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Lawyer Marshall's Copyist

Lawyer Marshall's Copyist image
Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
September
Year
1872
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

" Pooh ? norisense ! Frank, -why can't you be content and allow matters to remain as they aru 't Why will you talk of lovo, when 1 like you so much, and want yuu tor my friend and brothur always 't " And liurtha Lynde, wiliful littlo beauty M Bte was, sliruggud lior shouldors, and tapped her tiny toot in assuined vcxation. Tiio boyish taco, an X broad, high l rjw of the youth befoio her Hushed with instant pain, at h(;r liglit roliulf, hut Beeming to ojnquer Llulself by an iffort, ho roplied caliuly, whilo tlio color slowly forsook his faco, luaviug it vory pa] : ' Bortba, nc a;o uo longor children," ho .aid ; " wü have groivu up trom nü;incy toguther, and I havo lcarned to look apon J'oii as a part of my very oxistenue. Kut tho time has uow urrivtd whcn we must thiuk of othtr mattera than ohildish paetillie. You are fast approacliing woiuauhood, and I - I must go forth into the great, bustling, busj', seltish world, to car vu tor myself a name and a fortune. Berths, 1 want Botuething to oucourago me iu thü strugglcs which I shall be forocd to eiicounter, and that souiething is the assurance of your luvo - not a sister's love_not a friend's love, but a deoper, purer, more fervent and enduring love. tiive me this assurance and 111 aak no more uiitil I have roached a position which will equal the one younow occupy. You are tue potted daughter of rich pareuts, I, a friendloss, penniless orplian. I am going away to suek my fortune, and I ask you again if you will grant mo the greatest boon I crave for fhis lito." With an impatient movement sho half turned from him, and replied : " Frank you are cnough to vex a saint ! I ain not going to assure you of any such love as you talk about. I'm suro a sister" Jove ought to satisfy you, and you ought to bo thankful for that." Tho proud inouth of the boy quivered vith suppressed einotion. " But 1 ara going away Bertha, you may not seo nio again in long years to OLUO " " I don't care if I neder soe you again," be auswered, now thorougbly voxed liat hc should thus " tuase her," lor so ho considered his earneat entreaties. " Berth, darling you dont mean just liat; oh, you dout ruean that ! " hti oriud. "Yesl do' Wby shouldu't I, when rou vex and annoy me all tha time ' " he pouttd" Then farewell, Bertha ! God bless on," aud he turned away. " Are you really going, Frank, going ight away 'f " ' Yes. I shall only tarry long enough 0 visit the graves of my futher and nioth r, they will be sadly neglucted in oomng years, I fear, and then 1 shall bid arewell to these familiar scènes - perïaps f'orever. Good-by, darling - sister - good-by." IIo was gono, and as Bertha Lynde tood in tho bright Hay suushinu, ït eenied to her as if everything had sudenly giown dark, cold and cheerloBS - as f a hght had suddenly gone out of hor ife, loavng her heart desolate and .reary. Poor child ! she has yet to learn hat the cup of bliss is oftenest dashed rom our lips by our own hands, Days and weeks passed away, and tho )eople of that busy country village uiissd trom their uiidst the geutleinanly litle fellow, who, with sucti native dignity, lad performed many ftots of inenial lajor for them that thej almost lost slght of the fact that he was friendleBS, an orhan, and poor. The boys of the villago academy mipsed him - they were rid of a droaded rival n their studies, and the priuoipal uierchant of the town (Mr. Lyniifl) missed frem bis storo a faithful valuud clork. ]!ut most of all Bertha missed him. Hho had not seen him alter he had turned away from her with such a grievod expression on his face as hib lips murmured tho words, " darling Bistor - goodby." 8he had hoped he was not really in earnest after all ; büt he was gouo now, whon she had loed him so all the time, and she inight have told him so if she had not benn so wülfully perverse, and thon might have been Bure of his rcturning " some day, " so sho murmured to herself. Peoplo wondernd what had caused " that littlo sprite, Bertha Lynde," to becoino so suddonly grave and womanish, but she only read the secret from her heart'8 inner pages, as she daily visted the grave-yard, and with tenderest care, nourished and tended tho flowers she had plantud upou the uiounds so sacred te him - her playmate, compauion, friend and lover. Months and years piissed ; and now, as Bertha no longcr a thonghtless, careless cliild, but a grave, X'iisive woman, looked back upon tb is BOene of her .girlhood it suemcd to her llke tho memory of somc vague dream, aml her boy lover, like a croation oi fitncy. Still she kuow tha the picture drawn by momory's faithfu pencil was true to the life, fr thero wa the gravo thut had becu so sacredly re gardod by the absent wandercr - so fuith fully watched over by her siuco his de parture, which wns now " years ago." 1 8h could uot tyiii s acknowlcdgc to her self that sho had loved that boy, and yot in all thosu yoars hor huurt had roraained untouched by lovn for any oth'jr ; she thought of hitu still, as itsdearost object. At longth hor father bocaino oonliJeut that ho oonld multiply his fortune by romovinii to the iuctro])olis and euguging in businefs oa a moro itondofl scale. Hu did bo, mul for a ululo was ouccesst'u!, but by-and-by reverses ciimu ; his oxpevionco and skill witü insulHciont to shiold hhn from the intrigues of villainous partners, and at lust ho awoke to tho startliug truth that hu was ruiiiod - penniloas I Ho was not ft bravo man, and, as many otliers Lave dono in like ciniumstaneos, not having courago to meet the stern rettlitius of adverso fortuno, ho rashly hast. umi, UQBUrauiOIied, into thu presenco of his Maket, Ittaving his wifo, a feeblo invulid, und IWrtha, an inoxpurienetid girl, to battle with cireurastanoes for tho bn;o nccussiirios of lifo. Itoduced to actual want, Bortha sougiit for employuiuut ovorywheio throughoul tho city, umi ut last gavo up in desjmir, aceepting tho awful altornativo of starvntiou or tho workliouse, whon, (is she listlussly scanned a daily paper, her eye caught the follovviug noticu : Waxti.'.i- A Faithful, steady, competent porton ; copyUt. Must write a good lcgibit hand. Apply to Xo. 110 St." Hpnrred by urgent necessity, sho responded to tho advurtisoment in person. ISntering the busy strekt, slio rcached tho nunilior desiguatéd, and suw above the door a gu, uuuriiig, iu Largo, gilt letters, ttitsü wordt: " F. Marshall, Attorney and Cuuuoelor at Law." Ou eu turing shu vu met by au office boy, wliü jerkcd his thumtj ovor his Bhouldor, sndtold hor sho would "tind tho Squire tiere." Following the di rectiou indicated by tho boy, sho entered anothei departinent, whore sho found the l:tsyor busy uinong book, papers, and iDUwerable parchiuonts. Witli natural j deliouoy of good breeding, she waitod for hiru to aoknowledge hur preeenee, und takiiii til suat wbioh ho proifirod hor, she at once luado knowu her business, and her name. And thon tor tho first time, sho noticed that slie had been addres-sing a young and Temarkably hundsoiuo man, and could hardly realizo that tho celeurated, highly suooessfnl, and taleotod luwyer, ot whom sho had ro often heaid, stood bulofu hur. Then she thought of tho impropriety of her applying tor the gituatiuu. The advertisement had httid " person," not " gontloman," and thorefore she had reaeon to infer that either a lady or gentíomand might scuru tho positiou provided ihoy wuro believed to bo compelout to fill it. Theso thoughts flow rapidly through her bniin wtiile ühe bat with downcast cyes, unaware that tho law yer rugardud her with carnebt attention. " I havo no roforences," sb.0 falterod, ' but my fathor, Mr. Lynde " " Ah, yes, I knew him very well," angwered the lawyor, iu a doup, musical voioe, whiuh had a ring of kindness in it. " I require no other assuranou of your integrity and ability, niy doar üiss, and hould be pleased to havo you commouoo 'our dutios aa soon as possible." " Dut tho salary - " sho bogan. " üh, yes ! I oamo near forgetting that part of tho contract. Well, I had uot de:ided as to tho sum I oould afford to pay. iow much did you expect to recoive 't " For a moment she was silent, feariug o uu 'iitiou any suui, lest she might lone he position, aud yet sho needed inonoy o much) " 1 would be willing to work for tnn ollars a week," ehe t'&ltered at length, while the thought that she, Bertha Lynde, was thus suing for a ponition and a maro littance, to keep her trom starving, caus)d thu hot blood to flush her face and row, but theu ehe remembered her poor, nvalid mothor, and, by an effort, sho reovered hor self-control, and looked up a meet the saino oarnest, kindly gu.o vhieh had before so roassured her. " I will give you twenty dollars per wpek," ths said, aud without waiting for ïer to express her gratitude he addod, nd now. when will you conisnenco your uties 'f " ' To-morrow," and she turned away with a light heart, whilo tlie lawyer seatd himselt' at his desk, but instead of inoresting himself in uis business, ho alowed his thoughts to wander far away. liertha commeuced hor duties, which were not very arduous - for the lawyer managed to astiist her a great deal - and with her earnings socn made her motlier omfortable, her homo chcerful, and was omparatively happy. Thus months passed away. Mr. Marhall was alway kind and considérate, )ut their acquaintunco nover ripentd ino anything liko intimaoy. Their relaion to each other was simply the relaion of einployer and employé, aud nothng more. üno morniiig, Mr, Marshall recoived a noto froiu his uopyist iuforming him of ïer mother's extremo illuoss, and begriug to bo excused from duty two or hee days. A week passed and she did not resumo her labor. He called at her ïome, and found her alono, lonely and lereaved, for her mothor had that day )oen laid to rest beside her unfortunato msband, ill the littlo graveyard in her ïativo villaga. Tenderly hu sought to administer the jalm of sympathy and consolation, winning her thouglits away trom hor grief jy his delicate kindness. Suminer came, aud oue beautiful day, iiurtha proposed to visit the graves of her larents. She asked leavo of absence of yir. Marshall, informing him, at the same ime, for what purpose she desired to be absent an entiro day. Ho vtry roadily jranted hur desiro, and, to hor surprise, asked pormisaion to accompany her. After a mouient'a hesitatiou, she replied that she would indeed bo happy to nave him do so, as sho oouhl avail herself of the opportuuity to aek his advice iu regard to beautifying the place, and tho crection of tombstoneg to mark their huiable reating-plaoe. Heatud beside Mr. Marshall in his carriago, Bertha gave hersolf up to thought, for her companiou seemed deeply absorbed with his own cogitations. ïlardly a dozen words were spoken by either during their ride of two hours. Thoy reached the village, and Bertha gave way to feelings of deepest grief, as she beheld hor old home and the scènes wliere the days of hor own happy childhood woro passed away. They noared tho quiet rosting placo oi those 6O dear to her orphan hoart. lir. Marshnll assisted ISortha from the carriage, ft ïdsheprocoededat oma, and alone, to tho uallowod spot, while Mr. Marshall, with rofined delicacy, remained buhind, ostunsibly to attnd to tho security of tho horses, but really that sho inight bo undibturbod in her grief, for ho believed that í uch grief as hers was too sacred to bo intrndod upon. As eho approached the spot she was alraost stunned with surprise. Could she believo the evidence of her own gight 'i Rurely it could not bo - yes - no - yes, il wei really so ; tho lot wag enclosed by a muit iron fence, and a inarble shaft bearing the iiaiucs of her purents, raised its pwre,psle piUaabove those sacred gruves " What kindly friend hun done UdlP" she nslcnl herself, but she could think of ; no ono to whoui sho might attribute the loving, generous deed. For noarly nn hour uhu remainod thore, teuderly twin ing tho ilowers some kind friend had plauted, and bedewing tbom with toars, and theu she reraembered two other graves which once she had visited often, upou which sho had plantod flowcis in days gono by. Slowly .she wended her way to the wellrotuemberod eput, and - wuk it possible? was s'ue not mistaken this timet1 An iion paling enolosed tlieso two gravea, a m.irblo shaft towered abovu thern, and thero - betiido tlioso niounds knelt hor - oidplojor- Mr. Marshall! He arosi! to hia fuut as sho approaohed, took her hand and ilently gazud upou the pale features of his coinpanioii. Mr. Jiarshull, what does this mean? Wen these - 't " and sho pointod to tho gravea bcfore thein, whilo he interruptod nor. " Theso woro my beloved paronts, Bertha. With loviíig caro you tonded the llowers cpOD these humblo graves, and I a"ppreciated all witli u heart which has over clierished your imago as its qucen. I hnvo endeavor d to make a slight return for your faittiful kindness by roaring a ïuarblu shaft oter jroür loved ones, as I havo abovo my own patenta dust." Stninge that nbo had not thought of it before, hiH inannor 6O ' reminded her of 8ome one kiiown long figo, and the name, too, that ho bore, the iimu as that of hor boy lover. Yes, it was he - the very saine whom sho had lovad go long and teuderly - and niuiinuring, " oh I Frauk," she sank upon the eSrth at his feet. With (ientle tüuoh hu raised her to her fui't, wliilü he said : " Bertha, darling, I have lovod you nll th time. Boy and iuun, my heait has b!en entirely yourH. It so happpned, in God's AU-wise Providenoe that you ourlit me. It' you had not, I hould have mude unyself known to you w)en I had le;iri.ed that you needud friends; but you had sid that you uured not if you nevpr should Bi 't' me again, and so, feariug to risk another chance of refusal, nu your mployer I reuiained iiieoy. 1 oftn wondered why you had not married, for I did uot loso oight of yon, and I know that you had matiy offers, and, whon I thought of your visits to the graves of rny jjarents, 1 oinetiines alinost dared to hopo that you did lovo me. But I will remnin in doubt no lougc - teil me Burtha, darling, will ynu ba my wife 'i " For answer, she ülacod both hand in his, and with a sigh Hko a weary child, sho nestled in his bopom. The next day, another notioe appeared in the daily papers informing the publio that a copyist w-ut wantod at No. 110 street. A younjï man filis tho position now, and as tho business Üourishes finely, and his (Miiployor is so kind, hu oi'ten wishe.s that, 1 i Ie o liis predeeessör ho might havo the good fortune to bocomo o partuor iu tho concurn.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus