The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-12-31
Is TO BECOME or sAM!'

all events, they treated him as il he
were SO. Not that they were unkind to
him; on the contrary, they were all
very fond OF "poor old SAM" but il
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 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 develop
ment. He never could leaIn like ether
boys, and all masters had shaken their
heads at him. Then there was a heavy
comicality in his face andan awkard.
ness in his gait, together with a stunted
growth. all of which betokened an alb
normal condition Of Nature, aud furn-
ished some excuse to his brothers aud
sisters for regarding him as an oddity
IN their midst. At the same time it was
vet more excnsable in Sam himself. and
far more accountable, that, being thus
accustomed from his childhood (and he
was now about nineteen) to be treated
as II he we're little better than fool,
he settled down more and more TO be-
gin one. Hardly ever did he attempt
to say or do anything in serious earn
est, since almost everything he did or
said was treated as a sort Of joke.
There was one exception TO this.
Mothers always knows best how to deal
with the weak in the flock. and Sans
mother never laughed at him, and
never despared of him. "What is to
become of Sam?" bis father would say.
"hell 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, bot il
wants to be drawn out, and / doubt il
we are acting wisely in laughing at him
as we do" She said 1--WE" good soul.
bat that was only her discreet way of
putting it.
Now, Sam had a sister, Mary, of
whom he was especially fond. Perhaps
il was because she was the sister nearer
to him in age, but il was more likely
because she placed little more conf
dence In him than the others did; it
wasn't much. but il was more than he
got from any OF the rest. He would do
anything for Mary, and when a certain
Mr.. St. Leger in the neighborhood
took fancy TO her il was amusing to
see how Sam resented the engaged. -
This Mr.. st. Leger had lately come in
TO the neighborhood, no one knew
where from; but he bad plenty Of
money and very agreeable manners,
aud was a general favorite with the
Frere family. Sam, however, never
liked him from the first. and when at
length he became Mary Frere's accept
ed suitor, Sans aversion TO him be-
came intense. Ii 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, aud, when be saw how Sam
shrank from him, had certainly gone
out Of his way to poke fun at him. II
was an amusement and quite in accord
ance with the general practice.
The day was fixed for the wedding,
aud the Sunday bad arrived when, iu
Difference to Mary's particular wish,
though very much against Mr.. st. Leg
er's inclination, the banns were to be
published in church.
The Freres were all in their place, "a
great square pew in front of the pulpit
The names were out IN due course. -
Mary was recovering from the electric
shock Of hearing them; the villagers
were interchanging glances, some even
cautiously rising little to peep into the
square pew, when voice was heard all
over the church, saying in the most en-
phatic way, Il forbid the banns.
Surprise was on every face, but il
quickly gave way 10 "A sense of the ludi-
crous as sam was seen standing up in
the middle OF the pew, looking the cler-
gyman steadily in the face, as much AS
to say: There now; get over that If You
cam" The clergyman was 50 much
amused that he had TO rush ON with the
service 10 prevent an unseemly display,
while Sans kindred in the square pew
were in every attitude of painfully re-
strained amusement And there he
stood unabashed and defiant, until his
father plucked him 10y the arm and
made him sit down. But none of them
for one moment thought il was anything
more than p very unaccOuntable freak Of
poor old Sans"
No sooner was the service over than
he was assailed on all sides for an expla-
nation. Two only were serious about it
his father and Mary. "What is the
meaning Of this, sir?" said his father
sternly: what could have possessed You
TO make yourself so ridIculous?"
"He has got a wife already, replied
Sam, doggedly.
"Who has?' WIS the general exclama-
ton.
"St Leger."
"Who told You so?"
tom Tyler" Tom Tyler was the
village letter-carrier.
There was shout Of laughter at this
piece of information.
"When did Tom Tyler tell you this?'
Yesterday. He brought letter for
Mrs. ST. Leger.
Another shout of laughter greeted
this: but Mary looked very grave, while
her father said. that, Of course. the let
ter was for st Leger's mother, of whom
! he had more than once spoken. 80
Sam was sharply rebuked for listening
to Tom Tyler's idle tales. and ordered
/ 10 hold his tOngne You'll have st
Leger try his horse-whip across your
shoulders, il you don't mind. cried his
eldest brother, and they all laughed
/ again: but Sam was very unlike himself
and did not join in the laugh, bnt main.
tanned grave composure that had never
been noticed in him before.
Nor was it laughing matter some.
where else. The news of that mornings
interruption flew n space, with various
additions and amendments. Thus i'm.
proved they reached the ears Of Mr.. st.
/ Leger, who lived but few miles of.
and they created n profound sensation,
40 much 80 that instead Of spending the
afternoon with the Freres, as expected,
he took himself of, and was never seen
/ by them again. IL was discovered that
Tom Tyler's version had been correct
after ali. Good riddance for Mary Ere
re; but heart trifed with and wronged
can never quite recover itself.
For time Sam was almost reverently
treated al home. They felt the force OF
his explanation, why he had chosen
such q singular way of uttering his sus-
picions, that il was ''because they would
only have laughed at him If he had told
them" and were little ashamed OF
themselves. But the old habit revived
after a while, as old habits, both family
and personal, so easily do, and Sam Z
brains were held a. cheap as ever. ex.