The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-01-24

SQUIRE PAlNE's CONVERSION.


e'tured" Yankee boy. who grew up in
the old homestead without brothers OF
sisters.
Had any of those means OF grace
shared his joys and SORROWS, perhaps his
nature would have been modified: but
he was sole heir of the few rugged acres,
scant pasturage for the old red COW, and
the bit of "medder land that reluc-
family gave corn and rye and potatoes
enough for the household. and barely
hay sufficient to winter the COW and the
venerable horse that belonged to old DID
bic Paine, SamuelS father. Now IN such
a case it is slave or Starve in New Eng
land. Hard work is the initial lesson.
Samuels youth of labor began carly
At three years old, in brief garments of
yellow flannel, and Il flaxen thatch of hair
for head covering, he toddled in and out
of the kitchen with chips in basket: he
fed the chickens. he rode in the hay
wagon. and was. moreover. ruled already
with a rod of iron, OF rather a stout
shingle, which hung, ready to hand, by
the chimney piece. At seven. the As
sembly's Catechism was drilled into him,
and he trudged daily mile and back to
the red school house dom" ''choreS at
every odd interval: getting up by day
light in Summer, and long before in Win
ter, to fetch and carry for the poor pale
woman who was wife and mother in that
meagrc households: going to meeting on
Sundays as faithfully as Parson Wires
himself: and in the course of years grow
ing up to be a goodly youth, saving, III
duStrious. correct; perfectly satisfied and
conscious Of his own merits and other
peoples dement's.
But the course of years takes as well
as gives When Samuel was twenty he
was fatherless and motherless. The old
farm was let on shares. and behind the
counter of Il country store i'll Bassett he
dealt out, with strict justice-to his en-
ployer.-scant yards of calico. even meas
ureS of grass seed, small pounds of gro
ccries, weakly rum, sugar not too sweet,
and many other necessities of life in the
same proportion. Old 81 Jones never
had so thrifty a clerk. never made so
much money in the same time. and never
had so few loungers about. In due time
Samuel experienced religion-or said he
did: was duly examined, glibly reeled off
his inward exercises to the admiring dea-
cons, and at the proper season was pro-
pounded and admitted to the church in
Bassett. He had always been a strictly
moral young man, and a sober one-not
in the sense Of temperance, but sober in
habit and manner.
Samuel Paine never INDUCED in those
youthful saycties that SO many boys re-
,ioice in. lie did not waste his hard
earned substance in riotous picnicS. husk-
ing frolics, boat rides. or slciyhing par
ties: he never used tobacco in any form,
never drank cider. or waited on any
SHl III baSSett, Though tHtIe was tnc
usual feminine surplus of a New England
village III this one. In the evening he
read law diligently in Squire Larkin' $
Office. because lie thought it might be
useful to him hereafter, He sat in the
singers seat III the meeting house. his
straight long face. cold gray eyes, sleek
light hair. and immaculate linen looking
respectable enough for whole congrega-
ton. He had class in Sunday school
class of big girls. all Of whom hated
him thoroughly. but never dared own it
Armed with Barnes Notes and Cruden' =
C0ncordnace. he did his duty to his class
in explaining and expounding the doc
trine of the lesson: but while he Impress
ed the letter on their minds, the sweet
and living spirit never lit his cool eye O!
warmed his accurate speech. Whatever
else those young girls learned of Samuel
Paine. they never learned to love the
i.ord or His words. for he knew not how
to teach them. His soul had never yet
found its level, had never had the lesson
that comes to us AL some time in our
lives whether We accept it or not, and he
let or hindcrance.
Before Samuel was twenty -tivc, i.Joncs
retired from business IN Bassett. bein.
persuaded by his wife to remove into
Vermont, where her friends lived. He
had made a good deal of money, and
being ch;ldless and well under his wife 5
thumb. she had induced him to sell out
and 90 back to her old home. Now came
the time Samuel Paine had long looked
for. lie had saved, spared. pinched. to
this end. lie bought out the store and
the small frame house that contained it
Il house with two rooms up stairs and q
kitchen iii the little wing. Part of the
money he paid down in cash: pant Dor
ruwcd on d mortgage: the rest he was
forced to give notes for.
We'll. said 'Biiah Jones. t;.r-oil
cousin of SIS, and the village lp.ifcr and
Joker guess folks'll hey 10 keep THEN
eyes peeled now. ! tell We. Samwell
Paine beats the Dutch to dlivea bargain.
Ye won know where We be, fust We know
any thing: he'll sell We a pair o store
pants i'll five minutes when We don want
EN- no more IL Il toad wants pocket"
Dew tell suffered Old GraEtlsil
Baker, WHO had just come osei' from the
town-house with a hank Of yarn to trade
OFF for some molaSScS. We'll well, well
| IIowS-ever he can't sell me nothin'. eos
hain't got no money: yc can't get BLOOD
outen stun. nohow He, he. he"
blessed he nnthn'.' dryly put in
'Biinh.
And all this while Samuel was announc
ing his principles in the store TO knot OF
farmers and village wortlics come III fol
their weekly supplies for the first time
since S Paine name had been seen above
the door,
Yes Sir. yes, Sir. I've cleaned W
considerable; hope to clear up more.
'xpcct to conduct this business on line
gcntlemen-a straight line. SO to speak
seemin'ly. as it were. There amt II,
rewl better for all things than the colder
rcwl; that contains the spcrrit and prin
cipIe Of the hull thing. Dos you'd Xix,
| ter he done by: that's my idce in shor