The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-11-05

She was evidently girl of sterling
wc::th and with high sense of the duty
she believed she owed to her parents
wishes. I thought over Master Jim's
love affair as ! lay in bed that night and
came to the conclusion that the case
was a difficult one. You cannot always
mold human minds to your own bent
and purpose by simply speaking. Hence
I came to the conclusion that Miss
Spalding's love for my old friend ought
to be tested and tried in some other
way. As my experience of human nature
goes, there seems nothing like putting
love, of all human emotions, to some
rigid test. But how the test could be
applied to the case in which I had thus
been led to feel a special interest, I
knew not.
/ confess as rolled over to sleep
that did not see my way clear to help
them. Little did I think that the NOR
row was to bring the means. and the
man. The man was Josiah Blagden,
ESQ.,, iron founder, of the firm of Blag-
den, Bilgo & Co., of Birmingham and
elsewhere; the means was-my humble
self.
The day after my arrival at Rock
hampton Jim proposed that I should
drive with him on his morning round,
and, added he, "Well call at Mount
Grove on our way home" Mount
Grove was the residence of Mr.. Spald-
ing; and 2 o'clock found US at the gate
of very nice villa residence, overlook
ing the.ri7er, and standing within its
own nicely-kept grounds.
We we're ushered into the drawing
room, where he found assembled certain
persons whom Joe had not expected to
sec. Mr.. Spalding received me- cour-
teouslv, and also did Mrs. Spalding.
Miss Nellie greeted me most cordially,
adding that she was much pleased to
make the acquaintance of DR.. Brooke's
old friend OF whom he so often spoke.
In addition to the family circle of three
it was clear there we're strangers pres
ent. These latter were Mr.. Josiah Blag-
den and his sister. Mr.. Blagden did
not impress me iavorably. he was a
stout, horid- d-complexioned man, remark
able for the extreme breadth Of his
! white waistcoat and for the profuslon OF
jewelry displayed thereon.
GA safe man, ray dear sir; q very safe
man." said Mr.. Spalding to me at
lunch. "Why, suppose his turnover
is about half million year-the iron
trade, you know" added the old gentle
man by way of explaining that MIR.
Blagden was one Of the metal kings Of
England.
"Self-made man, too,'' said Mr..
! Spalding; "began life as foundry
boy"
From what I saw Of Mr.. Blagden
| within the next few weeks, his origin
could have been pretty accurately
guessed from the manner in which he
ouIlied his sister, 8 meek, silent little
woman, with good heart and kindly
nature, as I discovered later on.
As We drove home from lunch that
day Jim was strangely depressed. I
guessed his thoughts pretty accurately,
| for he burst out into a TRADE against
Mrs. Spaiding on our arrival at home.
81 shouldn't wonder, Regy," said
he, "if that fellow Blagden has been
invited down here as suitor for Nelly.
| He's q friend of Mrs. Spalding's, [
know, because she herself comes from
the BLACK country"
Jim's state of mind, from the moment
he bEoached this theory, may be better
imagined than described. For the next
three weeks am bound to say that his
temper was well-nigh unendurable. One
evening at dinner at Mount Grove, I
felt hall afraid he was going to infict
personal chastisement upon MIR. Blad.
gen, feat 7 should have much rejoiced
to lave seen skillfully performed, after
the iron masters coarse Invectives
against the medical profession, which
had been called forth during some argu-
ment concerning doctors fees. Nelly's
attitude toward jim appeared to have
undergone no perceptible change: She
was lovina and gentle as before; has ]
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