Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-03-28
THE SILVER LOCK.

THE SILVER LOCK.
In the great busy city of London
where hundreds die yearly of overworl
and mental anxiety, to how many,
wonder, is it given, by one fayorabl,
turn of the wheel of fortune, to recover
both their health and happiness. Suct
astroke of good luck befell ME three wear!
ago, when life was looking very black te
me, and l was recommended the simple
expedient Of making a walking tour
IN order to chase away it's shadows. NJ,
father was an officer in the army. and
his only child. My mother died when ]
was born, leaving her husband heart
broken at her loss. Fr1m henceforth al
his affection was lavished on me; my will
was never crossed, and every whim OF
caprice chose to indulge in was, so far
AS it was POSSIBLE, satisfied. So 1 grew
up idle and selfish, careless Of the future
and encouraged to continue in the same
path by my father, who vaguely limited
that at some future day I should have
more money than I should know what
to do with, and need therefore choose no
profession.
did not know that this golden dream
had reference to my thing SO uncertain
as mere speculations, but was rudely
awakened one morning, when my poor
father with trembling lips told me that
his I'll Dorado had vanished into thin
air-in plain English, he was beggar.
That evening he was stricken with par
alysis, never to recover, and before O
week was out l found myself, Compare
lively speaking, alone in the world, at
three-and twenty, without money or pro-
fesslon, with misspent youth, and no
prospect OF advancement before. 1 had
few dllettante tastes, and could play
the violin and draw animals fairly we'll:
but my heart was in the country, and
could l have chosen the means of earn
ing my livelihood, it would have been as
farmer.
As it was, I had not sufficient money
to educate myself for this life, at all
times precarious one for an amateur,
so had to swallow my pride, and with
the assistance of my friends obtained.
after long waiting, what was considered
favor-a clerkship in one of the great
banking-houses in London. l set to
work, resolutely turning my back on the
past, employing all my leisure moments
IN studying drawing, with dim visions
IN the future OF following-yery hum
bly-ln the footsteps of Landseer and
Ansdell, and of turning my back forever
on pen and Ink, high stools and ledgers.
But fate was apparently unkind to me
and threw IN my way woman, with
eyes as soft and bright as those Of the
deer loved to delineate, and with even
less money than myself possessed. 1
met her at the house of one of nv manv
kind friends, and no sooner saw her
than, with the peryersity of poverty. I
loved her. Alas! che was only a GOV
erness, and only bankers clerk!
What hope had I?
After that first time I saw her often.
l could not go to the Garwoods' House
without meeting her, for she was petted
by the whole family, and treated more
as guest than as the childrens' govern
ess. They told ME she was an italian.
but when 1 grew to know her better.
l learned from herself that she was half
English, aud that her name was Olivia,
AS for her surname, that always re-
NAMED puzzle, for she could not
nightly pronounce it, being English; and
always called herself by that of her STEP
father, IN ltalian-the only father she
had ever known. He and her mother
were both dead, leaving her destitute,
80 she had come over to England with
some friends, to seek situation as gov
erness. Fortune had befriended her.
and he1 lines were to day cast in pleas
ant places at the Ga1woods.
She was 80 pretty, with her soft, ga
zelle like eyes, red lips and English
brown hair, striking by its contrast with
the clear, olive complexion and dark
eyebrows, with her quaint foreign ways
and gesticulations, that one could not
wonder at the fascination she exercised
over all who came in contact with her.
One defect she had, which no doubt
marred her beauty to the ordinary OBJ
server: This was a small, perfectly
white lock Of hair, just above her fore
head, where it cleaned out from among
the luxuriant brown masses by which it
was surrounded like streak of bur-
Dished silver. To me, however, it was
no blemish, for, strange to say, myself
had the same defect, only my white lock
was thicker and more prominent than
was OHvia's. The Garwoods we're much
amused by this, our common physical
PECULIARLY, and joki6gly said we would
discover each other to be cousins by
means of the silver lock. Olivia had
inherited hers from her English father,
that much she knew, but mine must
have been a freak of nature, as I had
often heard my father specializing as to
how came by it..
Signor Be]zoDi, Olivia's step-father.
who appeared to have been most excel
lent man, had given her thoroughly
good education, and had insisted on her
learning her fathers tongue. She spoke
English with the prettiest foreign &C.
cent, generally quite intelllgibly, except
when it came to her own surname, and
Of that we could make nothing. She
pronounced il "Alermi," al Lfalsene:
but what that would be when Anglicised
we were puzzled to decide. But it mat
tered little to me or TO her what her
name was. I loved her and she loved
me. We were both young, both peuni-
less, raison de plus that we should
gravitate toward each other, and re-
solve to unite our destinies at some fu-
ture day. H..
The Garwoods shook their heads, but
gave their consent, secure of keeping
their pretty governess for many q long
year yet, whilst I sat on my high stool
keeping ledgers and building golden
castles in the air. We both worked hard,
saving every penny that we could spare;