Year: 1867

sometimes ready to sink with untoward cir
cumstances. He fought his way through
preparatory process, entered college in ad-
vance and graduated with the highest honors
of his class.


But results like these lat least he thought
SOY could never have been achieved had not
his courage, energy and resolution been sus
tanned from some unknown and mysterious
source. He felt a conviction that there were
somewhere those who watched his conflict
with deep and earnest interest; and though
he could not conjecture where they were,
nor who, he determined that those invisible
eyes should no. witness defeat. Now and
then, in his greatest emergencies for these
seemed to be understood by others beside
himself), be would find some solid testimon-
ial of interest appearing just at the moment
OF need and In a manner, too, so consider
ate and delicate as to awaken no other feeling
than the liveliest gratitude.


More than once, when he went with
rueful face to make known the impossibility
of discharging certain pecuniary obligations
at the appointed time, he found them already
cancelled and when he entered on the study
of the law, he was not unfrequently aston
ished by the arrival at his quarters of pack
ages of books, just the ones he needed to aid
his progress"


Here father looked complacently at his own
capacious and well-filed shelves, with deep
and earnest interest.


When he was admitted to the Bar, and
was obviously casting about for some hum
BILE place where he might open an Office and
commence the practice of his laboriously
acquired profession, he found friends, hitherto
unknown to himself, ready TO lend him as
sistance and counsel, saying they had been
for years acquainted with his stout hearted
endeavors. How it could he he was unable
to divine. but he thanked Heaven and them,
and made good use of their kindly sugges.
tions.


8 Soon an advantageous partnership was
offered by an elderly gentleman in a large
and wealthy village, and from this time forth
he was man.


During all these years our poor student
had enjoyed only speaking acquaintance
with the widow d. and her pretty Elizabeth /;
but he soon discovered that his newly form
ed business relation was likely to bring him
often into the society of that profoundly re-
spected family, inasmuch as his partner
proved a near and valued relative OF
course Manning was enchanted, for now
his bashfulness was somewhat worn off, and
well to be brief, things took their own
course, at which none who ever knew
Elizabeth D. would at all wonder, and
one young attorney began to be haunted with
aspirations of nature quite different from
those which had melted and stimulated his
literary career, and still more singular to
relate, the improvident puppy, with the full
knowledge and consent of the good widow
and her charming daughter, did actually
81
dred dollars his profession yielded him, in
doing the honors of nuptal occasion with
the sweet young lady A consummaton of
bliss which he could scarcely believe await.
ed him till all was over. and he called her
his lawful welded WIFE"


Father stopped moment and looked at US
as we listened with breathless interest to his
story, only afraid of its terminating too
quickly, but we thought his eyes were little
moist just at this moment, for he went on in
a voice somewhat lowered:


. 1t was not till long after this event that
he became aware how much the mode and
tense of one trihing act of his boyhood had
to do with his enviabe destiny, for -"


At this moment. the library door being
ajar, mother hastily entered the room. say
ing, with an odd expression of countenance


" Husband husband what in the world
are you talking to the girls about this morn
ing? | overheard a few remarks. Come,
girls, it is time to go to school start off this
moment, or you will be too late"


" l was only explaining their grammar"
replied father, laughing and putting to his
lips the hand with which she was about to
adjust his cushings.


We looked at them and then at one another,
ard the truth seemed to fash simultaneously
upon us.


"'Twas mother .''twas mother !" we ex.
claimed all at once, and rushing upon her
we clasped her in our six arms and over
whelmed her with perfect torrent of kisses,
whilst father, forgetting the risk of his toes
for the moment, laughed till the tears ran
down his cheeks, and mother chided and
blushed and laughed alternately.


We needed no other confirmation that
father had been letting out family secrets
and after scene of tumultous merriment,
such as that library never witnessed, to our
knowledge, before or SINCE we obeyed moth.
er's reiterated I'M nction, and started off for
school, with glorious opinion of mode aud
tense