Year: 1862

luCO LIS OWu POShOo.


At last, what the heir of Linn's father
had forseen, came to pass. His money
was all gone, and he had no means of
keeping up his excesses, except by selling
land; but no one was rich enough to buy
them except John Scales, and every one
knew how he came by his money. The
young Laird was desperately in want of
money to pay his gambling debts, and
was moreover heated with wine, when the
unjust steward offered to buy his estate.
1t was hard care, but after much dis
cussion he agreed upon the bargain.


"Give me your gold, good John Scales,
and my hands shall be yours forever.
said the heir of Linn.


Then John counted down the good clean
gold, and hard bargain his master had
of it. For every pound that John agreed
to pay, the land was worth three.


The last money went like the first, and
the heir of Linn was beggar. He first
went to the house that had once been his,
but now belonged to John Scales, to seek
some relief. He looked at the window OF
the great banqueting hall, but there was
no feasting going on in it. The fire was
out and the dinner table taken away, and
all was desolate and dismal. "Here's sor-
nv cheer" said the heir of Linn


John would not. give him penny, but
told him to go to his friends he had spent
so much money upon so foolishly. So he
did, but it did no good. Some pretended
not to know him, and none would lend Him
even a farthing, or even offer him dinner,


II g. on1 hrrn
ry for two days; for work he could not,
and to beg he was ashamed. At last, In
his extreme misery, he thought of his
fathers dying words. II have not sold
the house in Kippletringan yet, said he,
'sfor no one would buy it. l will go and
break open the upper chamber. My faith
er said 1 would find relief there, and per-
haps he meant"


< X X X X X x


To the house he went and broke the
chamber door OPEN He found relief in
decd.


There was nothing in the room but one
high stool, and directly over it halter
dangling from hook in the ceiling. He
looked up and read these words:


"Ah! graceless wretch and wanton
fool! You are ruined forver. This is the
only relief for those who have wasted their
patrimony as you have done. Behold
then: put the halter round your neck and
then jump from the stool, and save your
family from the disgrace of beggary..


"Very excellent counsel, said the heir
of Linn, .'and as | must either hang or
starve, think will take my fathers ad-
vice and hang. 1t is the shortest death
Of the two


So he mounted, fastened the halter
round his neck, and Kicked the stool from
under. But the heir of Linn was not to
die. The board into which the hook was
driven gave way with his weight, and he
fell on the floor, with shower of gold
rattling about his ears! | will not say he
felt no pain the next day, but at that mo-
ment he certainly felt none. Joy rushed
to his heart like a torrent, on seeing him.
self rescued from death and beggary.
The space between the ceiling and the
roof contained enormous treasures. On
the upper part of the board from which
he thought to suspend himself was let
ter addressed to him. He tore it open
and read as follows:


''Dcar son, know your character, and
no expostulation or advice can wsan you
from the desperate course you are pur-
suing. Nothing but misery sharper than
death, can work the cure If, therefore.
your misfortunes and sufferings should be
so grievous that you prefer death to their
endurance, you will not rashly encounter
them again. You have made the trial
take my gold and redeem your lands, and
become better man.


The heir of Linn did not leave the spot
without offering up prayer to heaven for
the soul of parent whose admirable wis
dom had discovered the means of raising
him from beggary and despair to affluence
and of weaving him from the follies and
vices which had so disgraced his character
To evince his gratitude, he resolved tc
amend his life from that day forward, and
become all fathers heart could wish.
But he first thought he would make ONT
more trial of his false friends on whom
he had wasted his time, his substance anc
his character. He therefore kept hi:
newly discovered wealth a great secret
until he heard that John Scales was tt
give grand entertainment, and all the
lords and ladies were to be there.


When the heir Of Linn entered his
fathers house, it was crowded with richly
dressed gentry, but he was in beggar''
rags. He appealed to the charity of thu
company, saying he was starving.
To one he said, "you have dined at my
board thousand times; will you den,
me the crumbs that fall from your table?'


To another, 81 gave you pair Of steed
and trappings-" And to another he said
Il lent you thousand pounds and neve
asked you to repay it, and so on to tn
rest of the company; but instead of re
membering his favors, they reviled him
and called him spendthrift, beggar, ant
all manner of vile names. Some said
was a shame that such wretched ebjec
should be suffered to come among them
and one to whom more than all the res
his purse had been opened, called upon
servant to thrust him out of doors.


But one man took his part. 1t wa
master Richard Lakeland, poor younge
son of a wealthy gentleman. He stoo'
up and said,-'I never ate at the board o
! r IL l.. L