The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-03-13
that was my salvation. I'd give Eve years of

The road upward before an ambitious poor
boy was broad and easy enough among the
aO, a. That time he os i
the next day, to his master and employer, and
say boldly that he wanted an education, and
the chance to make man of himself Colonel
Petit looked at him with lazy astonishment,
then clapped him on the back.
"By gee, sir, didn't think It was In you!
Pm deuced proud of you, Zack, by ee!-per-
vided it lasts overnight. Well, sir, IL you
,!h 5eaiy %ssn pss,,, the thing you can count on
The Colonel gave him half of his time and
wheelharrowfuI Of old school books. Every
body helped the boy, every body advised him.
A boy who actually wanted to study, to work,
70 push himself on, was . black swan In the
little town, Of which It was lazily proud.
Through this sunny, sluggish atmosphere,
therefore, young Neatly urged his way for
dentures when he was sixteen. He was by
TURNS clerk on q river boat, . teacher, and
shipping overseer for Petit and Clay. Finally
he took the course usual then with lads in the
river cities, armed with q sheaf Of "circular
| introductions" from business men, and money
| enough to support him fer q month. In those
halcyon days this was enough outfit for boy
going into the world to seek his fortune. The
larger towns were ready and glad to absorb
| the vigorous young blood Of the provinces
Zaek had situations offered to him In Ciucin-
j natl and st: Louis, and accepted one In the
1
While there he studied medicine in his spare
hours, audeaved money to pay for two winter
| courses Of lectures in Philadelphia- After
that he practiced in the hospitals, and settled
| at last In growing town of Western Pennsyl
vania. He was strongly minded to go back to
his old home. Every man In IL was his friend.
1 He would rather have tramped over its mud
dy, sooty streets than have trod on fields Of
Of its greasy smoke was sweet to his nostrils.
But Colonel Petit advised him not to come.
| "a doctor must have q certain prestige" /"
he said. "He must be the social equal OF his
patients Now we're all mighty proud OF you,
Zsck; but"
al understand. That's all right" inter
rupted Nealy, biting the end Of his mustache
nervously.
| "That thar dray. you sect It's ondyin',
that sort of remembrance, with Virginians."
So Nealy, not without . certain angry ache
at his heart, settled among strangers. One or
two lucky hits soon discovered to the public
OF Finnburgh that he was far in advance Of
its two old physicians As regarded modern
science- He showed an old fashioned, distinct
courtesy toward women, too, very winning In
young man. With men, on the contrary,
Zack was an inveterate talker; the Irish gift
Of telling anecdotes ~as an unknown art in
slow old Finnburgh, and Zack, having knocked
about . good deal In the world. had q capital
l>story to ft every occasion. Before month
himself in some sort q partisan of this jolly,
stout, Jewish-faced young doctor. He was
asked everywhere to dinner, to tea Most OF
the eligible young women Of the country we're
discussed as suitable wives for him. You
heard his gay, infectious laugh everywhere.
The truth fs, the fellow was thoroughly hap
| py in his new quarters. This friendly recog-
milton was the success which he craved. At
heart he was still the homeless boy, hungry
for companionship and affection. As for
money, he took no account of ft-not even
| enough, his enemies say, to pay his debts,
| which, by the way, I am afraid was true
When he had been settled in Finnburgh for
| year, the Shiras family came into the neigh
borhood- They were of English extraction,
and belonged to race Of scholars. There did
not seem TO be much money in the family, yet
the men belonging to 1t took no means to add
| to Its income, but went on with their leisurely
researches into the life Of ancient Greece and
| the habitat Of spiders calmly as II they had
been millionaires- 1t was a new idea to Nealy
las It would be to most tAmericans-thatm men
| of Strengthened circumstances could tnd other
and higher employment for life than the max
ing OF money. 1t pleased him immensely. He
went often 20 the plain little cottage back of
the pines. The repoee, the unfathomed cult
ure and wit hinted under their careless, triv-
ial talk OF every day, the mere fact that the
tlefolk for centunes-it was all q glimpse into
new world to Nealy. This was the Brahmin
class which he had louged TO enter. He
watched the daughter Of the house, Priscilla,
der, abe being. - he thought, the highest type
OF this high class She was not naturally as
clever, probably, as the young girls of the
town; but she had not an idea in common
vulgar hnery, and vulgarer Irritation. Priscil-
Ia knew no more OF these things than Of the
squabbles Of the fsh-women on the river bank
She had spent most Of her life In travelling
through the beautiful places In the world; her
companions were men who dealt with great
facts and IDEAS They had hedged the girl in
from all rough unseemliness with fine cour-
tesy. In lacks view she dwelt apart upon a
/ hofur a f.,lo
him that he could ever climb to q level with
| this young gentlewoman. Her father and un-
Gle made q companion of DR.. Nealy. They
found genutneness and delicacy of feeling in
the other Finnburghers-
"He is undoub, edly man Of good breeding
and birth, }" said Mr.. Peter shiras one day.
| ION the contrary, he has hinted to me that
replied rriscilla's father.
| That may be, retorted Uncle Peter, tax
| Ing on his eyeglasses. There were many
| scions OF good families who landed penniless
In Virginia. never am mistaken in the spe-
cies of man, any more than of q spider"
For three or four months young DIR. Nealy's
mind was full of his new friends, whether he
was IN market, or In church, or at the bed
he wae studying them as a species, Mics Shiras
being the best specimen. He had that sense
OF ownership In them which we have in a fine
lnandsc,Pe Ian which we alone have discovered.
Il
from any ordinary Finnburgher; and when
once . decent old farmer spoke of that
daughter of Shiras'," though he did it re-
spectiplly enough, Lack could scarcely re-
de did not know what this meant until one
day late In June. He had gone out with a
night moth to Mr.. Peter Shiras; he had fallen
into the habit OF taking out specimens after
needed few moments for Uncle Peter to
prove TO everybody that the specimens were
worthless, and then they would have tea un-
Ger the pines, while Priscilla, in her pale blue
dress, sat at the little table and filed the cups
This evening she was not at the table.
Nealy glanced quickly around while he was
talking OF the moth. He saw her riding down
the road, tall, erly-looking man beside
| her.
THAT is Henry shiras," said Uncle Peter.
following his eye, "a cousin far removed
There was sons plan when Miss Shirss was q
child OF betrothai between them. But the
young people settle such things altogether
for themselves IN this country. No, no, DIR.
Neaiy, you are quite mistaken about this
moth. Look at its an te5sR0."
Then IL was that DR.. Nealy first knew what
had happened to him. He went home prom
Using to come back later In the evening. Il
was very comfortable, even luxurious,
home to which he went. A little money could
command much In that cheap neighborhood.
In q city the house, with its slopes Of lawn and
forest about It, would have been reckoued q
stately dwelling. Nealy went restlessly up
ana Gown tne nails and chambers, trying to
reason to himself. What had he to do with
the Shirases, or their marrying and giving in
marriagei He had filed up his thoughts and
life with them lately, but he was apt 70 be
vehement in his friendships. He had even
furnished this house rs he had fancied Pris-
ella would have done had It been hers but
that was because she was the only woman of
her class that he had known, and he wanted
to raise himself to her level.
Was that what he wantedi
No. O thousand times mol He Wanted her
-her-the woman herself Soul and flesh and
blood.
He saw his abject folly now, and the extent
OF 1t. Presently he went down to a hedge
bordering the road where they must pass.
When he saw them coming he crossed it and
stood out on the wagon truck IL seemed To