Press enter after choosing selection

The Governor's Story

The Governor's Story image
Parent Issue
Day
9
Month
November
Year
1883
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

"Wu w.;' p. ::.."...;¦ tin :;overar, "ray motheranl I. Wclivtl cabin on Gen. fcfnt&Vs arm, and f! was a hard time. My father had died when I was sixteen years old, ;.:¦¦ us nothing but :in Ii and, although i was btüit aud l.e; ni)r wages were very low, and I had. to toil late and early to próvido thfl m sarics of lile Bul i suppose 1 woald have boen happy andcontenteJeuougl), thatis, as much as we uraatisfied mortals osually are, iL it hadn't been for a woman. I don't knöw vhy it was thnt Helen Hinton had made such-.ui impression on me.for slie had by no means those great and noble qualities by which men as a general thing are attracted toward the opposite sex, On the contrary, she was proud, afrogHnt and overbearing, and I was oonfiaent that if she thought of me at all it was with fee'.ings of centompl lain alone. Notou aecou.it of iny Remanal apboaranoe, it is truc, foi; tbough 1 was roègh and atóultivatad, i ad i3y lmsids were hard with iacessant toü. and my iaee bronzcd by exposjure to the sua. still I had wonderful .strength and ity, and my hair and eycs were as dark as midnight, and tnany . :¦:¦! i was hindsome Bui. i was poor and wealthy. Í waa Gen Linton's hinu! hand and she was Gen. Linton's daughter, and it was the old, old sforvi It must have been her bewildering i autj drew mo more and more toward her, for .she was a queenly-looking giri, witii ilashiug eyes and magmöcent dark brown hair, ánd a íoím tall and mn;;nïfioent and stately. Bui, whalpver at might have been I ain eortaïn of one tliiner, and that ia. I loarned to iov with amaddening, painful, eousuniing passion thatsoemid about to üevour my wholo being. I tried very hard lo smother it and to drive her image trom i.iv heat t. I kuc.V 1 n weH think of plucking down the moon or the stars as 10 have dared to aspire to her hand. But it was of no avaïl; the moro 1 atruggled tfie moro I beca ;1l'!. In the moruing, at noon and night there was but one faco that Í s;;w and one voiee that I hunrd, and ti:it was the face and the voicc of Helen Linton. %'li;s.t. was thu v;or.jt of aíl to me, in somo way she disoovered my secret. Hqw I ean hardly teil. They say murder will out, and the sanie oan most assuredly bo f:1 love. Í not spoken abont'it to any one, not even to my mother, and as to Helen I had searcely spoken tu her on any .: ject. It i.s truc that gojnatiiüe3 would givo me instructions in regard to tlie flower garden, wbich Gen. Linton had selectod me to nianage, haring, as he said, more opinión of my taste i:i such matters than any of tbe.rest of his workmen; but she nëver condescended further. I worsliiped her lïke a star afar oiï, and knevv the distai;ce betweenustö be as tilde as impassable. One day she I o tho garden when I was at work there, and, impelled by soms ünknown power, 1 gáthered and present-ed to lier u cnoico bouquí'i of flowers; and whether it was from my eui:C looi the, diseovered all and ined to check me in the vëry b%innir ¦. qv wh#her she liad already probeil to the very deptlis of my heart and thought I was presumptuous, l know not; but certain it is that she nover spoke to iuc aftar that. She had been i:i tiie habit of giviDg me a nod of recognition wüonevershemot mo before, but afti r i::i she passcii me without even a glai disdain within lcv hanghty eje an! contcia;)!, upor; iier seornful lip. You may know that m; ''..¦¦¦ wa i a wretohed as it well conld bo. 1 nsed to sil down by thu iire in .;: my hard dnyV, Wofl my wretchcd falo, ;:ud cali God unju3t in what 1 cónsictercd tlié distmcííbns ho made in the human race; but I Jittle knew tiicn whai tlo ücmjjuI won'.d i - Crowda of company, ga gentlemen, camuevcry si-immerfrom t!ie city to spend the season at Linton Hall, and it so happened that one summer therecame among tbJ rst a. youog gentleman nanied Arthur St. John. Iï;was reported to be wealthy, v.:u Eanusome ho certainly was, and it was not very long before he eommenced pnying devoted attention to Gen. Linton's daughter; and it was easy enougis to sec that sha was asinfatualctlas ho vvas. They u sed to ruie or,l by oitrlittl tage, on the bvinfiit snrnmef evenings,on the Forest road, is il .was crvlled, on their.praneing horses, :i BêniUng fohdly aijove her, whispering words of love and tenáerneas, and slie list;ni:ig to ;im with a finsh on her check and a s:nilo upott hor lip. 1 remember oae evcniag that I atood watehing them as they i-odc down fro:;i the Wild Glen, bathcd in the golden halo that the gOTgeótts (ires of .sunset threw upon t!ie sceoc, wliüe tho summer zepkyrs, loaded wit'i tiie perfume of wil(i,llowers, l)ïfv bei '¦ massive baïrfroin her quconly browi uitil thescfiiiiijüiiiuvii '.. ii'.! ccíclíj!, and she annhabitont of the I gions Just tlierc. slic baught siirlit of jno, as 1 looked at her almost entHtsóed and sppke gpmething in a Jow ipoo ;.i ',¦ ; companion. What it was 1 neyei knew but they both Ipokí d al me an instant, and then the air rang wiüi their laughter, and I heard him say sometí about presnmption and impüdeilcc, a:id I guessed what it saw. It was h:u-ti bo be thus tortured, simply for no other reason than becaïise I had a Ireart, and could not control its impül: when 1 look baèl on tbat üme it seems to me like some terrible dream. Misfortunes, tliey say, never ei iua singly, and Ihey alwaj too, when we least i i m, My mi suddenly sickened ::¦¦ thus leíl :t'iii.', a w the earth. As 1 Stoöd ovar hot :;r.i , iUseemed to rue that I iiiul bü hope. I determined to leave tka ::}mi, where 1 httd Boen so níucu ;:-cry. 1 cared vory little whero 1 went. Any where far away from there, Geni lAnton payed me what littlo hu owi ;' and 1 struck out for the far wcsC R roads and steamb sti i were not Ualf as ïmmerous tben as they . even if they had been ! was tco poorto avail inyseli of their : I i walkod, therefore, many a weary :i;e, until, aftor several days of travel, I found ii;, Bclf :.i the óutskirts of a grovving city. Hore 1 stopped, becauso I thought 1 had gone far enough, and for the best of all r . o my money liad given out. 1 had to do something. A largernansioii, with beautiful grounds, itood before me. I applied to she owner for labor. He said ho was very much m , I dener, but did not like to employruewitnoul refercnccs. After hesitating for a while, howev r, ho cbncluded to mpigímo for amanth, ajad ii lia ükcd ' i, ild then engage me i 'y, ho said. 1 found out in a short time that he was :i lawyer, itensive practico, fcnmonsi !y wealthy, and lived - '.1 followed up the rule I bad adopteS through life, tü bc honest, aud iadustrio.u.s ander ' i. -iimstanoee, and :it the mil of the roonlh i:;; i !npt;, e", who-e name was Parker, sent forme, he said, to pay me njy nionth's wages. He then S'trprised nae by askingifl could and write, ! toldhimthatlcould. nks to mdefatfeablc onergy ainj i ice át íiie uiílé cabln on Gen. Linton's farm, during tho long winter oveni Ors of tho day wereover,I hadacquired the rudimonta of a first-rato English edneation. My cmployer tEfcri iold me tb at duïing the ttiontli'liehad. observe i ni i ¦ ;ose!y, '¦'¦.¦ ,R(I me to bc :m lionest m".. ¦¦! will 1 ¦ ¦ H Jou caiuotliing more," ;:, '. ac, ¦1Ll.::l have disOKVC-ri'i. Y, m ir i ;; .¦!:!:;, man of ( xtraordinary intelligcn.ee. öardening is not vuur proper vocatioa. I ani doing an extensivo practico of tho law, and I 'jci d eoiae one te 8rt in in y olïiee. Í l:now o! no è foittefl win you. With your applieatlon and imlustry, within one yeár from now you may be admitted to the bar. You must consent to btícome my studenU' l lion'tknöw exactly how it was. but smidonly Jiulffe Parker ui d tho table secmed to becomo inverted :i;;d t!ie room Went whirlingaround and around, and we all seemed like üying off through the air, like Aladdin'ë castlo, and tho nextthingl knewlwas sobbing with my heaiL upon the table. ile didn! sa-} üiytliing until I had regained my eoinposure, and then I told him all; wñat a hard time I had hád throogh life.and how tliis had been the only light t'aat had ever shone upon :;v patlrwar, 'Ecare spvanc; intotlie old i's eyêii.nsl bold liim, but' ho said I lüUil not nol dospair :md ho wal cettain I WTDttid como out victorious. I wcutiiilo Jucijje l'arkers ollieoind 1 studied liard, aud at the end of thé ¦:'.. as he predictcd. - obtained n)5' license to practico law. He then asked liatr-I intended doiag. J told him 1 was intending' to go on' to sorno ::.-ing plai a and gro.v ;ip witii it, "and if lover do aiiv.1 aid 1, "reinem¦ .: a ¦ 1 ie öwn that made me."" He saiil [ shoiüd do no sueh thiflg. lio was gettin old, he. said. aud was uaable to atttnd prgperly a great deal of nis business, and he yanted me to ;:iv and sBSislMto. "ïrou must bcmy partnir, " sai;! he, "with a share of the proöl Á ,:iiu the room seemed UiVninK round round, bul this time I manaocd .10 retain my feolins, a?id only sauï: "May Iieaven liiankyou, foi Well, it watn't long. bcforc tue jvcpïo seemed to tike un interest, in rac, :md thoy clcoti it to :b -¦ cglslaii:re, and : l :i!S, and J alu. y. ¦i.ntinv.td ju the s:,ice l-.ünest, mdustrioús eourse until tliey made me theii rvernor. 1 had hearcl but very littie in all that time froni Linton haö; ) h:ui eard Qp. faihtod ww! tüíMt, am ïrthur St. John and Heien had married, and tliat the old place had been sold, and that WÏÏP il-'As ioi' myptti't.'l wtis süil a. bachelor. Manr a ii:ue, emidthe thunders of applause that had snrrounded me, fair hands had throvvn me boautifnl tlowers and ruby lipe had smüed, and bright eyee had oli.stened wi-eu I was near; but I fhought of cold, cruel, baughty Helen Linton, tmd had jadged them all alike, and had turned away. One win! t evciiiug, shortly aft! I had been eleeted gevernor, when tho wind vrns bowling oiitside and 1 . was onjoying the comforts of my room within, and wondering if auy houseless Wrètclies were out in that stormt to my great astonishment the aervant ushcred m a lady. It waa something unusual; but i npke to her as oplitely as I could uilen (I her :, ,-rat, whon -the tigJit feil i ; and nóïwitllstanding the Bthken oye and hollow cheeks, to my consternation I reeognizedtho face of Helen Linton. To my reliofi howoea I fouod that :'.iU'(l tu rifcognize rae. No; she wouid as Boah iraTe looked i'or :i form from t.hc tomb, as to have looked for me n!; J;hat place. Sho had e'inv , sik! .$}, on á pamful busineas. Her faiher-iuid beey a very v.'eahhy nisíB, r;ml 1 1 r 1 1 Icft her a largo property; but her bnsband had been ¦ ¦:: the faiiii want, in an nnlitiky moment had comIc'd n forgery. Tor wliieh he hacTbcen found gnilty, and she had come to me ;,: picad lor hia pardon. She told me all tliï.-; üüim! Miiji ar.ii icars, and ¦.:!;- ui l.'v nrQstrjitiñg herseÚ át my foei. 1 begged her to rise and busca! d. tbèii I mqtiired her father' s name. ¦ saiS il. was Joba Liui;;n. I'O.sn ho -emombered jhe old ".. and lier sou vlo once hvëd in the cabin on the forest road near Lint( n Hall. Shoi'epJied witii in -iirprise, that sHé dw. I stood up. " ihul biiy." toid I, ¦'wretched, ;e -.¦ üuteasl tliat he onco wr.s,now la before y_ou. i turne:; ashen whjle, afose and in .¦' d toward thi door i told her ,to stopt-I had someiiii!:; to say to hor "Let me go," ¦ : "I showod no mercy to you ant! expect none lanv," Then my heart was touolicd. 'Mtti. Ut. John, I will pardon yöur Ijaiid, but on one obii.lition ouly." eagcrl.V ü-i:od fiio lo name :t. "It is Ibis " ¦ said 1; "tb at yen will teaoh ycui1 chaluvén iiiü iolly and the ovil con íHjuenr.es of pvile: that you wil! ¦d them :igainst lts wickednèss and rrious inñacnces throuab life, and that your hu iband will likewise icform und lead a different life. She readily assentcd to my requireu'ents, :ml i:i a fciv tnoments moreshe was on Jier v.;:v home, tho joyJ'ui tidiagü to ; chütlrc!]. The ! . 1 taugbt ber 1 hope may ba ijMieiit to thora tlirongh life. She and hor ímsbarid moved lo a distant city, whero ho reformed, and beuame a aseful and respectable citizen, and oilen spotka of me, 1 understand, with pvoiound gratitulo. I atn S bacBeloï ye!, and thcro i:i but one woniHu to whoso memory I ever ''¦¦'¦;' a teai". And that is to tho memory of my tnother.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News