The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-03-31

OOIuS up Will WOuuCIlul oVOlClSA Ull1
now, but the overwhelming sense Of re-
lief was too much for him, and he began
to weep and sob convulsiyely.
Then Mrs. Pemberton glided from the
shrubbery at hand, made a half-gesture
as though she would have clasped the
little fellow in her arms and borne him
away, but checking herself, turned on
her eldest son cold, reproachful glance,
and said:
1T would be less unklnd of you,
Charles, and more manly, if you are de-
termined to tear the child from me, not
to make his remaining days miserable.
And then with aggravating meekness
of demeanor she turned once more to the
house.
Teddy looked after her with a queer,
old-fashioned smile on his young face,
but when she was quite hidden from
view, he sprang up and clasped his
brothers neck, saying:
"I'll go to school, Charlie, and I'll do
Just as you like, and you'll see, if I
won't be man, and I'll win the Greek
and Latin prizes, too, if I can; but you
know I'm not clever, Charlie, as you
mustn't be disappointed if l don't do
that all at once, will you?"
"I'll trust you, Teddy, my boy, to do
the best you can, and none can do more
than that"
81 shall miss you sorely," said Teddy,
"but there will be jolly holidays, you
know, and we shall have pleasant times
together then. And now come on and
let's see how you'll guard your wicket.
If you don't do me the credit Of crick-
eter, I'll sit on YOU"
The poor lady's heart was very sore
when the boy had gone, and she felt her
sele alone, and many and dread were the
misgivings that darkened her mind. And
Charles, too, felt himself alone. They
may talk as they will of the solitude of
deserts, of Arctic wastes, of uninhabited
islands, but there is no solitude like that
of being shut up in the same house with
one we love and with whom we would
fain hold affectionate intercourse and
communion, but who at every advance
toward confidence withdraws to some in
ner shrine and bars our approach.
Mrs. PembertOn's married life had
been outwardly calm and uneventful; but
she was out of sympathy with her hus-
band, man OF easy, jovial temperament
who scarcely noticed her GOODNESS, and
never troubled about it, and she had
sought consolation in religion. She had
fallen under the influence of certain
meek fanatics, who held that "the world, !"
and things of the world, were forbidden
to them. When her husband died, leav-
ing her only life-interest in moderate
property, and making his eldest son sole
guardian of the boy, she had made some
efforts to win over Charles to her views;
but his honest, healthy nature was abso-
lutely imparvious to these narrow no.
tions; he was, according to the jargon of
her sect, "given up to reprobate mind"
he belonged to the world from which she
had been commanded to ''come out and
be separate, 'and day by day the icy crust
of reserve in which she lived became
thicker and thicker; and it was rendered
more hard by the feeling of bitterness
inspired by the provisions of her hus-
bands will. Charles felt all this accutely.
He tried to be, and was, good son, but
all attempts at filial confidence were re-
pulsed. He had rarely been betrayed
into an expression of disrespect, and
when he had his utterances were received
with meekness that was infinitely worse
than any reproach. Few as the.impatient
words were, Mrs. Pemberton bore
all these sayings in her heart, and en-
braced them as her "cross." The kind
of fatalism which she had accepted made
her bow with resignation to the will
which had decreed the eternal perdition
of her elder son in common with that of
the overwhelming majority OF the human
race, but with something of inconsist-
ency she prayed with passionate earnest
ness that her younger son might be
given to her, and might be gathered into
the fold of the elect.
The boy tbrove at school. His health
now that he was freed from material cod
ding, 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 ambitious
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 head full
of worldly thoughts, and should the
Lord one day open your eyes to see the
truth ~ xy,I1 ba 10 RIO n av,J ,vovx,o,r.rI