The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-03-18

| buy my Patience. You know, OF course
of course, 1 shan't ask, but l should
like you to tell him, when you see him
before he tries to buy girl at market
again, to ask her if she wants to bt
sold. The scoundrel- col3-blooded
brute-it makes my blood boil. l hope
l shan't ever know; for | dom want &c
be bothered with having to leather q
cur. But never mind him. No, thank
you-I can't come in now. I'm off tC
Manchester, and as I'm on Shanks
mare, mustn't play by the way"
"To Hunchester? Law businessF
Lucky you can afford it. I'm my own
lawyer"
mot this time,n said Stephen, with q
laugh, which raised in Enoch the devil
of murder. "Im going to buy ring
"a ring?" asked Enoch-rather stu
pidly, it must be owned.
"Ihe ringr'
He nodded good-day, and went of
whistling tune. There had not been q
happier man in England last night;
there was none so happy this bright
morning in the world. He had paid
back his benefactor tenfold; he was
young and strong; his employers had
such faith in him that they would make
sacrifices to keep him; he was well up
on the ladder of fortune; he had not, so
far as he knew, single foe; he was in
good fellowship with all the world; he
had won the girl of his heart-no Won
der that his soul sang within him as he
marched along Manchester road. "The
ring, and what shall the posy bep
There must be posy; though IFS not
the mode in Millport-but hang the
mode! Patience must keep TO her sweet
country ways. | wonder what she'll
think of that big town-how she will
open her blue eyes! What wonderful
things | thought the tall chimueys were
when ! first came She'll get on with Mrs.
Preston, safe enough; I'm glad she'll
have q lady friend. Well take one of
those little houses in Washburn; one OF
those gardens would be just the thing
for the old man to prowl about in and
watch the pease grow. Fancy coming
home every day from the office and
finding Patience looking out for me in
a house of our own. And we can get a
bigger one in time-perhaps a real
country place at last, with big garden
and bit of farm besides, when Leys
Croft's clear. must get rich enough,
anyway, to buy it from Dick Black
thorn, poor chap, If he ever turns up
again. We must try to find him now.
If he's really been in nothing worse
than scrape, Prestons & Harlow might
give him a try. He used TO be smart
young chap; and it would please Pa
tience-that's the great thing. Why, If
things go on like this, 1 shall be Mayor
of Mill port before I've done. Patience
Lady Harlow; why not; and who
knowsP But she's got to be made hap
py; really and truly happy; / wonder if
| can-I wonder-but as she was sing
ing to us last night: Love will find out
the way BY the Lord Harry! if there
isn't the very posy for the ring as pat as
can be: Love will lind out the wayr "
With such thoughts as these, the
happiest young fellow in England, with
one thought for himself and two for
others, shortened the way to lunches
ter, the county town. II was dull
place enough, except on Thursday,
which was market-day. To-day, how
ever, wos Tuesday-the normally dull
est day in all the seven. 1t was there
fore with some surprise that, as he
went along Westgate street towards
the Cross, he came upon the tail of
little crowd, mostly of boys and girls
from the back alleys, but with Others
among them hurrying in the same di-
rection as he, and shouting, while the
corners were blocked up by knots Of
women, and the tradesmen were, b.
one consent, standing at their doors.
"Whats up to-dayP' Stephen asked
one of these.
"Oh, It's only the soldiers" answered
the man. "a regiment on the march
bound for foreign service against old
Boney, hear say. wish, for my part,
they'd gone another road the red
coats do sight more harm than good,
I-iless they stay for month that's
another pair of shoes. DO you want
anything in my line, this line dayP
Hark-there they gop' .H...
As the shop-keeper spoke, flies and
drums far down the street shrilled and
ratified into the "The British Gren-
adiers.p Stephen could see the glitter
ing points OF the bayonets; and the
ragged tail Of the march broke out into
a cheer. .a.r'.-'.-' ..'''-'''-'s-
Poor fellows!'' thought he. ''And
men among them with Patiences of
their own, no doubt; it makes one
ashamed TO be happy when one thinks
Of war. And ] might have had to beat
q drum or carry o musket myself II II
hadn't been for old Tom Blackthorn.
To think that / should have been able
TO pay him back for half he's done--it
seems like a dream. But for the better
half; no, that's beyond paying" He
stepped into the best matchmaker and
jewelers. in the town. 81 want q gold
ring-quite plain" said he, with more
of shyness than a man of mark in Mill
port ought to, have felt when conde-
scending TO make purchase in dead
alive Manchester. .... ...,......
But the man did not smile. What
ever he might have felt once on his
own account, he had become callous to
such things; even plain gold rings were.
only in the way Of trade. So he pulled
out a drawerf1l, large and small, real
gold and sham, thick and thin.
Stephen had already, with his meas
uring tape, marked upon his own Little
finger the point where the right ring
81 sid c,o 20 90 tho a., o,ar "a ,you w, do Tor