The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25

| When four years had passed by witbop-
word or line from him. Mathew grew
horribly afraid because Ralph's one-and
twentieth birthday drew near. and he
| thought The time was come when the hei,
would appear and claim his own VIVA,
preparations he made TO receive him
know not Perhaps blunderbuss and ,
cup of poison But the day passed. and
there was no sign of Ralph Then, indeed
Mathew became quite certain that he would
no more be disturbed and that the mil
was his own
As for myself. sat at home chiefly
with my grandmother. who was now be
ginning to grow old, yet brisk and nota
bic still There was a great deal to be
done. and the days pass swiftly to indus
trious hands, yet not one so busy and
not one so swift but | could find time
to think and to pray for Ralph.
Still the fugelman kept up my heart,
and Sailor Nan swore, as if she was
still captain of the foretop. that he
would come home safe / was Young
happily. and youth is the time for hope
And about the end of the sixth year
had cause to think about other things.
because my own misfortunes began
had long observed in the letters of nv
dear parents a certain difference, which
constantly caused doubt and questioning
for my mother exhorted me continually.
in every letter, to the practice of frugal
ity. thrift. simple living. and the acquisi
ton of housewifely knowledge. and, in
short, all those virtues which especially
adorn the condition of poverty She also
never failed to bid me reflect upon the IN
certainty of human affairs and the insta
biity OF fortune; and every letter fur
shed examples of rich men become Door,
I'd great ladies reduced to beg their
read My grandmother babe me lay
hese things to heart, and per
eived that she was disturbed, and
'he would have written to my father
"a ask if things were going ill, but foi
wo reasons The first was that she could
neither read nor write, those arts not hav
ng been taught her in her childhood; and
testify that she was none the worse fol
want OF them, but her natural shrewdness
even increased. because she had to depend
upon herself and could not still be run
ming TO a book for guidance The second
reason was that the letters OF nv father
both 10 her and to myself were full of
glorious anticipation and confidence Yes
while my mother wrote in sadness he
wrote in triumph, when she babe me
lao,. ]
study the fashions when she propbesied
disaster he proclaimed good fortune
Thus he ordered that | was TO be taught
whatever could be learned in so remote a
town as Warkworth and that especial
;are was to be taken in my carriage anG
iemeanor begging my grandmother to
observe the department of Mrs Car
naby and to bid me copy her as an exam
pie, for. be said. a city heiress not uncom
monty married with gentleman of good
:amily though impoverished fortunes
hat some city heiresses had of late mar
led nCblemen, that as ne mad no son, loI
my other child but myself | would in
lerit the whole of his vast fortuLe q
bought how ! could give il al TO Ralph
nd. therefore, must study now to main
ain myself in the position which shout
hortly occupy He desired ne special,
o pay very particular attenli III not /;
eem quite rus -ical and countr7 bred an,
o remember that the common speech
sort huE berland would raise laugh i
Ondon With much more to the san.
fleet
say not that nv father wrote ali TIL
II single letter. but in several, so til:
il these things became implanted i'll Il
lind. and both my grandmother and T.,
Elf were. in spite Of my mothers letter.
r1nly persuaded that we were alread
cry rich and considerable people, ali
hat my father was a merchant Of Ii
-reatest renown-already d common coui.
Imam, and shortly to be alderman
herlff and lord mayor-in the city of Lon.
on This belief was also held by on
.eighbors and friends, and it gave n.
fandmother, who was besides. lady
ignlhed manners. more considerable.
.Ian she would otherwise have obtained
18th the title of madam. which Wa
rely due TO the mother of SO great All,
jlccessful a man
Now the truth was this My father wa:
-ie most sanglline of men, and the most
:ady 10 deceive himself He lived con
.nualiy if may presume to say so with
III breaking the fifth COMMANDMENT III q
ool's paradise When he was a DO,
lothing would do for him but he must go
% London, refusing to till the acres which
Guild afterward be his own, because he
as ambitious and ardently desired to be
lother Wilmington See the dangers OF
&c common chap books. in which he had
ad the story of this great lord mayor
L 50 far resembled Wilmington that he
cat up to London {by wagon from New
lstlel with little in his pocket
icept a letter of recommendation
rom the then vicar of Wark
orrh TO his brother. at the time
lover in Cheapside How he became
.1prentice-like Whittington-to this
lover. how he fell III love-like Whiting
'h-with his masters daughter how he
married. her-like Whittington-and in
ierited the business. stock, capital. good
sill and all may here only be thus briefly
old. but by the death of his master he
became actual and sole owner of a London
hep whereupon. my poor fathers brain
,eing ALWAYS full of visions, he was in
famed with the confidence that now. III
iced he had nothing to look for but The
making of an immense fortune Worse
than this he thought that the fortune
would come of its own accord How q
nan living in the city of London could
nake so prodigious a mistake, | know
rot Therefore he left the whole care o:
ne business to his wife and his apprentice
and for his own part spent the day in coffee
bouSeS or on change. or wherever mel