Year: 1873

A TRUE STORY. '


The ancestors Of the good people
Of these United States came to this
country ostensibly to escape the per-
secutions Of aristocratic England but,
alas ior the inconsistency Of human
nature, they were very far from
abandoning aristocracy when they
left the mother country. They
brought it with them, together with
all its accompanying notions and abb
surdities, and have left it to their chill
dreu as ansinalienable legacy which
we seem to be trying to increase
every day. g


II the days of the good colony of
Virginia, the distinctions between
rich and poor were based upon laws,
which, like those of the Medes and
Pesians, altered not. One of the
most devout followers of this code
was a.wealthy planter, living in what
was known as the Northern Neck. He
was in all other respects, a frank,
op@.hearted, manly gentleman, but
his estimate of his iellow-men was
founded upon the principle that gov
-ernsd his selection Of horses-blood.
Wealth, too, was by no means an un-
important feature with him. He had
our human weakness, and like all of
us was influenced more than he ever
believed by pounds, shillings, and
pence.


This Mr.. c. had quite large
family, and among them was daugh-
ter whose beauty was the standing
toast OF the country. She was just
eighteen, and budding into lovely
w0manhood. Not only was she beau
tiful in person, but ber amiable dispo-
sition and many accomplishments
made her more than ordinary attrac-
tive, and half the gentlemen of the
Northern Neck were already signing
for her love.


There was in the country at this
time, a young man who was already
rising high in the esteem OF his neigh
bors. He came of good family, but
was as yet, a poor surveyor, who had
taught himself his profession, and who
had spent much OF his manhood ira
versing forests with nothing but his
compass for his guide, and his chain
tor his companion, locating lands and
settling disputed titles. He was a
model Of manly beatty and excelled in
all the varied feats of strength in
which the old-time Americans took
such pride. He was calm and re-
served, and there was about him a
dignified sweetness Of demeanor that
accorded well with his frank indie
pendence ofcharacter. He was great
iavorite with all who knew him, and
there was no gathering to which he
was not asked.


Mr.. c. seemed especially to
like the young man, and it was not
long before he insisted the latter
should abandon all ceremony in his
visits TO him, and come and go when
he pleased. The invitation was heart
lily given and as promptly accepted.
The young man liked the planter, and
he found the society of the beautiful
Mary G. very strong attraction.
The result was that he was frequently
at the planters residence; SO frequent
ly, indeed, Mrs. C. felt called up
to ask her husband if he did not
think it wrong to permit him to en-
Joy such unreserved intercourse with
their daughter. The father only
laughed at the idea, aud said he hoped
his daughter knew her position too
well to allow anything like love for a
poor surveyor TO blind her to her
duty to her family.


Nevertheless, Mary G. was not
SO fully impressed with this conviction
of duty as was her father. She found
moro to admire in the poor surveyor
than in all her wealthy and aristocrat-
10 suitors, and, almost before she
knew it, her heart passed out of her
keeping, and was given to him. She
loved him with all the honesty and
devotion of her pure heart, and she
would have thought it a happiness to
90 ont with him into the wilderness
and share his fatigues and troubles,
no matter how much sorrow they
brought her.


Nor did she love him in vain. The
young man, whose knowledge Of the
world was afterwards so thorough,
had not been learned to consider as
binding the distinctions which society
drew between his position and that
Of tho lady He knew that in all that
makss q man, in integrity and honesty
ofpupose, he was the equal Of fanny one.
He lelieved that except in wealth, he
stood upon a perfect equality with
Mari c., and loved her honestly


lnaniully, and, no sooner had he
1ataasd himself upon the state Of his
own ieelingG than he confessed his de-
voion, simply and truthfully, and re-
cccd from bis lady's lips the assur-
lnn TINT abe loved him very dearly.