Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-07-07
The Four-Leaved Shamrock.

tHe FUuF-LedveQ SndmfOCk,
"I'll seek the four-leaved shamrock
Through all the fairy dells,
And ii find the charmed leaves,
Oh, how I'll weave my SPELLS"
'If could but find one, said Grace,
pausing suddenly in the midst of her
song and letting her hands fall from the
keys of the piano into her lap.
"What is the special virtue supposed
to reside in the fourth leaf1et of sham.
rock?"
"Do you not know that a four-leaved
shamrock is supposed fairy talisman,
giving its possessor an influence for good
over all with whom he comes in contact
He can heal feuds, reunite parted friends
in fact, be every ones good genius.
think shall look for one, Laurence. -
"Io what use would you apply your
magic powers %
81 would make your uncle relent, of
course"
81 am afraid that nothing short of a
fairy spell will accomplish that, Grace /;
reason has no effect whatsoever upon
him."
'sHave you been administering much
of that article lateIy?"
81 spent more than an hour this morn
ing In trying to make him see that after
five years of hard work have right
to fixed salary, be it much or little.
I'VE would be content with a little.
would we not, Grace? He will not ad-
mltaamy right to anything, but says that
If l marry to please him he will take me
into partnership with him at once. As
do not, however, intend to crafty him
in this respect, his liberal offers are not
of much use."
Ibid he name any particular person
whom he wished you to marry ?"
eyes; Miss Blake, of Killora. 1t
seems that he and old Blake have been
talking the matter over, after the man
ner OF the farmers, and have come to an
understanding concerning the number
OF COWS and pigs, or their equivalents,
to be contributed on each side. NY
uncle arranged a marriage the other day
on strictly commercial principles be-
tween the foreman's son and old Tom
Byrne's daughter and he is so proud of
his performance that he is burning to
try his hand on my affairs next"
"Alice Blake is pretty girl and a
nice girl, Laurence"
''She is-about the prettiest girl I
know, but for all that I don't mean to
marry her. Nor do I think the arrange
ment would suit her much better than
it does me. If am not much mistaken
she, too, has plans of her own. But
while my uncle has the notion in his
head we shan't be able to make him look
at things from our point of view. Try
to find the four-leaved shamrock. Grace,
and conjure up little common sense
for my uncle. A very little would do.
l must go now; will you come as far as
the gate with me?"
And the two lovers sauntered out into
the twilight, and reiterated their last
words at the garden gate, leaving the
pretty little drawing-room to its sole
other occupant, Grace's cousin Gerald,
a slender, fair-haired lad of about four
teen, who was lying istlessly on a low
couch In the bow window.
Grace and Laurence had been pIay-
fellows for so many years that no one
but the uncle of the latter felt any sur
prise when they appeared in the charac-
ter OF lovers. Mr.. Latouche, however,
was thunderstruck at the announcement
of his nephew's attachment to Grace Ne
vile, and declared, in language of which
he afterward felt somewhat ashamed,
that should Laurence persist in his de-
termination to marry the daughter of
beggarly half-pay captain he might bid
farewell to his present home and future
prospects at Glenallan Mills.
Laurence was quite dependent on his
uncle, with whom he had lived from
childhood; he had always been treated
as son of the house, and on his return
from school had begun to assist his uncle
in the management of his extensive fax
mills. Looked on by every one as the
future master, and literally supplied
with pocket money, he was nevertheless
without any fixed salary, and sometimes
felt tempted to envy the mill hands who
received their weekly pittance, not as
gift, but as q right. He was resolved,
however, that, come what might, he
would marry Grace, and he had already
begun to make inquiries as to the prob
ability Of his being able to utilize the
experience gained at Glenallan Mills in
obtaining salaried post in some simi-
lar concern. His uncle, meantime, ignor-
ing, as far as possible, the young mans
own projects. lost no opportunity of
showing him how smooth his path should
be made in the event of his marriage
with Miss Blake, whose higher birth
was considered by the seniors to bal
ance the accumulated fortunes of three
generations of mill owners.
While Grace and Laurence were lott
ering in the garden, Gerald was pom
,lering over the only portion Of the fore
going conversation intelligible to himself
Grace's iesting wish for the four-leav-
ed shamrock. Poor Gerald was but
haIf-witted /; his brain had been injured
Aby fell in babyhood, and had never
developed. He was still a
"a i'd in mind, with all chiId's belief
fa$he marvelous-a belief which Grace
s chary of discouraging, from an in
active feeling that his imaginations
4 *e his highest gift, which, once weak
N ID or destroyed, would never be re-
ced by reasoning powers She was
y fond Of him and devoted much
!. I4-