The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1878-02-01

other hand, enjoyed the game keenly.
"Odd sort of girl Bessie is, isn't she ~
observed Barry to Miss Helen Bough.
ton.
81 hope she won't invite Tom in to
play' exclaimed the young lady, filled
with horror at the possibility of such an
event.
"Is Tom still one of Bcssie's admir-
ers" inquired Barry, carelessly.
"Perhaps she could answer that qucs-
ton better than ;" replied Miss Bough-
ton.
Acting upon this hint, Barry put tho
question bluntly to Bessie herself when
she had returned from her conference
with Tom. AS bluntly Bessie answered
it.
II think he is" said she.
The people of Marlborough began to
suspect that Barry Munson was in love
with Bessie Charlock. The suspicion
assumed the form of conviction in Bar
ry's own mind. Never, perhaps, had
he been more deeply impressed with
this truth than on certain October af-
ternoon, when they walked together I'M
der the overarching elms that gave
grandeur to the quiet Barborough
street.
"Bessie, would it surprise you very
much If ! told you that loved your
She did not answer at once; but when
she did, her voice was clear and I'M
shaken.
"No, it would not surprise me very
much to hear you say so; but | should
doubt your words"
Suppose you were convinced of
their sincerity, might | hope that you
would accept the love / offer? Might l
hope that you would promise to become
my wife?'
"No, Barry; l do not love you well
enough for that. When l promise n
man to become his wife, | must feel for
him deeper respect than do for YOU"
She turned her wondrously truthful
eyes toward him, and kept them fixed
upon his face. The steady gaze brought
the color TO his cheek.
"What have l ever done to forfeit
your respectr he asked after painful
pause.
"Nothing. And you have done moth
ing to gain it. You have brains, cduca-
ton, Opportunities-everything to fit
you for noble life. You onghtto to win
name among men. Instead of making
the effort, you choose to do nothing-to
spend the money which somebody else
has earned, and to waste the time which
might be put to good account. Your
mind seems to be occupied chiefly with
thoughts of your personal appearance.
You never did ali hours work in your
life. Barry, you have not grown into
the manhood you ought. You have no
purpose, no aim, no ambition. | hate a
man without ambition"
"What is fellow 10 do, Bessie? The
war is over; there isn't any chance to
become a hero nowadays. And / don't
know that there is any work for me to
do unless | go into the law, which de-
test cordially. You wouldn't have me
become machinist, like Tom Finch,
would you?'
81 would have you become anything"
answered she, 'tO show Yourself a
man."
In the glory of the autumn sunset
Barry Munson made his way homeward
with those words ringing in his ears.
The fall of 1873 brought with it disas-
ter to the Marlborough iron-works of
hDhCi OHc lnOIDlllg lllf
clocks of Barborough struck seven, but
the whistle of the Barborough iron
works did not echo the hour. The
whirl of machinery was hushed, the
fires in the furnaces were out, the works
were closed Men stood about the
smoky doors, anxious-eyed and moody.
No fault of theirs made them idle: it
was labor that they sought, and found
not.
And while Barry Munson was still
dreaming of what he should do to as
tonish the world, behold, the world as
tonished him. He awoke to find him
self not famous, but poor. And before
he could fully know what poverty
meant, a great sorrow fell upon him,
whose black shadow darkened his life
and chilled his heart.
The body of Abner Munson was
found, stark and lifeless, in the office
of the scarborough iron-works. On
the floor by his side lay pistol.
A just settlement of the claims against
the estate left the family of Abner Mum
son without dollar.
1--WE must give up the house, the fur
niture, everything, Barry" said his
mother. "We have nothing left now ;"
Then Barry, pressing the hand of his
mother, said:
81 have my youth and your love.
Let them take all else. can provide
for us both"
The Marlborough iron works passed
into the hands of joint stock company.
A superintendent was needed; one with
practical knowledge of the business, and
competent to raise the works to their
old level of prosperity. For this re-
sponsible position there were fifty appli-
cants. The directors were pleased to
select q man who had made no applica-
ton.
This was Tom Finch.
"He's young" said the president of
the board, "but he's reliable as-iron." :"
The portly president intended TO
make the comparison "steel." but iron
struck him as moro appropriate.
To his old schoOl-fellow went Barry
Munson in search of employment.
81 should have sent for you," said
Tom, "but didn't suppose you would
accept the place. You shall take charge
of the books, If you will and help me in
many ways. The position will pay you
thirteen hundred dollars year only,
but that Is better than nothing"
'Inanitely," said Barry.
And with that he threw away his eye
glasses, gave up all thoughts of aston
ishing the world, and went TO work in
his fathers old office, for the moderate
compensation of twenty-five dollars a
week. 1t is to be presumed that book
keeping was not altogether TO his taste,
but nobody heard him grumble; and he
applied himself so diligently to his
work that Tom Finch declared from the
first that without Barry he should have
made miserable failure of the super
intendency. AS it was he made com
plete success. The Barborough IRON
works weathered the storm, and found
smooth waters.
Bending over his books Barry Num-
son recalled often that memorable af.
ternoon when he and Bessie walked
side by side under the overarching elms.