Year: 1878

y
only to say so. and we two at least would
continue to hold him innocent, though all
the world should be on the other side.
But if he had really disgraced himself
was it not his duty to confess it to US
that time might erase his image from my
sisters heart and leave it open for the re-
ception of anOther9


His reply was of an evasive nature. he
did not write to Kitty at all, and only
these few words to me, with neither COM
mencement nor signature: kitty is
quite free, and may her next choice be
less unhappy one. God bless you
both"


OF course, this was tantamount TO an
wledgement OF his crime; but it
was not precisely so, which | thought
cruel. ! saw that my poor sister was not
even vet convinced by it so, without say
ing one word to her, | went down 10
Clapbam that very evening to see Fred
eric face to face. He had set off to Liver.
pool to 90 on board ship, an hour before
arrived.


said nothing OF this to Kitty, but by
some means or other she had found out
where had been, aud thanked me Tor all
the pains had iken on her account. IL
have only one favor more to ask" she
said, ''in connection with this subject. -
aud when of course | answered, at is
granted darling" she said, pray prom
lse me never to speak TO me OF Fred
again. She did not even ask for his last
note, which therefore kept in my own
possession. In looking at it, as | some
times did, though always with a keen
sense of pain, it struck me how like the
writing was to the elder Raynor's; this,
however, had noticed before it was the
case even with the formation of his fig-
ures. and that (and the deviD had doubt
less put it into his head 10 falsify his
fathers books.


Under no circumstances, is it probable.
would the firm have prosecuted Fred;
but the defalcations OF which he had
been guilty were not very serious, and
only extended over eighteen months or
so. They were discovered quite acci-
dentially by Mr.. Halland; though, had it
been otherwise-that is. if Mr.. Raynor
himself bad found them out did not
believe he would have concealed his sons
depravity for an instant. 1t shocked me to
think that each of those "windfalls," of
"''>' ihS ebhhPpJ iCilUW
used to talk SO lightly, had probably
been a successful fraud upon his employ
ers, and no longer wondered at the hag-
gard and weary looks which had accom-
panied his introduction to crime. should
have desired Kitty to return those little
presents to her. which felt had not been
his to give, but that. in the first place, my
lips were sealed upon all concerning him.
and sapnnIly / tpnW fhaan ,,f hnr
lost love were her greatest treasures.
never saw them, but when came upon
her suddenly sometimes, she would lock
her little desk, and rise from it with such
look as devotee might wear caught on
her knees 10y one OF another faith) before
a shrine. She did not NOPE nor show any
outward sign that her young hopes were
withered; she even redoubled her sOlci.
tude, always great, tor my home comfort;
but fl 1t that life was in her case no lon
ger blessing to bs enjoyed, but long,
tedious road to be trodden with q burden,
only to be laid down on that last mile
stone which stands at the head of our
graves. OF course, hoped otherwise at
first; that the poor girl would gradually
forget the man who had thus trodden out
the wellspring OF her youth and happiness;
but in the end | could come to no other
conclusion.


In less than year, though still comely.
Kitty had lost the good looks which belong
to girlhood, and ouly needed the garb Of
the pious sisterhood to enroll her with
those who have given up the world and
altianced themselves to heaven. instead
OF the work which she had SO assiduously
pursued for loves sake, she now gave up
L. L.. in, tt...,
the poor.


1t was more than month after his sons
catastrophe before Mr. Jacob Raynor reap
peared at the office, and when he cid so he
was scarcely recognizable. His hair,
which had been iron gray, was now be-
come snow white; his erect form was
bowed; and instead OF looking those who
spoke with him in the face. he studiously
kept his eyes ayerted from them, and gen.
orally fixed upon the ground. There was
no need to speak OF the disgrace that his
only son had inflicted on him, for it could
be read in his face, in his voice, and even


in his very movements, which, heretofore
somewhat stiff and pompous, had become
vague and shambling. For my own part,
| confess Ohough l could not pity him)
his presence was even less agreeable to
me tudu UeiOTo, tnOuSu IL usu NJ iouSoK
any fears tor me he never asked us for
subscriptions to this or or that benevolent
object now; never found fault with our
caligrapby; never administered little pri-
vate lectures of his own, or invited US to
attend his public ones. But l could not
forget that if this man had been less un-
yielding in the matter of his sons affec-
tions, less stern in forbidding him both
companionship and correspondence with
the object OF them. Fred would never have
gone so fatally astray. He had, it is true.
acted within his right as father. but he
had exercised them, as it seemed to me,
in manner inconsistent with those pro-
fessions OF kindliness and goodwill to all
men, Of the genuineness Of which l was
still TAR from doubling. Indeed, one Of
the most painful features OF his case was
that his occupation in the way OF public
well-doing seemed to have gone, simply
through lack, not OF will, but of ''heart"
Tor it his backbone. as one OF my fellow
clerks expressed it, appeared to have Slip
ped out. and left him limp, yet with no
one to lean on and it was rumored that
at home he would now sit tor hours NUT
tering to himself and staring at the wall.
He did his office work Notwithstanding