The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-11-21
LOVE OR MONEY;
Q -ok,1 u
A PERILOUS SECRET.
BY CHARLES RE.ADE,
Author of Put. Yourself in His Place,
ctc., etc., etc.
CHAPTER /.
TIL: POOR MANS CHILD.


the towing-path by the side of the
Trent. --~ -
The young man had his coat off, by
which you might infer it was very hot;
but no, it was Il Keen October day. and
an east wind sweeping down the river.
The coat was wrapped tightly round the
little girl, so that only her fair face with
blue eyes and golden hair peeped out;
and the young father sat in his shirt
sleeves, looking down on her with a low
ing but anxious look. Her mother, his
wife, had died of consumption, and he
was in mortal terror lest biting winds
and scanty food should wither this
sweet iloWer too, his one remaining joy.
William Hope was man full of tai
ent; self-educated, and wonderfully
quick at learning anything; he was a
linguist, a mechanic, u mineralogist, a
draughtsman, an inventor. Item, bit
of a farrier, and half surgeon; could
play the fiddle and the guitar; could
draw and paint and drivea four-in-hand.
Almost the only thing he could not do
was to make money and keep il.
Versatility seldom pays. But. to tell
the truth, luck was against him; and al
though in 81 long life every deserving
man seems to get chance;yet Fortune
does battle some meritorious men for a
llDiltcu liillt. NtilcIdllyi VIC thinh Soou
fortune and i'll fortune succeed each
other rapidly. like red cards and black;
but to some i'll luck comes in great long
slices; and if they don't drink Ordespair,
by-and-by good luck comes continuous
~, and everything turns to gold with
him who has waited and deserved.
Well, for years Fortune was hard on
William Hope. re never let him get his
head above water. If he got a good
place, the employer diedO or sold his bust
ness. If he patented an invention, and
exhausted his savings to pay the fees.
no capitalist would work it, or some
other inventor proved he had invented
something so like it that there was no
basis for a monopoly.
At last there fell on him the heaviest
blow of all. He had accumulated ESQ
as merchants clerk, and was in negO-
tiation for small independent bust
ness, when his wife, whom beloved ten
derby, sickened.
For eight months he was distracted
with hopes and fears. These gave way
TO dismal certainty. She died, and left
him broken-hearted and poor, impover-
ished by the doctors, and pauperized by
the undertaken. Then his crushed heart
had but one desire-tO fly from the home
that had lost its sunshine, and the very
country which had been calamitous to
him.
He had one stanch friend, who had
lately returned rich from New Zealand.
and had offered to send him out as his
agent, and to lend him money in the
colony. Hope had declined, and his
friend had taken the huff. and had not
written to him since. But Hope knew
he was settled in Hull, and too good
hearted at bottom to go from his word
in his friends present sad condition. So
William Hope paid every debt he owed
in Liverpool, took his child to hermoth-
er's tombstone, and prayed by it, and
started to cross the island. and then
leave it for many long day.
Now and then he got days work in
the fields, and the farmers wife took
care of little Grace, and washed her
linen, and gave them both clean straw
in the barn to lie on, and blanket 10
cover them. Once he fell in with ahar-
vest-home. and his fiddle earned him ten
shillings, all i'll sixpences. But ON I'M
lucky days he had to take his fiddle I'M
der his arm, and carry his gll on his
back; these unlucky days came SO often
that still as lie travelled his small pit
lance dwindled. Yet halfway ON this
Journey fortune smiled ON him sudden
". 1t was i'm Derbyshire. He went a
little out OF his way to visit his native
place-he bad left it at ten years old.
Here am old maid, his first cousin. re-
ceived Grace with rapture. and Hope
pottered about all day, reviviDg his boy
ish recollections of people and places.
lie had left the village ignorant; he re-
turned full of various knowledge; and
so it was that III certain despised field,
all thistles and docks and every known
weed, which field the tenant had con-
demned as Il SolIr clay unfit for cultiva-
ton, William Hope found certain strata
and other signs which thanks to his
meteorological studies ands.practical
knowledge. sent a sudden thrill all
through his Frame. Here's luck at
last" said he. MY child. my child. our
fortune is made" 100.
The proprietor of this land. and in
deed Of the whole parish. was a retired
warrior. Colonel Clifford. Hope knew
b. that very well, and hurried 10 Clifford
Hall, all on fire with his discovery.
lie obtained interview withoutaly
difficulty. Colonel Clifford, though
proud as LtIcifer, was accessible and
stif1y civil to. humble folk. He was
gracious enough to Hope; but, when the
poor fellow let him know he had found
signs of coal on his land, he froze di-
rectly; told him that two gentlemen in
IndJ nelSlDOrnOOu ndu NdSleu lDtlI
money cropping the bt wells of the earth
for coal, because of delusiye indications
on the surface of the soil; and that for
his part. even if he was sure Of success,
he would not dirty his fingers with coal.
II believe" he said, "the northern no
bility descended to this sort of thing:
but then they have not smelled powder,
and seen glory, and served her Majesty.
Ihdco."
Hope tried to reason with him, tried
to get round him. But he was lnassail-
able as Gibraltar, and soon cut the whole
thing short by saying: There, that's
enough. am much obliged to you, sir,
. for bringing me information you think
valuable. You are traveling-On foot
short of funds perhaps. Please accept
this trifle, and-and- good-morning."
lie retreated at marching pace, and the
hot blood burned his visitor STAGE. An
aims!
But OH second thoughts he said:"WeIl,
have offered him n fortune, and he
gives me ten shillings. One good turn
deserves another" SO he p0cketed the
i