The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-10-07

case in which | had thus been led = feel
I special interest knew not.
| confessed as / rolled over to.laen
that L did not see my way clear q belp
them. Little did think that the nor
row was to bring the means an the
man. The man was Josiah BIg7en
Esquire, iron founder. of the fn of
Blagden n Co, of Birmingham and
elsewhere the means was-my hnhle
self r'i0
The day after my arrival atRock-
hampton Jim proposed that I hould
drive with him on his morning ound
and added he " Wen call at Iount
Grove on our way home" Mount iroye
was the residence of Mr.. Spaldi, and
two o'clock found us at the gls of a
very nice villa residence. overlooking the
riyer. and standing within its own licely
kept grounds
We were ushered into the offSfne-
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. Hiss
Nelly 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 dear
there were strangers present Ilese
I latter were Mr.. Josiah Blagden and his
sister. Mr. Blagden did not impress Inc
favorably. He was a stout, forid-pm-
pleXioned man, remarkable for the eX-
treme breadth of his white waistcoai and
for the Profusion of iewelry disPhyed
thereon.
"a safe man, my dear sir veTy safe
man, said Mr.. Spalding to me at hnch.
"Why, L suppose his turnover is shout
half a million a year-the iron Fade,
you know" added the old gentlemn by
way of explaining that Mr. Blagdel was
one of the metal-kinys of England
Self-made man too. said Mr. Spald-
ing "began life as a foundry-bOyP
From what l saw of Mr. Bbgden
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.
guessed his thoughts pretty accurately,
for he burst ont into a TRADE against
Mrs. Spalding on our arrival at home.
Il shouldn't wonder, Regy, said he.
''if that fellow Blagden has been invited
down here as a 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
he broached this theory, may be better
imagined than described. For the next
three weeks l am bound to say that his
temper was well nigh unendurabls One
evening at dinner at Mount Groy4 4 alt
haIf 2tS6iS Twas going to u S.S
t. g gsr--
mo. : .Ifly performed, ~ the
iron-master's coarse invectives against
the medical profession, which had been
called forth during some argument con-
cerning doctors fees. Nellys 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 fire.
quently together as possible; and thus
sfA
erable minimum. Worst of all, slim
remarked to me one day. Nelly had con-
fessed that her step-mOther had on more
than one occasion limited that Mr.. Blag
denis visits and stay were not solely
prompted by friendship to her parents.
Mrs. Spalding was. in other words,
clever woman, playing a nice little game
of diplomacy, and while keeping on the
most friendly terms with jim, was to
nv mind furthering her own aims and
ideas of a matrimonial alliance for Nelly
with the elderly iron-founder. l 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 II High street, where Dr.
James Brooke announced his willingness
to relieve the afflicted daily from ten tc
eleven q. M, and from six TO eight ?. N.
/ had been sitting cogitating over mat
ters one evening at the Red lhon-Jm
having been called to a distant part OF
his parish-when an idea, founded, i
believe, on. a quotation from an old
French author, occurred to me. The
quotation was to the effect that, when
moral suasion fails from any caase to
change an opinion. it is lawful to appeal
to the most trivial of our emotions.
Happy idea thought l. / shall see
whether or not 1 can work it on to the
advantage of DIR. James Brooke4Fnd 80
shall | add it?-to the cOnfuson of
Josiah Blagdeu, Esquire.
Nv plans were then rapidly maured.
Morning, noon and night finds me busy
in the old church. L am hard at work on
a canvas in which the interior Of the
edifice grows under my brush day by
day. There are no sounds of the ''Ru-
rie' now; nor are the jubilant strains of
Mendelssohn heard, as on a bright
sunny day not so far gone by. Nelly
does not come TO practice her oldfNor-
ties as of yore. Blagden, know hates
music aud painters, as he one ex-
pressed tin shocking bad task-are
usually "a seedy lot. =" I rememhr Mr..
| Josiahs white vest and cable chain with
enough appendages attached therHo to
| have set up small ieweler in a thiving
way of business. The aisle and allery
of the church are now complete i nv
| picture. paint it as L sit in thelisle ;
| in the distance you can see the altr and
chancel and the vicar, who loAs III
upon me occasionally, says it is asIjxe as
can be. He is curious, however, tolSnow
the nature of the figures have sk#ched
roughly in. There is a group nssing
down the aisle from the altar-railsrbere
the vicar can still be seen at hisnost /;
and there is a figure standing aloe and
solitary in pew, as if facing he adj
vancing party. The vicar cannd ouite
fathom the design. The church h can
understand but the meaning of the
picture puzzles him. 1 bid hin wait
patiently for the solution of the pys-
terry.
When my study of the church was