The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-05-13

=. Struck terror to each watching soul.
$For-thirteen- hfteen-fourteep-ala
Were all that he got for his pains,
10 he handcAlly swallowed OF poison 3 glass,
I And with = bullet he bored out his brains.
DAVID SWAN.
Could We indeed know all the vicis-
tudes of our fortunes, life would be
too full of hope and fear, exultation or
disappointment, to afford us q single
hour OF true serenity. This idea may
be illustrated by single page from the
secret history Of David Swan.
We have nothing to do with David
until we find him, at the age of 20, on
the road from his native place to the
city OF Boston, where his uncle, q
small dealer in the grocery line, was to
take him behind the counter. Be it
enough to say he was a native Of New
Hampshire, born of respectable parents,
and lad received an ordinary school
education with q classic finish of year
at Gilmanton Academy. After journey
ing on foot from sunrise till nearly noon
of q summers day, his WEAKNESS and
|. the increasing heat determined him to
sit down and await the coming of the
stage-coach. As it planted on purpose
for him, there soon appeared little
clump Of naples, with delightful re-
cess in their midst, and such fresh,
bubhGng spring that it seemed never
to have sparkled for any wayfarer ex-
cept David Swan. Virgin or not he
kissed it with his thirsty lips and then
flung himself along the brink, pillow
ing his head upon some shirts and a
pair OF pantaloons tied up in striped
cotton handkerchief. The sunbeams
could not reach him: the dust did not
rise from the road, after the heavy rain
of yesterday; and his grassy lair suited
the young man better than bed Of
down. The spring murmured drow-
sily beside him, and the blue sky over
head and deep sleep, perchance hid
ing dreams with its depths, fell upon
David Swan.
While he lay sound asleep in the
shade other people were wide awake,
and passed to and fro on horseback,
and in all sorts of vehicles, along the
sunny road by his bed-chamber. Some
looked neither to the right nor the left,
and knew not that he was there: some
merely glanced that way, without ad-
hitting the slumberer among their busy
thoughts; some laughed to see how
soundly he slept; several whose hearts
were trimming full Of scorn elected
their venomous superiority on David
Swan. A middle-aged widow, when
nobody else was near, thrust her head q
little way into the recess, and vowed
that the young fellow looked charming
in his sleep. A temperance lecturer
saw him, and wrought poor David into
the texture Of his evenings discourse,
as an awful instance Of dead drunken
ness By the roadside. But censure,
merriment, praise, scorn and indiffer-
ence were all one, or rather all nothing.
to David Swan.
re- he had slept only few moments
when brown carriage, drawn by q
handsome pair of horses. bowled easily
along, and was brought to u standstill
nearly in front of David's resting-pla
A'inch-pin had fallen out, and per-
mitted one of the wheels to slide off.
The damage was slight, and occasioned
merely momentary alarm to an elder
~ gentleman and wife who were re-
turning to Boston in the carriage.
While the coachman and servant were
replacing the wheel, the lady and gen.
tleman sheltered themselves beneath
the maple trees, and there espied the
bubbling fountain AID David Swan
asleep beside it. Impressed with the
awe which the humblest sleeper sheds
around him, the merchant trod as light
~ Is the govt would allow; and his
spouse took good heed not to rustic her
silk gown, lest David should start up
all Of sudden.
Glow soundiy he sleepsr whispered
the old gentleman. "From what a
depth he draws that easy breath
Such sleep as that, brought on with
out an opiate, would be worth more to
me than half my income, for it would
argue health and an ,1ntroubled mind"
And youth beside" said the: lady.
Healthy and quiet age does not sleep
thus. Our slumber is no more like his
than our wakefulness."
Thus did this elderly couple feel in
terested in the unknown youth, to whom
the wayside and the naples were as a
secret chamber, with the rich gloom of
damask curtains brooding over him.
Perceiving that stray sunbeam glim~
mered down upon his face, the lady
contrived to twist branch so az to in
tercept it; and, having done this act of
kindness, she began to feel like moth
er to him,
Providence seems to have laid him
here" whispered she to her husband,
and to have brought us hither to find
him, after our disappointment in our
cousins son. Methinks I can see a
likeness to departed Henry. Shall we
s waken him?"
y = To what purpose?" said the mer-
chant, hesitating. ~We know nothing
of the youths character"
b THAT open countenance!" replied his
wife, in the same hushed voice, earnest
~: ~This innocent Sleep"
!, While these whispers were passing,
the sleepers heart did not throb, nor
his breath become agitated, nor his
features betray the least token of inter-
est. Yes, fortune was bending over
him, just ready to let fall . burden of
gold, The old merchant had lost his
only son, and had no heir to his wealth
except distant relative, with whose
conduct he was dissatisfied. In such
cases people sometimes do much stran-
ger things than to act the magician and
awaken q: young man in splendor who
fell asleep in poverty.
T., "Shau We not awaken him 2" repeated
: the lady, persuasively. -
The coach is ready, sir,"'' said the
servant behind. :
The old couple started, Redeemed and
hurried away, mutually wondering that
they should ever dream Of doing any
thing 80 ridiculous. The merchant
threw himself back in his carriage and
occupied his mind with the plan of q
I magnificent asylum for unfortunate men
of business. Meanwhile David Swan
! enjoyed his nap. r, .....>
=, The, carnage could not, have gone
above mile or two when prettyyoung