Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-05-11

SulC. 10 10 uDNt uinB ~ A'hN -,
whatever may have been my father 5 ieGi,
ings regarding me, l believe he dla '.e
best thing possible in leaving the farm to
you. Nothing hut poverty wonid eyer
make me work. ! am some use III the
world as it is, and shall be more some
day.
The girl returned 10 her seat, mud WIS
silent for some little time. Then she
asked:
Tell me your plans and life IN Ion
don."
"Thcre is not much TO tell. My plan.
nre simply to 20 on working till can get
n comfortable living for myself. Ny lie
ia happy enough. 1 have, at least, learn
ed the great secret that the man VINO
works Is happier than the man who
doesn't I like my work aud think shall
succeed in it."
"Whnt do YOU mean by succecd?"
II think / shall make little name for
myself and be well thought of by my
fellow workers in time, and that / shall
bs able to lead my own life in my own
way, 81.
"lour ambition If more modest than 1t
used to be, Jack
Yes" answered Jack, with sad smile.
"a good deal more modest. l don know
ANYTHING better that could happen to a
man who suffered under too high notion
of his own abilities than to be thrown on
his own resources in the London press
world. One can't turn corner without
coming across dozen cleverer fellows
than ones self. A man who starts with
such ambitions as / had when | started,
and who keeps them after such three
wears experience as | have had, is pretty
likely, / should say, to be worthy OF his
own opinion. 90.
"Havc YOU many friends in London?
II believe | have as many friends.
Amy, as any man who ever lived real
friends, mean. | shall never be able to
repay the kindness have received from
some of them. They are splendid fel-
lows. Most of them might be more NOR
al, and all of them might be more indus
trious but they could not be more gen
erous, more helpful, more happy II then
friends success. / firmly believe, Amy,
that if you wanted friendship and all the
virtues it breeds, you must come to Bo-
hemia for them. | don't want TO dis
parage responsibility, but it does seem to
me that, directly man begins to pay ill.,
come tax he loses his sympathies.
| 81 have heard that theory before, said
Amy. "But you may find friendship out,
side Bohemia, Jack don't know that
my sympathies have degenerated at all,
although pay income tax, OF at least Mr..
Sampson pays it for me.
| "You will never be anything but what
you have always bee2, Amy-the dearest
girl in the world"
Simple and chivalrous soul as he was
! he could not have conceived a more cruel
| torment than the tone of voice and form
of words wherein he spoke. Gratitude
and tender regard and playful attention
were all expressed there, and yet the tears
| welled up in the girls heart as she lis
! tened, and, but they were held resolutely
back, would have dimmed The eyes that
regarded their idol through the fast gath
! ering gloom. She was silent, fearing &c
trust her voice and Jack, too, held his
| peace for little time
"You were always my coniidant in the
old time, Amy he said, presently. "A
man must have somebody to tell his Sc
crets to, at least must and should like
to tell you little story
| She waited, more than ever afraid tc
speak, and he went on, taking her silence
for consent.
"You have heard OF Mrs. Farnaby, the
authoress =? A friend of hers took me tc
one OF her evening receptions and INTRO
duced me, and she was kind enough to
give me standing invitation for the sea-
sons. 1t was the one house thnt was open
| to me in London, and | cannot tell you
how dear those evenings were to me, and
| how they stood out from the rest OF the
dreary week. One night l found myself
seated next to young lady whom l had
not seen before. She struck me part,cu-
larly by reason of the strong likeness /
saw, OF fancied | saw, III her to you. l
spoke to her on some commonplace topic,
and we fell into conversation that lasted
the whole evening, until she went away
i'll the company of m elderly lady, who
seemed to be her chaperon, or guardian,
or companion, whatever the phrase IS.
She was there the next night and every
night after, and we were there together Il
good deal. | assure you honestly, Amy,
| that until the season came to finish, ana
Mrs Farnaby's receptions ceased for the
year. i had no notion Of my real feelings
toward the girl. But it struck me sud.
denly, as | was dressing for the last OF
the evenings, that | was in love with her.
| went to her house with the intention OF
doing something decisive-what, did
not know myself. She did not come. |
waited the whole evening, waiting for her
appearance long after all reasonable
chance had passed, and at last went home
feeling rs / had never felt before. l could
not work or sleep for thinking of her.
"Nearly four months passed before
saw her again. was walking i'll the Re
gents Park late one afternoon last De-
cember. There was half-frozen snow on
the ground and more in the sky waiting
to fall. / was thinking about her, and
felt dull and miserable. l sat down upon
Il bench and lit my pipe, and tried tt
drive her out of my mind by thinking OF
a story l was writing at the time. But
could think of nothing but her. The
night was closing in, aud parkkeepel
came and told me that the gates woult
soon be closed and / must go. AS ros'
to obey n woman's figure fluttered by me
The light was dim under the trees, ant
she passed quickly at some distance. Blu
/ knew her. 1t was she. the girl l hat
lost.
II could not tell you, Amy, how tn
story she told moved me. 1t lsa com
monplace story enough, l suppose. He
Mrs. .Farnaby's, had lost the income on
which they lived by piece of heartlcs
rascality The injustice was 80 iiagran
that cannot conceive how the law of an,
country could countenance it. But lega
redress was impossible according TO TIN
highest opinions, and they were ruined
They had never been rich, but they lac
had enough for comfort, and now the,
were reduced to complete poverty, AM
were subsisting as best they could.
far away relative had discovered them
successful man of business with WHOM
they had never had any communicated
for many years. He had offered then
I assistance md for gonna timn their bur