The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-09-22
Select STORY,
WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE.

WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE.
Solomon Speed was builder by occupa-
ton, hard-working, calculating, saving
man, who had come to Belmont when the
town was new, attracted thither by promise
of much occupation in the line Of his call
inc. He was a good mechanic, very fair
architect, competent to superintend the
erection of any ordinary building, and able
to do much of the better class of work with
his own hands. He was also shrewd
man. When he had thoroughly inspected
the town and its surroundings, he saw that
its possibilities were great, and all the
money he could raise and all the credit he
cared to ask were invested in land. And
he did not mistake. He lived to see land
that he had bought at the rate of fifty dol
lars per acre, sold for one dollar per square
foot. He built for himself large and
comfortable dwelling, in the new town,
feeling we'll assured that he was settled
down for the remainder of his life.
Solomon Speed had three children
three sons-Nathan, Thomas and Peter,
aged respectively, eighteen, ten and four.
This four-year-old son was the child of a
second wife, married after Mr.. Speed had
built his new house in Belmont; and we
may say here that the two elder sons were
never quite reconciled to their father sec
ond marriage. They had inherited all his
shrewdness, and, having seen that wealth
was likely to flow in upon their father,
they did not take kindly to the idea Of an
increase in the number of his heirs. The
stop-mother they never ill-treated-that
they dared not do-but they never liked
her, nor were they heartily kind to her.
After little Peter had become large enough
and strong enough to creep around on his
hands and knees and anon to stand upon
his feet, the two brothers, large and strong,
sometimes spoke pleasantly to him, and
would pick him up when he fell, but they
never kissed him; never gave him brother
ly love.
But the child was not without a play
mate of his own sex. In the family,
adopted by Solomon Speed, was boy
named Robert Ashworth, son and only
child of his-Speed's- sister. His
father had died when Robert was an in
fant, and his mother had survived her hus-
band but few years. On her death bed
she had called her brother to her side and
begged of him that he would take care Of
her boy; and he promised that he would do
so. Robert was at that time five years old,
Just the age of Thomas, and from that time
he had been one of the family, enjoying all
the advantages of life and education that
his two cousins enjoyed. But with the
dawning of better times-as the prospect
of wealth opened upon the family-the as
pect of Roberts situation changed some
what. As Solomon Speed began to gain
more money than he could spend, he be-
came more and more inclined to save; and
he came, in time, to look upon his sisters
child as a burden which he ought not to
bear And the same feelings found life
in the bosoms of Nathan and Thomas AS
their prospects grew brighter and brighter,
they began to cherish the idea that they
might be called upon, in some way, to
share with Robert, their "pauper cousin,
as they had called him, more than once.
Robert Ashworth loved the bright-eyed,
1axen-haired child, and never tired of car
rying him in his arms, and playing with
him in all sorts of ways. In fact, the time
came-it had come at the time at which
we open the story-when little Peter and
his mother were the poor cousins only
friends-the only ones who loved him and
contributed to his happiness.
At the aged of sixteen Robert conclud-
ed that he had been a burden upon his
uncle long enough, and he suggested that
it might be well for him to go out into the
world and seek his own fortune. Uncle
Solomon thought the same; and Nathan
and Thomas both conceded; and the uncle,
stipulating that the boy should never trou-
Bile him more-should never appeal to him
for money-offered to give him one hum
dred dollars in money. The lad had thought
his uncle would give him something; but
this condition aroused his Indignation, and
he would not take penny. He had ten
dollars, saved in two years, and he would
make that answer Mrs. Speed, who was
becoming thin, and pale, and weak, wept
with bitter grief as she held his hand for
the last time; and from little Peter he was
forced to tear himself away.
Time passed on. Mrs. Speed received
two letters from Robert-one written at
St. Louis, and the other away out towards
the Rocky Mountains. She answered them
both. In the last she confessed that she
was very weak, with but little hope of life
remaining. At the end of year and a
half he wrote his third letter, from the
Pacific Coast, bidding her that she should
direct her answer to San Francisco. He
was going away to the mountains, beyond
Sonora, but a friend in San Francisco would
forward it to him. Another year passed
at the end of which time his last letter to
Mrs. Speed was returned to him. She was
dead and the wanderer wrote no more let.
ters to his old home.
Ten years more had passed, when Ro-
bert Ashworth-now a strong, rugged
brown-faced, full-bearded man of eight-and
twenty-met man who had come from
Belmont within year. From this mar
he learned that Solomon Speed was dead
and that the two older sons were carrying
on the business They were both married
and had families, and were looked upon al