The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-10-21

room, where we found assembled certain
persons whom Jim had not expected K
see. Mr.. Spalding received me courte
ously, as also did ATrs. Spalding. Mis-
Nelly greeted me most cordially, adding
that she was much pleased to make The
acquaintance of DR.. Brooke's old FRIEND
Of whom he 50 often spoke. In addition
to the family circle of three, it was cleal
there were strangers present. These
latter were Mr.. Josiah Blagden and hi:
sister Mr.. Blagden did not impress ms
favorably. He was q stout, ford CON.
plexioned man, remarkable for the ex.
IRENE breadth Of his white Waistcoat and
for the profusion of jewelry displayed
thereon.
a safe man, my dear sir a. very safe
man, said hIr. Spatling to meat lunch,
Why, ! suppose hts turnover Is about
( half million % year-fhe iron trade,
you know, added the old gentleman by
way of explaining that Mr.. Blagdan was
one of the metal-kings of England. &
Sef-made man too, said Mr.. SpaId-
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'sp manners into the
sphere in which his industry and success
had led him. He was essentially a
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 out into a TRADE against
Mrs. Spalding on our arrival at home.
II shouldn't wonder, Regy," said he,
if that fellow Blagden has been invited
down here as q sutton for Nelly. He's a
friend OF Mrs. Spalding's, I know, be-
cause she herself comes from the Black
Country"
Jim's state of mind, from the moment
he preached this theory, may be better
imagined than described. For the next
three weeks I am bound to say that his
temper was well nigh uncomfortable. One
evening at dinner at Mount Grove, felt
half afraid he was going to inAict per-
sonal chastisement upon Mr.. Blagden ;
a feat | should have much reioiced to
have seen skillfulIy performed, after the
iron-masters coarse invectives against
the medical profession, which had been
called forth during some argument con-
corning doctors fees. Nelly's attitude
toward Jim appeared to have undergone
no perceptible change. She was loving
and gentle as before but I fancied that
Mrs. Spalding contrived dexterously to
keep Miss Blagden and Nelly as fire.
quently together as possible; and thus
Jlm's tete-G-tetes were reduced to a mis-
cradle 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-
denis visits and stay were not solely
prompted by friendship to her parents
Mrs. Spalding was, in other words, a
clever woman, playing a 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. / 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-
lions were unwelcome and hopeless. But
as | remarked before, we are not all cast
in one mold; and the most loving ma
lures 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 o. NJ, and from six to eight 10. N.
] had been sitting cogitating over mat
ters one evening at the Red Lion-Jin
having been called to distant part OF
his parish-when an idea, founded, ]
believe, on q quotation from an old
French author, occurred to ne. The
moral suasion fails from any cause te
change an opinion, it is lawful to appeal
to the most trivial of our emotions. :"
Happy idea thought 7. / shall see
whether or not / can work it out to the
advantage of DIR. James Brooke and
shall I add TITO the confusion OF
Josiah Blagden, Esquire. a2a
My plans were then rapidly matured.
Morning, noon and night finds me busy
in the old church. I am hard at work Oh
q canvas in which the interior OF the
edifice grows under my brush day By
day. There are no sounds of the q M
re" now; nor are the jubilantstrains OF
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, os lie once ex.
pressed tin shocking bad taste-arc
usually ga seedy lot I remember Mr..
Josiah's white vest and cable chain, with
enough appendages attached thereto tc
have set up a small ieweler in a 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
chancel 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 figuresI 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 adj
vancing party. The vicar cannot quite
fathom the design. The church he can
understand; but the meaning Of the
picture puzzles him. 7 bid him wait
patiently for the solution Of the mys-
terry.
When my study of the church was
completed, I went home to the Red
Lion, and there | painted in my figures.
There IVES little need for models, for my
.l.-A.,. $50. ..i.-.