Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1891-09-10

one morning he found among his ist
ters one from latham. Offering. In .hs
name of the Whitehaven & Lancaster
Railway Company. twenty sthoussnd
pounds for his cottages-the land on
which they stood having become abso-
lutely necessary for a depot Tom
asked thirty thousand pounds and got
IL Strangely enough. no sooner was
the transaction completed than Dykes
wrote. offering TO sell Sweetheart back
again for thirty thousand pounds.
The old rascal has got the railway
fever; il will be your Nemesis. Tom
VIII you accept his offer? Don't you
think you could do better with the thir-
" thousand pounds
Tom hesitated. and his uncle W a.ched
him keenly. But it was only for a mo-
ment His yes fell upor the ring. and
he said:
1T M BE- n foolish sentiment 70
you, uncle. but 20 me Il i the redemp-
ton of my word and honor. shall 20
and buy Sweetheart back to-morrow."
Good, lad, You will b none the
worse merchant for being a gentleman:
and they keep money best who keep
truth and honor hrst But why not 90
today
4 must see Mr.. Broadbcnt about
Nellie; they are in trouble. and Nellie
will feel every hours delay a wrong"
~You will get nothing there now,
lad.
"All ! wan is Nellie. A gentleman
values truth and honor and love above
money. uncle
Josiah laughed heartily.
You have me there, Tom Nellie Is
a good girl and welcome To thee
Mr. Broadbcnt's losses had inclined
him to listen respectfully to Toms
offer.
1T is wonderful he replied. how
often we lift the broken threads in
lifeis warp Nellie j. not my daughter;
she is my niece; but no daughter could
be dearer; and she was born at sweet
heart Now you ask her back there
it II strange enough
Nellie born at Sweetheart
Yes My sister married the steward.
II was a very unhappy match; but well
let h past alone. She left him when
- &AA AAN " IFaEN NAtA ANA
came To me. With all her fauIts she
was my twin sister. and I loved her.
Tom was almost staggered. He
knew that Dykes wife had left him.
and he had heard that Dykes had
a daughter But IL was the one
subject the steward allowed no n To
speak about. and Tom never dreamed
that Eleanor Broadbcnf could be tina.
daughter. IL cost him a few minutes
fierce struggle u accept the eircum-
stances but he did IL. and. before he
left Nellie that night. had taught him
self 10 believe that the fathers debt
was cancelled in the love aud lowell
ness of the daughter.
He went 20 Sweetheart the next day.
and found both house and gardens ia
such beautiful keeping that he re-
jOiced over and Over in the prospect OF
being its master again Dykes offered
him his hand a. he diSmounf-d a. the
garden gate. and this time Tom took
IL The old mans eyes were full OF
happy tears A. he said.
Thank tod. you took my hand this
time. sir
Yes. Dykes and I am come 70 ask
you Also, for the hand Of your daugh-
ter I shall b. a miserable baron of
Sweetheart unless Eleanor Dykes is its
lady
My daughter. Ny daughter, oh.
Master Tom. where Is shegr
Then ToSn told Dykes all about his
love, and this time the listener was
eager A. the lover; before the sale Of
Sweetheart was mentioned DYKES and
Tom were eiasping each Others hansis
and promising 10 be e~ternally tru. 10
zach other.
As soon as they were in the old par
lor. Tom said.
Vow, father, 1 will bug back Sweet
heart again
"My lear LAD. it has never been real
" mine / told you that Sweetheart
was ruined that I might save vou. IL
nearly broke my heart when You left
me yOn black dry, and IL has been nc
light thing to bear my neighbors' i'll
viii and ~scorning: but you'll forgive
me Tom I never would have been
false, save that | might be he moro
true To You. and l had your fathers
blessing on the plan
And your plan. my second father.
has made a man Of me. won me ths
dearest friends. and the best and love-
Hest of wives | can make money a,
well "a spend il now, and together wa
will make Sweetheart the most beauti-
full barUny in Cumberland
For six hundred years there has al
ways been a Dykes to stand by a
Sweetheart"
And now always they will own
Sweetheart together
People call Tom a cotton lord. and
men who stick strictly to their lands
and dignities affect q look down upoa
him. But to-day there is not a richer
or happier man in the North country.
n in his vast works and enterprises
thousands take their daily bread from
his hands. and bless him as the best AS
well as the noblest of masters
Dykes and L ncle Josiah were equally
proud of him. though sometimes they
did not quite agree as to which of them
bad the greatest share in saving the
ruined house of Sweetheart-Amelia
E Barr, in y. Y. Ledger.
Life Made Comfortable.
Rorem-Stil living in JerSav aha