The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-08-30
Weighed in the Balance,
: A True Story.

Solomon Speed was builder by occu-
patton, a hard working, calculating, say.
ing man, who had come to Belmont
when the town was new, attracted thith.
or by promise of much occupation in the
line of his calling. He was good me.
chanic, very fair architect, competent
to superintendent the erection of any
ordinary building, and able to do much
Of the better class Of work with his own
hands. He was also a shrewd man.
When he had thoroughly inspected the
town and its surroundings, be saw that
Its possibilities were great, and all the
money lac could raise and. all, the credit
he cared to ask were invested;in land.
And he did not mistake. He lived to
Bee land that he had bought at the rate
Of fifty dollars per acre, sold for one dol
lar per square foot. He built for him
self 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, eighteeni ten and
four. This four years cid son Was the
vnljd Of second wife, married after Mr..
Speed had built his new house in Bel
mont; and we may say here that the
two elder sons were never quite recon
ciled to their fathers second 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 in
crease in the number of his heirs. The
step-mother they never ill-treated-
that they dared not debut tn ey never
liked her, nor were they ever heartily
kind to her. After little Peter had be-
come large enough and strong enough
to creep around. upon 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
shey; never kissed him; they never gave
him brotherly love.
But the child was not without play
mate Of his own sex. In the family
adopted by Solomon Speed, WAS a boy
named Robert Ashworth, son and onlv
child Of hs-Speed's only sister. His
father had died when Robert was all in
FAINT, and bis mother had survived her
husband but few years. On her
deathbed she had called her
brother to her side, and begged
of him that he would take care of her
boy; and he had 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 cous-
ins enjoyed But with dawning of bet
ter times-as the prospect of wealth
opened upon the family the aspect of
Roberts situation changed somewhat.
AS Solomon Speed began to gain more
money than he could spend, he became
more and more inclined to save; and he
came, in time, to look upon his sisters
child as burden which he ought not to
bear. And the same feelings found Ii 'e
in the bosoms of Nathan and Thomas
AS their prospects grew brighter and
brighter, they began to cherish the fear
that they might be called upon, in some
way, to share with Robert, their "pau-
per COUSIN" as they had called him
more than once.
Robert Ashworth loved the bright
eyed, faxen-haired child, and never
tired of carrying him in his arms, and
playing with him in all sorts of ways.
In fact, the time came-it had come al
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 age ofsixteen Robert concluded
that he had been burden upon his
uncle long enough, and he suggested
that 1t might he we'll FIR him to go out
into the world andseek his own fortune.
Unclc So. ONION thought the same; and
Nathan and Thomas both coincided
and the uncle, STIMULATING that the boy
SHOULD never trouble him more-shouId
never appeal to him for money-ottered
to give him one hundred dollars in
money. The lad had thought his uncle
would give him something; but this con-
ditirn 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 lit
tie 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 toward
the Rocky mountains. She answered
that she was very weak, with little hope
n ii r., rn,roiDinU fhn nn1 nf q
and hall he wro e his third letter, from
the Pacific coast, bidding her that she
should direct her answer to San Francis
co. He was going away to the noun
tains, beyond Sonora, but 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 letters
tn bis old home.
Ten years more had passed, when
Robert Ashworth-nOW strong, rugged
wn-faccd, fnIl-bearded man, of eight
and-twe nty-met 4 man who had come
from Belmont within year. From this
man he learned t',at Solomon Speed was
dead, and that the two older sons were
carrying on the business. They were
both married and had families, and we're
looked upon as being very wealthy. At
all events, they we're proud and aristo~
cratic.
Five years more, and Robert again
heard from the old home-this time
meeting with man whom he had
known in the days of his boyhood. Ma
than and Thomas Speed were still -four
ishing, their business being simply the
locking after their real estate and per-
sonal property, and in spreading the
glitter of their wealth before the world.
Their half-brother, Peter, had grown to
be man of one-and.twenty, and was
hard at work in one of the mills belong
ing to them. By some sort of hocus-p po.
Gus he had been left poor at his fathers
deatll-dependent entirely upon his eld-
cr brothers. Roberts informant could
not fully explain; but he believed that
old Solomon, by his will, had left every.
thing to Nathan and Thomas, making
them joint-guardians to Peter, the boy
at That time having been only nine years
of age.
And still years sped on. Hobert Ash
worth, in the way ofmoney-making, was
fortunate. A strong, healthful, honor
able man, dealing Justly with all, and
respecting the rights of all with whom
he came in contact, he made friends
wherever he went, and made no enc
mics. Early in his mountain experience
he struck prolific mine, and bought it.
When he erected his shanty on his land
there was mot another human habita
ton within fifteen miles1of him. At the
end If twenty years, still living upon the
same spot where he had first erected hjf
simple cabin of logs, and clay, and birch
bark thatching, he was father of q town
OF four thousand inhahitants-its mayor