Year: 1870

OLD HEADS AND YOUNG HEARTS.
The sun was shining coyly down upon
little brown house, situated on the out
skirts of New England village, that
appeared to be battling for place and
position among the grand old mountains
by which it was surrounded.
In this little brown house, almost hidden
| by tall lilacs and sweet briar. a mother
and daughter were conversing sadly of
their present and future.


at is no use, mother! This is the third
! time have been repulsed. was so sure
of this situation, and now the principal
sends me word that Judge Whitcomb has
recommended an old and experienced
teacher, and the place is secured for her.
He seems to have had something to do
with every failure | have had as yet. /
cannot understand it."


81 am afraid do Lucy Judge Whit
comb is wealthy and purse-proud, and,
knowing the attachment between you and
Morton, he wishes to keep you from n
place as teacher in the village, thinking,
perhaps, it will force you to find employ
ment farther away"


The rich color flushed into the beauti-
full girls cheeks, and bright lustre to her
dark eyes.


And you think that, too, is the reason
he sent Morton away to pursue studies
that are taught in our own schoolsp"


II do; and furthermore, that he will
continue to place every obstacle in your
path that he possibly can. 1t is his boast
that he never undertakes thing in earnest
and is foiled; and it is true, or nearly so.
| believe; for have known him for over
twenty years"


Lucy's father had been dead several
years, and she had always resided in the
village where she was born. with her
mother, and was an only child. When
the father died, lie left them the little
dwelling with its five acres of ground, and
Il few hundreds in the bank. Mrs. Merry
man wisely thought, that IA part of this
surplus could not be better invested than
in giving her daughter a superior educa-
ton, SO that, if left alone, she might be
able to support herself. The village
boasted an excellent school-as what New
England village does not ?--and at this she
was kept until she had acquired all usually
taught to young ladies in the institution.
She had been educated to teach, and her
sort of regal manners and easy carriage
particularly fitted her for the office.


Among the boys at school, was the son





about her own age, or year older, per-
haps. When they were fourteen, they
were pointed out by the older scholars as
the young lovers" 1t was amusing to
observe the attention he paid her. He
gathered the first spring flowers for her
carried her books and parcels--pulled off
her muddy overshoes to spare her dainty
tingers-produced an umbrella if it rained
and seemed by his actions generally to
regard her as his peculiar charge. When
teased by the older boys, as he often was,
he would reply: 'She has no father or
brother, and am sure somebody ought to
care for and be kind to her"


And as they grew older, by sort OF
tacit consent, they were assigned to each
other in all the little merry-makings incl
dental to New England village.


Judge Whitcomb, the father of Morton,
was ii grave, taciturn man, loving his
children dearly-they were all-girls but
in his own peculiar manner.


One day as he sat reading, his attention
was arrested by a conversation between
Morton and one of his sisters, in which the
latter was teasing him about his fondness
for Lucy Merryman. Some words thrown
back by the brother startled him. and he
raised his eyes, and through the open door
for he was in an adjoining room-looked
upon his son, boy no longer.


ale is fine, manly looking youth, eer-
tainly," he thought, as he gazed more
earnestly. What if that poor widows
daughter should try to captivate him ? l
have heard-yes, known of such things.
| must watch. Why, it would ruin him" :"
| "And he did watch. and became con-
vinced there'was danger.


"My son." said he a few days later,
when does this term of school close ?'
'In three weeks, sir,


How far have you progressed in your
Latin ?"


II shall commence my second book in
| Virgil next term, sir"


VERY well / propose sending you
from home to school, for a term or two,
before you enter college"


The son looked up in surprise. MAY
| ask why, sir -


"Certainly. l think it will be an ad-
vantage to you. Your studies will proceed
the same. and contact with strangers will
give you more confidence in Your own
powers, and better fit You for your col
! legiate course. l will speak to your
mother to have all your clothing prepared,
and will go with you at the proper time,





is personal friend, and in whom have
much confidence"


The son had nothing to offer against
this reasonable proposition, and at the
time named by his father, said goodbye
to his village classmates, fingered long at
parting with Lucy Merryman, and then
left his fathers house for his first sojourn
! from it.


/ Judge Whitcomb was the nominal post
master of the village, but the business was
usually attended to by an efficient deputy


Morton and Lucy had promised, in that
last parting, to correspond, and every
week pretty little missives passed back
and forth between them. The father had
made no provisions for this. and, in fact,
knew nothing OF it. He had sent his son
away, as he would once have shut him in
closet, to keep him out of mischief and
he had no more thoughts of his writing to
a young lady, without his leave, than he
would have had of his climbing from
window to escape the confinement.


But one day, being in the absence of the
clerk .ucy Mprryman came and dronOeN