peep into
the square pew, when q voice was
heard all over the church, saving in the
most emphatic way: Il forbid the
banns."
Surprise was on every face, but it
quickly gave way to a sense of the
ludicrous as Sam was seen standing up
in the middle of the pew, looking the
clergyman steadily in the face, as much
as to say: There now; get over that
if you camp The clergyman was so
amused that he had to rush on with the
service to prevent an unseemingly dis
play, while Sam skindred in the square
pew were in every attitude of painfully
restrained amusement And there he
stood, unabashed and defiant, until his
father plucked him by the arm and
made him sit down. But none of them
for moment thought it was anything
more than an unaccountable freak of
"poor old SANS"
emo sooner was the service over than
he was assailed on all sides for an ex-
PLANTATION. Two only were serious
about this father and Mary. "What
is the meaning of this, sirp" said his
father, sternly; "what could have pos
sessed you to make yourself so ridicu-
lousP''
He has got wife already" replied
Sam, doggedly.