, 1878-03-15

tachment to Mary Dale, whereupon his
/ life long benetaCtors told him he must
forfeit theirs,
Strange, he thought, that the first great
/ ioy that had come to hun should be the
cause of his forteiting all that he had
| known before. Strange that the only one
| desire that had ever taken sole control OF
his breast should he the only one which
| those whom he had learned to love had
ever balkcd. Strange that his first
| visions of domestic bliss in little home
Of his own making by and by should be
the reasonror his packing his satchel to
leave forever the only home he had
ever known. Strange that the first
difference he had ever with his bene-
factors should be sufficient to set
him, with little more Of this worlds
goods than he had brought with him
nineteen years before, at the threshold
waiting to be carried away, never to re-
turn. Strange that anything could force
him to take his leave Of cold hands and
naughty eyes, and ride off into strange
world with nobody at the door to watch
him out of sight.
But all these things were true, and
Dan. pondered them with a choking
throat, as he rode on to the city.
Dan. went into priutiug-otfice in the
city, and set at work to learn the trade Of
type setting. He proved a ready learner,
and in due time earned good wages
Meanwhile he often retraced his former
school-day footsteps towards Mr.. Dale's
One day Mr.. Benjamin Bounce threw
the evening paper to his wife, telling her
to look at the marriage column, which
she did, and read aloud the following no.
tice:
DAvGs-DALE: At the residence of the
brides parents, on the 10th inst, by the Rev.
Mr.. Vestry, Daniel Davis and Mary Dale. No
cards
"Well, good!" exclaimed Mrs. Bounce,
looking up from the paper Dan. didn't
get her after all.'
"Wby, yes, that's Dan. He's taken his
own name. Like to know how he found
it out!'
"You don't tell me" said Mrs Bounce.
"Welll He's plucky, anyhow
Hell come down on his own marrow.
bones vet" said Mr.. Bounce.
Mrs. Bounce looked as much as to say
she hoped so, but she doubted it, and
said nothing. The subject was dropped.
Dan thrived in his business and was as
happy as he had ever dreamed of being
with Mary. Benjamin Bounce could not
help hearing this, though he would have
liked to. Mrs. Bounce found it hard,
with all her inquisitiveness,t to squeeze out
the truth from him, but she got hold of
an item now and then which made her
think,
One morning Mr.. Bounce was awak-
ened out of his finishing nap by his wife
calling:
"Benjamin-O, Benjamin ~
He started, and said;
"Well, what's the matter, Lucy7"
''I've been thinking about Dan. since
I've been lying here, and have come to
the conclusion that we were all wrong"
"Pshaw His success troubles YOU"
"No, what mean has nothing to do
with that. / see where we were selfish
and jealous, when we thought we were
only discreet. When we thought we
feared Mary Dale's origin, we really
feared her attachment for Dan. would RI
val ours. If Dan. had been really our
SOD, we would have reasoned with him !;
but as we had raised him when under no
obligations to do so, we felt that we had
bought him thereby, and had right to
demand obedience in all things. We
bore towards him more the feelings OF a
master than those Of parent-he was
less son than slave"
Mr.. Bounce only grunted at this, and
fell to snoring again.
Mr. Bounce thought of his wife's bright
and early suggestions more than once
that day, yet he never restored his VIII,
and never called at Dams, but the old
gentlemen has been in his grave several
years now, and Mrs, Bounce often goes
and plays grandm other to the two little
Davises, and has made her will in favor
of Dan, Bounce or no Bounce. -XdmpS,
IN Rurat Home.