The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-03-07
A Son, Not a Slave.

A room in the mansion of Mr.. and
Mrs. Benjamin Bounce, which had for
years held the light aud joy of the house
hold, was deserted, small satchel filled
with tiitles stood in the front hall, and
Dan. Bounce, the adopted son of Mr..
and Mrs. Benjamin Bounce, stood in the
front door, resting his head against the
door post and gazing down the road.
Nineteen years before, Mr.. and Mrs.
Bounce being chldless and torlorn adopt
ed the child of respectable but poor
neighbor, and named him Daniel. Every
advantage of education and every indul-
gence which they would have bestowed
on one OF their own offspring was given
to the adopted child; If they failed to
have exactly the same feelings toward
him that people naturally have for their
own, it never appeared in their treatment
of him--at least, in their public treatment
of him. We will venture to say that
Dan himself, as he stood looking down
the road with anything but completely
kindly feeling toward his foster parents,
would have tod you that from the time
as far back as he could remember up to
well, quite recent date, he received
nothing but kindness, generosity and in
diligence from those whom he had learned
to call father and mother. He had al
WAYS been allowed to choose bis com
panions and entertain them at home
when he pleased, and accept of their hos
pitality in return.
But one day not very long before the
time when we see him in "a position sug
gestive of an approaching farewell, he
came suddenly to point in his road OF
life where his mind and that of his bene
factors took diverse ways. He had been
attending school in the city, not far
away. and during the first week of his at
tendance found himself every day taking
the same route homewsrd with pretty
brunette of his school HON he repeated
ly overlook, and with whom IT was very
agreeable to him to walk the little way
which their routes lay together. He
found it pleasant, and the source of alb
sorbing after thoughts, to tarry at the gate
in few moments chat each day. Petty
soon he found himself looking forward
to it with impotence, experiencing with
blissful and yet painful confusion, and
thinking of, with u strange mixture of
pleasure and uneasiness, these daily walks
in the highway and parting chats at the
gate. And know you will believe me
when | say it was not long before these
meetings were anticipated by Dan. by a
walk in the dusk. a timid knock on the
cottage door of Mr.. Dale, and a call for
Miss Mary Dale, into whose blushing
presence he straightway carried his yet
more scarlet face.
But these things in due time came to
the ears of Mr.. and Mrs. Bounce. Well,
what of thatl What of that! Why, the
deserted room in the Bounce mansion, the
little satchel in the hail, and a young man
sore grieved at heart standing in the door
alone. is of that. Dan. never made Sc
cret of his love (any further than is al
ways necessary tn the very life of the ten
der PASSION, and he was as much sur
prised AS you are-more so than you, for
Dan. was young-when his father and
mother who hal been so indulgent in lit
tie things, now in the case of this first
great thing that had ever happened to
him, entered their determined protest!
Mary Dale was laborer's daughter; Dan
iel Bounce was a gentleman's son; the
passion, or fancy, or whatever 1t was,
must be put under foot at once. Such
was the only reason given for the objec
ton, and let us pretend, for the present,
that We believe il was the real reason.
While this was all that Dan. bad to meet,
he took to argument. But presently they
reminded him of his past and what he
owed them, and Dams mouth was sealed.
Though the meanness of this thrust fired
him with indignation, and arguments in
self-defence rushed to his lips, he WAS
dumb. But he was not idle, and straight
way he sought his duty, and chose his
course. He declined to give up his at