The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-07

news at all. and could never discover for
many years. what had become of the bow
When four years had passed by withou,
a word or line from him, Mathew prew
horribly afraid. because Ralph's one-and
twentieth birthday drew near. and be
thought the time was come when the heir
would appear and claim his own What
preparations he made to receive him !
know not Perhaps blunderbuss and q
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 min
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
BILE still There was 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 I 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 un
certainty of human affairs and the insta
bility of fortune; and every letter fur
shed examples Of rich men become poor.
I'D great ladies reduced to beg their
read My grandmother babe me lay
Aese things to heart, and per
eived that she was disturbed, and
,he would have written to my father
ask if things were going ill. but for
wo reasons The first was that she could
iether read nor write. those arts not hav
ng been taught her in her childhood. and
testify that she was none the worse foI
want of them, but her natural shrewdness
even increased. because she had to depend
upon herself and could not still be run
| ming 10 a book for guidance The second
reason was that the letters of my father
| both TO 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
learn 10 scour pots he commanded me to
| study the fashions when she prophesied
disaster he proclaimed good fortune
| Thus he ordered that was 10 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. he said. city beiress not uncom
alonly married with gentleman of good
| family though impoverished fortunes
hat some city heiresses had of late mar
| led nCblemen. that as be mad no son, ioI
any other child but myself would in
lerit the whole of his vast fortune Il
bought how could give it al. to Ralph
nd. therefore. must study now to main
ain myself in the position which shoul,
hortly occupy He desired ne special,
pay very particular attend ID not t.
eem quite rus -ical and countrT bred an,
remember that the common speech
| Eorthun berland would raise laugh i
| yTi@h 70 h.
! fleet
say not that my father wrote all TIL
n single letter, but in several; so tha.
| III these things became implanted III q
aind. and both my grandmother and III,
elf were in spite of my mothers letter.
.r1nly persuaded that we were alread
cry rich and considerable people al
| hat my father was a merchant of Ii
:reatest renown-already common couI
| illnan. and shortly to be alderman
heriff and lord mayor-in the city of Lon
ION This belief was also held by on
leighbors and friends. and il gave n
| r-andmother, who was, besides. lady q.
.ignifed manners. more consideration
ian she would otherwise have obtained
18th the title of madam, which Wa.
treiy due to the mother of SO great an,
iccessful man
Now the truth was this My father wa
ne most sanguine of men, and the most
lady to deceive himself He lived con
nuaiiy if may presume to say so with
.nt breaking the fifth COMMANDMENT in .
2ols paradise When he was DO,
iothing would do for him but be must 60
London. refusing to till the acres which
rould afterward be his own, because he
as ambitious. and ardently desired to be
Mother Wilmington See the dangers OF
| ie common chap books. in which he had
'ad the story of this great lord mayor
e 50 far resembled Wilmington that he
-rnt up to London tby wagon from New
lstle) with little in his pocket.
Hcept a letter of recommendation
rom the then vicar of Wark
-orth to his brother. at the time a
lover in Cheapside How he became
7preatiee-like Whittington-to this
lover. how be fell in love-like Whiting
n-with his masters daughter. how he
-iarried her-Iike Whittingion-and in
ierited the business stock, capital, good
Tiii and all. may here only be thus briefly
old. but by the death of his master he
secame actual and sole owner of a London
hop. wherenpon nv poor fathers brain
'eing always full of visions he was in
AIMED with the confidence that now, in
iced. he had nothing to look for but the
making OF an immense fortune Worse
than this, be thought that the fortune
would come of its own accord How 8
nan living in the city of London could
make SO prodigious a mistake, ! kno"
| lot Therefore he left the whole care o.
IL