Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-01-22
WHAT BECAME OF ">AM."
Caswell's Magazine

all events, they treated him as if he
were SO. Not that they were unkind
to him; on the contrary, they were all
very fond of 'poor old Sam" but it
seemed to be taken for granted that
whatever he said was not worth no.
ticing, and almost everything he did
was to be made, fun of more or less.
He was, in fact, the family butt, though
shafts were, as rule, tipped with good
nature so as not to hurt his feelings.
Hardly ever did he attempt to say or do
anything In serious earnest, since al
most everything he did or said was
treated as sort OF joke. s = ..ss .rs .
There was one exception to this
Mothers always know best how to deal
with the weak in4the flock, and Sans
mother never laughed at him and new er
despaired of him. "What is to become
Of Sam?' his father would say; she II
never earn his own living" and his
mother would quietly answer: "Wait a
bit, my dear. there is more in him, per-
haps, than we think, but it wants to be
drawn out, and | doubt if we are act
ing wisely In laughing him as we do. y
She said we poor soul, but that was
only her discreet way of putting it.
Now, Sam had sister, Mary, of
whom he was especially fond. Perhaps
It was because she was the sister near
est to him in age, but it was more likely
because she placed little more conf
dence in him than the others did; it
wasn't much, but it was more than he
got from any of the rest. If
He would do anything for Mary, and
when certain Mr.. st. Leger. in the
neighborhood took fancy to her, it was
amusing to see how Sam resented the
engagement. This Mr.. st. Leger had
lately come into the neighborhood-no
one knew where from; but he had
plenty of money and very agreeable
manners, and 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
accepted sutton, Sans aversion to him
became intense. u.s. .~-...r ...-.
The day was fixed for the wedding,
and the Sunday had arrived when, in
Difference to Mary's particular wish,
though very much against Mr.. st.
Legers inclination, the banns We're to
be published In church. The Freres
were ii their place-great square pew
IN front Of the pulpit. The names were
read out in due course. Mary was re-
covering from the electric shock of
hearing them; the villagers were inter-
changing giauces, some even cautiously
rising little to peep into the square
pew, when a voice was heard all over
the church. saying, in most emphatic
WaV g forbid tbo bo,,y,c ......
Surprise was on every face, but it
quickly gave way to the ludicrous as
Sam was seen standing up in the mid
die of the pew looking the clergyman
steadily in the face, as much as to say,
: There now; get over that if you CAM"
The clergyman was SO amused that he
had to rush on with the service to pre-
vent any unseeming display, while
Sans kindred in the square pew were
IN every attitude of painfully restrained
amusement.
And there he stood, unabashed and
defiant, until his father plucked him by
the arm and made him sit down. But
none OF them for one moment thought
1t was anything more than a very I'M
accountable freak of poor old Sans"
No sooner was the service over than
he was assailed on all sides for an ex-
PLANTATION. Two only were serious about
this father and Mary. ...
What is the meaning of this, sir"
said his father, sternly; "what could
have possessed you to make yourself so
ridicuious?" .... -.
He has got wife already. said
Sam, doggedly. - ..as..
"Who has?' was the general excla-s
nation. .s 81
"St. Leger" f II f.T.~s
"Who told you so?"
S'Tom Tyler"
Tom Tyler was the village letter car
rier.
There was shout of laughter at this
piece Of information.
when did Tom Tyler tell you this?'
Yesterday. He brought me letter
for Mrs. St. Leger."
Another shout of laughter greeted
this; but Mary looked very grave, while
her father said that, of course, the letter
was for st. Leger's mother, of whom he
had more than once spoken. So Sam
was sharply rebuked for, listening to
Tom Tyler's idle tales, and told to hold
his tongue. You'll have st. Leger try
his horsewhip across your shoulders if
you don't mind,' cried the eldest broth
er, and they all laughed again; but Sam
was very unlike himself, and did not
join in the laugh, but maintained
grave composure they had never no.
tlced IN him before.
Nor was it a laughing matter some
where else. The news of that morn. |
ing's interru otion flew apace, with vari-
Gus additions and ameDdm ents Thus
improved upon, it reached the ears of
Mr.. St. Leger, who lived but a few miles
of, and it created profound sensa-
ton, SO much SO that, instead of spend
ing the afternoon with the Freres, as
expected, he took himself off and was
never seen by them again. 1t was dis
covered that Tom Tyler's version had
been correct after good radiance. for |
Mary Frere; but a heart trihed with /
and Wronged can never quite recover I
itself
For time Sam was almost yrever-
emily treated at home. They felt the