Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-06-17

the letter, boy. And this ia young Ralph
Embleton, son Of my old friend and gossip,
Jack Embiston, with whom have had
many a fight in the old days. Poor jack
poor Jack! Well, we live. Let us be
thankful. Make the boy welcome; give
him supper. Make him a bed somewhere.
What art thou doing in this great place,
lad? So the letter-ay! the letter"
He resd the superscription, and slowly
opened il and began to read
'DEAR AND HoN'D PARENTS: The
bairer Of this is Rafs, who has run away
from cruel treatment, and wants to make
his fortune in London. He will tell you
that am well, and that / pray for your
helthe, and that you will be kind to Rafe.
Your loving ami dutiful daughter,
DRUsILLA"
$780," went on the merchant, ''cruel
treatment. Ron away, eh?"
81 have run away, sir" he said. ''from
my cousin, Mathew Humble, because he
seeks every opportunity to do me mis-
chief. Aud since he is my guardian there
is no remedy but to endure or run away"
"Ah, Mathew Humble, who bought my
farm. Sam Embleton married his fathers
sister. Did your Uncle Sam leave Nor
wick Mill to Mathew
mo, sir; he left it to me-"
Sand Mathew is your guardian? Yet
the mill is your own, and you have run
away from your own property? Norwich
Mill is pretty estate. 1t likes me not.
Yet you would fain seek your fortune in
London. That ia we'll. Fortune, my lad,
= L. L. IA hu If N 10
hearts, like me-" He expanded as he
spoke, and seemed to grow two feet higher
and broad in proportion. 'And strong
arms, like mine"-he hammered his chest
as if it had been an anvil-"and keen eyes,
like nine. weak men fsil and get tram
pied on in London. Cowardly men get
set on one side, while the strong and the
brave march on. I shall be, no doubt,
next year, common councilman. Strong
men, clever men, brave men, boy, march.
I say, from honor to greater honor.
shall become alderman in two or three
years, if Providence so disposes. There is
no limits to the exalted ambitions OF the
London citizen. You would climb like
me. You would be, some day, my lord
mayor. 1t is we'll. 1t does you credit. 1t
is noble ambition"
Meantime q maid had been spreading the
table with supper, and, to say the truth,
the eyes of the boy were turned upon the
cold meats with so visible longing that
the merchant could not choose but observe
his hunger, So he babe him sit down and
eat. Now, while Ralph devoured his sup
per, being at the moment one Of the hun
griest lads in all England, the honest
Glover went to talking in grand if not
boastful language Of himself and his great
doings. Yet, inexperienced rs he was,
Ralph could not but wonder, becsuse, al
though the merchant was certainly past
fifty years of age, the great things were
all in the futuIe. He would become
ono of the richest merchants in Lon
don; he wo1ld be lord mayor; he would
make his daughter great heir
ess; he designed that she should marry
lord at least. At this announcement Ralph
blushed and his heart sank. One OF the rea-
sons, said the merchant, why he kept her
still in Northumberland was that he did
not wish her to return home till they were
removed to certain great house which he
had in his mind, but had not yet pur-
chased. She should go in silk and satin;
he would give such great entertainments
that even the King should hear OF them
London was ever the city for noble feast
ing. And 80 he talked until the lads brain
reeled for thinking of all these splend0rs,
and he grew sad in thinking how far off
| Druslla would be as, one by one, all these
graudsurs became achieved.
Another thing he observed: that while
the husband talked in his confident and
braegart way, the wife, who was o thin
woman, sat silent and sometimes sighed.
WHY did she Sigh? Did she want 10 live
on in obscurity? Had she no ambition?
Then the INGREDIENT had filled and lit a
pipe of tobacco, and proceeded TO tell
Ralph how he would have to begin upon
this ambitious career in search of q fortune.
First, he would have to be an apprentice.
81 was myself" said Mr.. Hetherirgt0n,
IAN apprentice, though who would think
it now?" As an apprentice he would
sweep and clean ont the shop, open 1t in
the morning and shut it at night; wait
upon the customers all day, run errands,
obey dutifully his master, learn the bust
ness, watch his masters interests, behave
with respect to his betters, show zeal in
the dispatch Of work get no holidays or
playtime, never see the green fields except
on Good Fridays, take for meals what
might be given him, which would certain
| ly not be slices eff the sirloiu, and sleep
under the counter at night. In short, the
shop would be his workro0m, his parlor,
his eating room, and his bedroom.
The boy listened to his instructions with
dismay. Was this the road to fortune
Was he to become slave for some years
But-after2 His apprenticeship finished,
it appeared that he might, if he could find
money. open a shop and become master.
But most young men, he learned, found
it necessary to remain in the employment
of their masters for some years, and in
some cases for the whole term of their ma
sural lives.
He did not consider that he had already
such fortune as would, If laid ont with
Judgment, enable him to open a shop or to
buy q partnership. He forgot Mt the time
that lie was the owner Of Norwich Mill.
1t seemed to him, being 30 young and in
experienced, that he had run away from
his inheritance, and abandoned it to
Mathew. He, too, might therefore have to
remain in masters employment. This
was fine fortune, truly, to be servant all
your days. And the boy began already
even 20 regret his consin Mathews blows
and Barhara's cruel tongue.
His pipe finished, the merchant re-
membered that at his club would meet,
and therefore left the lad with his wife.
'Boy," she leaned over the table and
whispered eagerly as soon rs her husband
was gone, "have You come up to London
without money to become merchant"
Indeed, madame" he replied, II
know not what may become"
Then 1y," she said; Ego home again.
Follow the pillow, become tinker, tailor,
a cobbler-anything that is honest. Trade
is uncertain. For one who succeeds 0
doz IN are broke; you know not any mo-
ment, but that You also may break. Your
fortune hangs upon o hundred chances.
Alas! if one Of these fall, there is the Fleet,
or may be Newgate, or Marshalsea, or
Whitecross Street, or the Kings Bench, or
the Clink-there are plenty of places for
the bestowal Of poor debtors-for yourself,
aud for your wife and innocent children
ruin and starvation"
"Yet," said Ralph, ''Mr. Hetherington
is not anxious"
"He leaves anxiety" she replied bitter
IL, ito his wife"