Year: 1877

The Eden of wildwood.


Paul Renford was thunderstruck For
once in his life he was aroused to something
like consideration of subject in hand.


Paul was four-and.twenty. At the age of
eighteen he had been left an orphan, and
heir to AN estate worth a million and his
uncle-his mothers brother-had been ap-
pointed his guardian This uncle was An.
son Betterman, an enterprising merchant,
and true-hearted man. After Paul came
of age, and became master of his property,
through the advice of his uncle he employed
a lawyer named Lovett to act as his agent
to look after rents and so on-and grad
ually this Lovett, who proved to be an apt
and ready man of business, had gained into
his hands the entire control of the whole
property and so implicitly had Paul trusted
him that he had not even demanded vouch-
ers for his bank transactions.


In fact, Paul Renford had degenerated
into a listless, aimless being. His natural
abilities, of the very highest order, had been
prostituted to the most useless of all pur-
suits-the mere seeking of pleasure for the
purpose of killing time. At first he had
lived moderately; his youthful vigor had
held him aloof from the need of stimulants:
but Of late long continued rounds of dissi-
pation-parties, balls, clubs and billiards, in
which night was appropriated to wakeful-
ness and the day to sleep-had so reduced
his physical vim that without stmulants he
found no comfort.


And now Anson Betterman had come to
inform him that Porter Lovett had left the
country with every available scrap of his
property.


"Do you mean," gasped Paul. when he
could breathe, "that he has taken all ?"


Yes, everything. You allowed him such
unlimited sway that he found no difficulty
in getting every dollar into his hands"


" And am penniless ?"


you know best whether you had any OF
your property invested in business"


Not penny"


"Then fear that you have little at hand
which you can call your own"


SIN heavens name, Uncle Anson, what
shall do ?"


"Really, Paul, see but two ways open
to you. You can lie down aud wither and
die under the stroke, or you can do as thou
sands Of others have done in misfortune
arouse yourself, put on the armor of true
manhood, and fight the battle bravely."


muSJ earn my own living


at would seem So"


"And how 2"


." can give you a place in my store"


"No, no, | cannot commence the battle
here-not here in the city, where have led
the van of folly and dissipation. Let me
have time to think"


"All right, my boy; and meantime will
be thinking, too"


M, tbn faltn,,.,n-
called again but Paul had not thought
what he would do.


"What have you thought, uncle ?"


"I'll tell you what have thought, my boy
Back in the country-and yet not far from
the city-are the mills owned by my friend
Sergeant. They are in quiet, secluded
village, the inhabitants of which are mostly
his own operatives. Mr.. Sergeant will give
you a clerkship there, and the pay will be
ample support for you"


But, may we not find Lovett Z" said
Paul.


As yet we have been able to gain no clue
to his whereabouts He is man not easily
to be entrapped. But we can try further, if
You please


g will go up and look at the mills"


And so Paul Renford went up to Wild
wood, as Mr.. Sergeant had named his settle
ment, and he found it rural and retired
enough. But it was a beautiful spot, never
theless, and he had a strong inclination to
accept the proifered situation. He returned
to the city on the day of the evening of
Mrs. Squitenstinger's grand party. He was
wondering if he had better go, when he
learned from a servant in the house that no
invitation had been sent him. On that very
afternoon he met the Misses Squitenstinger
on the avenue, and they did not acknowl-
edge his salutation.


$50, so I" he muttered. "And that is all
| am worth to them


For little time his heart sunk, but he
rallied.


"Come, come, my boy" he exclaimed,
shifting himself on the breast, " there may
be something in life yet. Be very brave"


And on the very next day he accepted the
clerkship at the Wildwood mills, and en-
tered at once upon his duties. For a time
he found it dull, hard work but gradually
his health improved and the vigor of his
youth came back to him; and under simple
living his muscles grew and strengthened,
and his whole frame came into perfect tune
of manly beauty and elasticity. And now
his duties became light and cheerful, and
he sang and whistled at his work.


The overseer of the mills was Mr.. Gray
son, and with him Paul found a home. Mr..
Grayson's daughter Della was healthful,
light-hearted, true-spirited girl of nineteen.
She was one of those blonde beauties whose
whole presence is sunshine, and her merry
laugh rippled like music of dancing waters
in the pebbled brooklet. The student of
human nature who heard that laugh would
unhesitatingly declare that only heart of ma
tive purity and gentleness could underie it.


AT first Della Grayson, when she saw that
Paul Renford was weak and detected sought
to cheer and entertain him. She had heard
the story of his great loss, and she pitied
him. She played for him upon the harp
and upon the piano, and she sung to him
and talked with him. But by-and-by when
he had grown strong and vigorous, aud when
his innate manhood had manifested itself,
she grew shy and taciturn, and finally sought
TO avoid him.


And then for the first time in his life,
Paul knew what true love was. For the first
time he experienced that sense of devotion
which leads the heart to offer itself upon the
altar of faith in the woman loved. lie asked
Mr.. Grayson if he might seek his daughter
love. The overseer did not object.


And Della Had Paul been as versed in
|
as he had been in translating the siren song
of fattery, he might have known that the
love of the beautiful girl was all his own


So when Paul Renford had been year at
Wildwood, Della had become his wife, and
he was happy-happier far than he had even
been. And he was advanced in the mills
from clerkship to responsible agency
and thus he had frequent occasion to visit
the city; but there was nothing in its din
and glare attractive to him. and he always
came home with deeper and more abiding
love for his own fond hearth-stone at Wild
wood.


During the first year OF Paul's marriage q
branch railroad was opened to Wildwood
and thus they were within an hour of the
city and the mill property was greatly en-
HANGED in value.


"Ah, said the young man one day, as ht
stood upon the piazza of his cottage, ant
looked OIL upon the rolling landscape of hill
and dale that stretched away beyond tn,
river, " ii only owned that sweep of land,


"lt is certainly a pleasant prospect sale