The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-10-06
WHOLE NUMBER 753.

special interest I knew not.
I confessed as I rolled over to sleep
that 1 did not see my way clear to help
them. Little did think that the r,or-
row was to bring the means and the
man. The man was Josiah Blagden,
Esquire, iron founder, of the firm of
Blagden & 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.. SpaIding and
two o'clock found us at the gate of
very nice villa residence, overlooking the
river, and standing within its own nicely
kept grounds.
We were ushered into the drawing
room, where we found assembled certain
persons whom Jim had not expected to
see. Mr.. Spalding received me courte-
ously, as also did Mrs. Spalding. Miss
Nelly greeted me most cordially, adding
that she was much pleased to make the
acquaintance of DIR. Brooke's old friend
of whom he SO often spoke. In addition
to the family circle of three, it was clear
there were strangers present. These
latter were Mr.. Josiah Blagden and his
sister. Mr. Blagden did not impress me
favorably. He was a stout, forid- COM
plexioned man, remarkable for the ex-
treme breadth of his white waistcoat and
for the profusion of iewelry displayed
thereon.
ga safe man, my dear sir very safe
man, said Mr.. Spalding to me at lunch.
"Why, suppose his turnover is about
half million a year-ths iron trade,
you know" added the old gentleman by
way of explaining that Mr.. Blagden was
one of the metal-kinys of England.
'>Self-made man too, said Mr.. Spald-
ing "began life as a foundry -boy.'
From what saw of Mr.. Blagden
within the next few weeks, his origin
could have been pretty accurately guessed
from the manner in which he impaired
the "foundry-boy's" manners into the
sphere in which his industry and success
had led him. He was essentially
vulgar man, who bullied his sister, a
meek, silent little woman, with a good
heart and kindly nature, as 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 TRADE against
Mrs. Spalding 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
friend of Mrs. Spalding's, know, be-
| cause she herself comes from the Black
| Country"
Jim's state of mind, from the moment
| hal 1,raool,aI l,ah hot
imagined than described. For the next
three weeks I am bound to say that his
temper was we'll nigh uncomfortable. One
evening at dinner at Mount Grove, felt
half afraid he was going to infiict per-
il sonal chastisement upon Mr.. Blagden !:
feat l should have much rejoiced to
have seen skillfully performed, after the
iron-master's coarse invectives against
the medical profession, which had been
called forth during some argument con-
cerning doctors fees. Nelly's attitude
toward Jim appeared to have undergone
no perceptible change. She was loving
and gentle as before; but fancied that
Mrs. Spalding contrived dexterously to
keep Miss Blagden and Nelly as fre-
quently together as possible; and thus
Jm's tete-a-tetes were reduced to mis-
erable minimum. Worst of all, as Jim
remarked to me one day. Nelly had con.
fessed that her step-mother had on more
than one occasion limited that Mr.. Blag-
4 denis visits and stay were not solely
prompted by friendship to her parents.
Mrs. Spalding was, in other words, q
clever woman, playing nice little game
of diplomacy, and while keeping on the
most friendly terms with Jim, was to
my mind furthering her own aims and
ideas of matrimonial alliance for Nelly
with the elderly iron-founder. I know
that most of my readers will say that
Miss Spalding should have settled the
matter for herself, and have given Mr..
Blagden to understand that his atten-
tions were unwelcome and hopeless. But
as remarked before, we are not all cast
in one mold and the most loving ma.
ture's may sometimes be coerced BY
what seems to be their duty, into self.
sacrifice of the most unreasonable kind,
and which can only entail misery in the
end.
So things went on at Rockhampton,
with diplomacy at Mount Grove. and
despair at No. IA High street, where DIR.
James Brooke announced his willingness
to relieve the afflicted daily from ten tc
eleven a. M, and from six to eight p. m.
had been sitting cogitating over mat
ters one evening at the Red Lion-Jim
having been called to a distant part oi
his parish-when an idea, founded.
believe, on quotation from an old
French author. occurred to me. The
quotation was to the effect that, "when
moral suasion fails from any cause to
change an opinion. it is lawful to appeal
to the most trivial of our emotions.
Happy idea thought I. I shall SEE
whether or not I can work it out to the
advantage of DIR. James Brooke and
shall I add it?-to the confusion oi
Josiah Blagdeu, Esquire.
My plans were then rapidly matured
Morning, noon and night finds me busy
in the old church. I am hard at work OF
a canvas in which the interior of the
edifice grows under my brush day by
day. There are no sounds of the ky
rie" now nor are the jubilant strains o.
Mendelssohn heard, as on bright
sunny day not SO far gone by. Nelly
does not come to practice her old favor.
ties as of yore. Blagden, I know, hates
music and painters, as he once ex
pressed tin shocking bad taste-are
usually ga seedy lot" I remember Mr.
Josiah's white vest and cable chain, with
enough appendages attached thereto tc
have set up small jeweler in thriving
way of business. The aisle and gallery
of the church are now complete in my
picture. paint it as I sit in the aisle
in the distance you can see the altar and
chanceI; and the vicar, who looks in
upon me occasionally, says it is as like as
can be. He is curious, however, to know
the nature of the figures I have sketched
roughly in. There is a group passing
down the aisle from the altar-rails where
the vicar can still be seen at his post
and there is figure standing alone and
solitary in pew, as if facing the ad-
vancing party. The vicar cannot quite
fathom the design. The church he can
understand; but the meaning of the
picture puzzles him. I bid him wait