The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-11-22

very helples mes. And John Bowerb INK,
though elderly, almost obi, did not look
| Iiko weak man, or an untender nIau
| Ear stronger, far tcnderer tho two 1uani-
ties usually go together than the BRIDE 3
handsome aud elegant father.
Poor thing" mutterod Mrs. Knowlc TO
| h' rself. Well, in one sense, it's nn cs
cape. He's an honest man, John Bow, r
bank. Perhaps she may be happy mt
least, less unhappy than she Looks now.
| God bless her!"
And with that cordial bless ing unhearl.
| and few kindly tears. unseen by her for
whom they were she'd, for in truth tue
pride did not seem much to hear aud so
inythiug, the carriage drove away. Thus
terminated the principal scene. aud Tins
vanished the principal actors in that grand
snow wedding. vnich had b Gil quite salts
factory and successful in oil it's elements,
with the exception of one triIling omi ssion =,
not unftequentiy occurring in similar cere-
| monies.-Love.
+ CHATTER IL
Before telling the siiurle, sad story il
| dos not pretend TO he anything bnt a lad
story-of John Bowerbank's wife, I should
like 10 say word for John Bowcrbank.
The most obvious description of lin
and almost universal crit ctSm upon
Lin, wan the common phrase, "IIe was
a thorough man of business" n
character viii b, out of business circles.
IT IS little the fas ion to decry or ut
least, to mention with condescentliny
apology. Hard to say why, since any acute
reascncr may perceive that it takes some of
the very finest qualities Of real manhood to
make thorough man of business" A
man exnct, perScverin3, shrewd, cnterpris-
ing, with a srong perception OF his own
riShts, and an equally fnir Judgment, and
IN lonost admission of tho rights Of his
nelghbor; who, from conscience. common
sens. and prudence. takes care ever TO do
TO Others rs he woull be done by; who has
hrmneSs enough to strike tho clear bal
nnce between justice aud ,enerosity; who
ls honest lefore lie is beIevelent, and
righteous be ore he is compass tomato; who
VIII deiraud no man, nor, If hc can help q,
suffer any man 10 drfriud him; o is
careful in orlcr TO DO liher,l, and accurate
thnt no may compel accuracy in tho &C about
him; who. though annovel by the waste
or transportation of pound, would
not grudge thousands spent in n lawful,
wise. and crediinbli way: n man OF whom
Ills enemi M y say, SarcaSt cally, & nj lie
~ Lcnr" man, "sharp" man. n man
who can pm u'h his way in the word;" vet
haf the worlds work and COOL work, ioo
is done hy im, nnd the Ike of him:
doe far more successfully, far more nob!y,
than by yorr trent Soniuses, who aim ut
everything anil effect little or nothing;
your grand incompletenesscs who only sad
den one by the hop .lessness of the
lailures. Better than to be poet. whose
lgnoble life lags haltinCiy behind his noble
poetry; statesman, who tries to mond the
world and forgots that tue FIRST thing to be
mended is himself; or q phillnihropist, wlro
loves oil mankind, but neglects his own
family better far than nll these in the long
run is the thorough man of business, tho
secret OF whose career is the one simple
maxim; Anything worth DOING OF n'I,is
Whatever else people might say OF John
Bowerba ank-nnd they have said much,
both bad and good, during his lire of near
ly sixty years-they always said o. him
this: that no had never shutlled out of an
undertaking, nor bi oxen promise; never
begged, Dor: owed, nor stolen cheating is
stenIing ono shilling from any MN: and
though his aims might not bc lofty, and
his daily life far remove ed from the heroic,
still he was good, honest man, and (as
repeat, with exceeding spect for tho cpl
thct n thorough man of business.
Bet there was nothing the least interest
ing about him. His figure was short and
stumpy, and his gray hair bristled funn'lY
round his smooth, bald head. He could
not, by any force Of Imagination, be turned
into n romant pcrso age. That his life
had had its romance was not improbable;
few lives arc without. II might have been
who knows?- connected with certain
grave (Which Mrs. Knowle once found
churchynrd, and ever after looked kindicr
on the man for the sake OF it,, which bore
tho inscription, Jane, wifo of Mr.. Join
Bowerbank' (he was not Esquire them,
who died in childbirth, was here inferred
with her infant son." nearly iorty years
ago.
BIT so completely forgotten had been
n, 10 L. L. Eel -
thought John Bowerbank an old bachelor;
and when he grew in years and hcnors, so
much so that it was rumorcd TINT he had
declined being made Sir John Bowerbank
: solely because kniShthood was small
thing, and barone'cy, TO n man without
heirs, blank sort of dignity, nobody sus-
pected he would marry; nor, when hs did
marry, was he suspected OF marrying in
any but a business-like way to secure n
pleasant mistress for his splendid house. q
cheerful companion for hs declining years.
And, lot the truth be owned, he did marry
only for this. lie was not one bit in love.
The solitary passion of his life had blazed
up aud burned itself out. or rather been
extinguished by the hand OF fate, and it
, was too late to light up any otter.
He did not marry Emily Kendall for love.
nor which, perhaps. was tho secret of lcr
hnally consenting to marry him-had he
, made any foolish pretense of doing SO.
lie respected her character, lie liked her
we'll, in tender, faith ,rly sort Of way; but
"Jane, wife Of Mr.. John Bowe.bnnk," now
sleeping in her peaceful grave, need not
have had the slightest jealousy over. nay,
: would hardly have recognized the middle
aged gentleman wl.o was the "bappy BRIDE
groom" that sunshiny morning in So
! Georges. Hanover Square.
Perhaps this WAS good thing for
Emily. In her husbands uncxuctin
and undemonstrative regard, more patcr-
nal than loycr-likc, sLo found the rest
which was tho only thing for which
she creved; and in his steady, sedate,
persistent character, which aimed Mt 9TH
ing higher than it accomplished, and
sought from her no moro thnn she was
| able to give, she found little of the com
fort which she once Thought was hopeless
to her in this world. Sh,, who had begun
life with girls dreams of peri, ction, and
proved them oil false, who, in her weak
nes5-weaker than most woman s-h had
leaned on one stay after another, and found
them all pierce her like broken reeds, OK