Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-05-22
Gales xrio Sketfkes.


were u0c0or1t4Ole ABOVE tne1f IeiiOWs, yer
1t would be hard to find three persons who
believed there was any good in Fred
Wildburn. A rude. ungoverned child a
lawless, vicious youth . reckless. dissi-
pated man. In all the thirty years of his
life be had done no good thing that any
one ever remembered of him. The peos
pie OF Maidstone were a very moral, good
j. ish sort of people, and did not hesitate to
give this one Ishmaelite to understand the
impossible gulf that lay between them
selves and him, both in time and eternity
Perhaps il tended TO improve his heart
and temper, but doubt it.
Among the inhabitants of Maidstone
was a family of the name Of Upton. From
time immemoral there had been a feud be
tween the Wildburns and Uptons kept
alive and aggravated by each successive
generation. A great many years before a
Wildburn and an Upton had married sis
tiers and through some nice bit ofdiplomacy
on the part of Upton, his wife was made
heiress to the paternal fortune, and the
wife of Wildburn cut off with paltry 10
pounds.
Later, Henry Upton had succeeded in
getting the whole OF legacy LETT by some
distant relative. which should have been
equally divided between Fred Wildburn
and himself. Naturally this tended to
widen the breach, and fearful and bitter
were the oaths and VOWS of vengeance
which Fred breathed against Upton. In
deed, ! think bis ungovernable passion
might have led him TO some act Of per-
.onal violence but for one restraining in
huence.
Now wears before the commencement Of
our tale. when Fred Wildburn was about
twenty years old he had one of his wrists
broken in some disgraceful fight which he
had himself provoked. His mother was.
and had been for years helpless, bed
ridded invalid, with an intellect weak
ened by long illness and abuse i
for her husband drank heavily
ut times, and liquor made him wild and
furious. The broken limb was set by a
surgeon in q neighboring town, but the
prospect of payment being exceedingly
small, be paid very little subsequent at
tention to his patient. 1t was warm
weather, and the arm was badly torn and
bruised besides, and needed daily atten-
ton. Good, charitable. pious people. who
gave munificently for the amelioration of
the heather thousands OF miles away,
turned with disgust from this heather at
their own doors. Timd women shrank
from entering the house, because, per-
chance old Widburn might be on one of
his elbows" and so the bruises festered
and grew infamed. and the danger that
the arm would have to come off grew i'm
minent. Fred wasn't used to bearing
pain, and swore and raved fearfully. and
the weak minded invalid cried and fretted
by turns, and Wildburn senior drank more
perseveringly than ever.
In this pandemonium there came one
morning slight, delicate girl, bearing a
little roll of snowy linin in her hands.
II have come to dress your arm. Fred"
she said quietly. laying aside her white
sun-bonnet, and revealing a thin. rather
pale face. with steady, fearless brown
eyes.
"Who sent you here. Bessie Brandon ?'
asked the elder Wildburn, in a clustering
voice.
mo one. sir. came because thought
It right to come. Frederick will lose his
arm unless it is cared for speedily"
LET him lose it them" was the gruff
answer.
mot if | can help it. sirn'
And the brown eyes were lifted earnest
~ to his face.
Muttering something about 'meddling
neighbors.' he seized his hat and stag
gered out of the room. and Bessie at once
set herself to the work of caring for the
wounded arm.
II was a terrible sight and the firm lips
grew Just little white as she stripped off
the matted bandages; but her white
fingers were steady and cool, as she care
fully washed the arm. bathed it in some
linment she had brought with her. and
swathed it nicely and carefully in the cool
soft linen she brought for the purpose.
why. it don't feel like the same arm''
Fred exclaimed. when she had finished;
and inyoluntarily he glanced at the other
hand, which he. for the first time, realized
with faint emotion of shame. to he al
most as sadly in need of washing as the
other had been. When Bessie came the
next day she noticed that il was almost as
white as her own.
Every day for four weeks did Bessie
visit the Wildburns on her errand of
mercy. undismayed by the elbows" of old
Wildburn, or the ridicule of her friends
II should have lost it, dare say. IL it
had not been for you. Miss Bessie" Fred
said, the last day she came. .'I'm a
miserable wretch. heaven knows; but |
shan't ever forget this" touching his arm.
said gently.
well, you're the first one.' he said
little bitterly.
As said, this was ten years before,
and though the years had brought many
changes the amelorating influences had
been few in the life of Fred Wildburn.
The drunken father and invalid mother
had both died. leaving Fred quite alone
in the miserable. tumble-down old house
where he lived. He had not improved
with the years on the contrary. he had
grown more reckless and disorderl} con-
linually. until people said he was utterly.
and totally depraved, without one good
implse in his heart
There was one thing happened during
these ten years which had omitted to
mention. Bessie Brandon had married
Henry Upton; but no one in Maidstone
ever knew of the terrible night which
Fred Wildburn passed when he heard of
II.
Nobody ever knew what miserable
fool he had BEEN" he said fiercely.
He need not have feared-his secret was
sale-for no one ever was wild enough to