The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-03-17

SonsOiAItOn IN reHglOn. 81
+. had fallen under the influence of certai
/, meek fanatics, who held that eth
world, and things of the world, wei
forbidden to them. When her husban
died, leaving her only life-interest
a moderate property, and making b
r eldest son sole guardian of the boy, sh
I had made some efforts to win owe
! Charles to her views but his homes
! healthy nature was absolutely imperv
Gus to these narrow notions he wa:
according to the jargon of her sect
''given up to reprobate mind" he be
longed to the world from which she ha
been commanded to s'come out and b
, separate, and day by day the lev crus
of reserve in which she lived becam
thicker and denser audit was rendered
more hard by the feeling of bitterness
inspired by the provisions of her hus
bands will. Charles felt all this acutely
He tried to be, and he was a good son
but all attemps at flial confidence wer,
repulsed. He had rarely been BETRAYED
into an expression of disrespect, anC
when he had, his utterances were re
ceived with meekness that was inf
nitely worse than any reproach. Few
as the impatient words were, Mrs
Pemberton bore all these sayings in hel
heart, land embraced them as cher cross.
The kind of fatalism which she had &C.
cepted, made her bow with resignation
to the will which had decreed the eter-
nal perdition of her elder son in common
with that of the overwhelming majority
of the human race, but with something
of inconsistency she prayed with pas
sionate earnestness that her younger son
might be given to her, and might be
gathered into the fold of the elect
The boy throve at school. His health,
now that he was freed from maternal
coddling, improved rapidly. AS was to
be expected, he did full justice to his
brothers diligent coaching in athletics,
and, what no one had expected, he de-
veloped wonderful faculty for mathe-
matics. Nothing could be more salts
factory than the reports of his conduct
and progress and nothing brighter and
more beautiful than the lads healthy
condolences with his brother in his
happy holidays when he described his
school life and the young hopes and
ambitions kindling within him.
But Mrs. Pemberton looked on all
these things with pious disapproval.
Charles, she would say sometimes,
''you are filling that dear boys mind
full of worldly thoughts, and should the
Lord one day open your eyes to see the
truth, it will be as gall and NORWOOD
to you to think what you have done"
"Why, mother" he would say, "even
the apostle tells us to be diligent in
business and it is Teddy's business
now to get wisdom, and with all his
getting to get understanding
"You talk lightly and frivolously,"
would be the answer, ''for your are of
the world, worldly; the letter-which
killeth-you know of the spirit you
are ignorant, spiritually blind.
"But, mother"
81 cannot discuss the matter with
you." she would interrupt, ''but will
pray that your mind may be enlight-
ened."
And so, with ostentatious meekness
she would leave him to grope in outer
darkness.
When the term of Teddy's school life
was drawing to close, the head master
of the school strongly urged that he
should go to Cambridge and the lad |
himself, pleased with the idea, was en-
eouraged in his desire by the fact that |
the dearest of his school friends had just |
entered St. Johns.
But this was an extention of the edu-
cational course which had not been |
contemplated. The Pembertons, though |
in comfortable circumstances, were not |
wealthy By the will of his father only |
a very moderate sum had been assigned |
for the boys education, and this had al |
ready been doubled by Charles out of |
his own limited means in order that he |
might have the advantages of superior |
school. IF he went to the university |
the funds must come entirely from his |
elder brother, who would have to deny |
himself in many ways to arrange mat
tiers.
And it was especially hard to do at
this time, for the opportunity had just
occurred of purchasing on advantageous
terms some fields ON which he had long |
looked with an eye of rational desire.
Old Livermore, his alter ego on the
farm, was very urgent that he should
buy them.
''There's the sixteen-acre, and Three
ash Field, the Hartley Copse," he said,
''and you must ha' 'em, master. They |
just reownd off the propputty beautiful.
There han't never bin such chance,
sin Ay can meeind, and that's getting
on for fifty year"
''No doubt, Livermore, no doubt" he
as he cast longing eye to-
ward the fields mentioned, lying like
peninsula in the sea of his own estate.
s'No doubt it is most desirable we
Should have them; but [ fear if Mr..
goes to the university | can
not afford to make the purchase"
ssGoos to the Varsity" said Liver
more in tone of contempt; land what
should Master Edward goo to the va
risty for, Ay shu'd lake to know. Old
master he never went, nor more did
VOW, and VOW both on VOW got or very
well wi out it,
'eThat's very true, replied he; "but-
then neither my father nor had much
taste for books, and parson tells me Mr..
is genius and must be cult.
waited. But | have not absolutely made
up my mind yet, have promised to
give Argent my answer next week, and
shall not decide till then"
And so he strobe away, his mind
pretty well made up to forego the OPP
portunity for which both his father and
he had longed and to send the bright
young scholar to distinguish himself on
the Cam
Mrs. Pemberton had been looking
forward with hungry desire to the clos
ing of the chapter of Teddy's school ex-
perience. He was still young and i'm
pressible and she would have opportu-
mites daily and hourly of guiding his
thoughts in the only direction in which,
according to her views, they could be
employed. Her nature,
which hardened more and more to all
the rest of the world. concentrated all