Ui 1 tip FRANK MO 11 T I MIC 11 , ) T . - . Terms: IN ADVANCE Editor and Vroprietor. AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY NEWSPAPER. One Dollar per Year. Vol. "V'. Now J31ooiiificia, !?,., liiOHclay, .Timo O, 1871. TVo. 2a. it Ioomfitlb pints. Is Fublished Weekly, At New Bloomfleld, renn'a. Bx PRANK MORTIMER. sonscniPTioN teums. ONE DOLLAR l'ER YEAR! CO Cents for 6 Months 40 Cents for 3 Months, ITS ADVANCK. WHISTONS COMPROMISE. POOR Annio Johnstone found tho prob lem of keeping the wolf from the door the wolf which no king or parlia ment can extirpate moro difficult to solve daily. She sat behind her littlo dingy counter writing a letter, with but small chance of a customer coming in to inter fere with the work of composition. " My Deak Uncle William Papa told me I was never to apply to you, because you helped him once, and had refused to do so again, and you wore displeased because wo tried to keep a shop, which indeed has been a very lame attempt, for thcro is no chance of the shop's keeping us. I disobey bim now, because I do not Know what else to do. I have not seen or heard of papa for five days, and I almost fear that some thing may havo happened to him, though he often has to hide for a little time, be cause of creditors ; for ho lias not been much moro successful in getting to sell coal or wine on commission, or as au agent for insurance companies, than I havo been as a confectioner, and he has not brought mo any money now for a long time. Ho hint ed to mo that ho might go abroad, but I hardly think he would have done that with out letting me know ; and yet he was al ways so afraid of his letters being stopped, and helping pcoplo to trace him, that ho may have done it. If tho rent is not paid by Monday, I shall be turned out of the house, and then what am I to do? You see, dear Undo 'William, I am obliged to write to you, because I havo no one else to ask ; and if you will not put me in the way of earning my living somehow, I must pos itively beg, and that would even be more discreditable than selling, or trying to sell pastry, wouldn't it ? It is really not my fault ; I have tried my best, and dined on stale buns for days and days. " Your affectionate nieco, " Annie Johnstone." Sho directed this letter to "William Johnstone, Esq., Joss House Villa, South end," and laid it on tho counter before her, just as a customer camo in a very young man, with very shiny boots and hat, bril liant gloves, and a natty umbrella, who saluted on entering, in a manner not cus tomary amongst Englishmen, who general ly remain covered in a shop, however at tractive the mistress of it may bo. " Good morning, Miss Johnstone," said ho, in an embarrassed way ; " I havo como for my luncheon." If the youth looked embarrassed, tho girl looked vexed. Sho colored over her fore head, and knit her brows strangely, con sidering how few customers sho had, and how great was her need of them. Her ro ply, too, was as impolitio as tho expres sion of her countenance, being nn intima tion that bIio was afraid sho had nothing to offer him. "O," he replied, "I never cat heavy luncheons ; just a basin of soup and a glass of sherry." " I havo uo soup, aud the sherry is out. "Well, now I think of it, I am tired of soup ; I had sooner have a sandwich and a pint bottle of Bass." "I cannot give you those either," said sho. "O, well," ho persisted, "it's of no cou sequence Hero is somo pastry, and I am very fond of pastry ; aud that, with a bot tle of giugor-beor " Tho girl, who had been constraining herself with difhculty, now broke out, " You can get a good luncheon at a dozen places close by !" she exclaimed with un called for vchemenco : " why do you not go to one of them?" " I I like this best," ho stammered. " Your pastry, though not, perhaps, quite what you might call new, appears to agrco with mo bettor j or I moan, you know " " You como here out of charity !" cried tho girl, bursting Into tears. " You think I am poor and want custom, and so you come here and try to cat stuff ; aud I am sure you go where you can get proper food somewhere elso afterward. It is not my fault if I cau't have things nice 1" " O, for goodness' sake 1 O, don't cry 1 O, my pretty I mean to say, I don't know what I am saying," cried tho youth in great distress. " Well, if you must havo tho whole truth. I do not como hore for your stulo torts, but because x fell iu love with you through tho window ono day ; and ovory timo I have como here I have fal len moro and moro in love with you ; and if you will not love me back, and promise to marry mo, I'll I don't know what I won't do ; there !" Seeing that his fair charmer did not givo any signs of being furthor offended, but only left off crying, and looked down in confusion, the youth took courage, dropped his gloves into his hat, and his hat on a lit tlo round table, and leaned his elbows on tho counter over against Annio, who did not draw back ; and thus the young peoplo's heads wero not separated by any very cru el distance. " What nonsense," sho murmured. "It may bo nonsense to expect you will ever lovo mo," replied tho youth ; " but it is serious earnest that I havo not been ablo to get you out of my head all this month try what I would ; and all my friends are won dering what is tho matter with mo. If I have not tho chanco of getting you for my wife, I do not care whether I pass my ex amination or not." That is sense,! hope." " Hut you are so young." " I'll bet I am older than you !" " O, but that is nothing. And then you are a gentleman." " And so aro you a lady," said tho youth. " O, I learned all about you from your father. I saw him leaving this house ono day, and a little while afterwards I met him in a smoking room and we happened to get into conversation. IIo told mo how ho had lost his property iu unfortunate speculations on tho turf and otherwise and how, instead of sitting down helpless ly, as so many young ladies who have been brought up in luxury would do, you tried to earn a living so pluckily. And that mado me love you still moro." " Did you tell my fathor you knew tho shop, and had scon me ?" " Why, no ; I did not like to do that." " Why ? Ah, I know tho reason ; he borrowed money of you !" cried Annio, coloring with vexation. " Only a trifle tho veriest trifle." "And I cannot oven repay that. You sco how hopeless and foolish an engage ment between us would bo." "No, I don't." " I havo nothing in tho world, and no expectations." " No more havo J," cried tho lad, with exultation. " J have nothing in the world, I havo no exudations. Why, wo wero ordained for each other." In the course of further parley, it trans pired that the young man's name was Ed ward Whiston ; that he was articled to a solicitor, and had just served his timo ; al so that ho had gained applauso in private theatricals, and had au idea that his real vocation was tho stage an evident resource in easo Mr. Johnstone, tho father, did not turn up, aud Mr. Johnstone, tho undo, ro fused to receive his niece, a state of affairs which would render an immediate marriago prudont. Annio did not quite see tho log ic of this, but owned that her distress at seeing Mr. Edward Whiston (well N ned) como iu for a bad lunch every other day was caused by a peculiar objection to recoi vo charity from him, which would not havo occurred to her in tho easo of any human being. Smith, Brown, Jones, or Robinson might havo killed themselves with bad pie crust, and whilo wondoring at their tasto, sho would havo pocketed their shillings with rejoicing. Finally, it occurred to Ned Whiston to look at his watch, and tho position of tho hands drew awhisllo of dismay from his lips. "Nearly three!" ho cried; "and Jenkins is waiting for my return to go and get his dinner." And with a hurried hand-squcezo ho took his departure. Next day at 1.10 he reappeared, follow ed by a man bearing a tray, which con tained oysters, stout, and slices of cold beef. " Since it hurts your feelings to feed ino with your wares, I havo brought my own luncheon," said Ned whou he and Annie were nlouo again. " Thcro is double what I can eat, I sco ; will you not help mo out wi h it?" So they ratified their engagement with oysters and porlor seated opposite to each other at a littlo marble-topped tablo ; aud when tho meal was concluded, they felt as if thoy had been acquainted for months. On returning so lata to tho office tho day before, Ned Whiston had been subjected to troublesome questioning as to what he had been doing with himself all tho time ; so he took care to leave early to day, an nouncing his intention of rctuming at the same hour on tho morrow. But on the following morning ho was sent off to Chester with certain important deeds. That was on tho Thursday, and ho did not got back till Saturday night ; and as he lived nt homo, some fifteen miles out of town, with observant relatives, ho could not got away on tho Sunday without ox citing awkward curiosity ; so that it was not till luncheon time on Monday that he entered Dreary street with a throbbing heart. The shutters were up at No. 10. Poor Ned felt for a moment as if his heart and lungs had struck work. Was she dead? No, impossible Her father per haps ; bo had disappeared suddenly, and might havo committed suicido. The idea of disturbing a roceut sorrow mado him drop tho bell handlo without ringing, aud look round for a likely place for informa tion. There was a brush shop immediate ly opposite, and tho portly damo who kept it was standing in tho doorway, eyeing him with a certain curiosity. Sho had a good natured look about her, so ho crossed tho road, and asked her if sho knew what was tho matter. "Lor 1" exclaimed tho woman ; "and I who thought you' would perhaps tell mo; suro you wero a friend or relative, or some thing, I thought, going there most days tho hist mouth or more !" And sho seemed quito injured. "I only went as a customer," said Ned, "but I have got to take a certain interest, and so seeing tho shop shut up " " I see, I soo ; you look quito palo ; como in and sit down. Lor, I've been a young girl myself, and I remember hearing how Jim was took when ho first heard I had tho measles. No, it's nothing of that sort ; sho went away quite well, as far as I could sco, only crying." " Sho has gono away, then ?" " Bless you, yes ; didn't I say so? A gen tleman, not her father, came in a cab at twenty-flvo minutes past ten yesterday morning, or perhaps it might be a littlo bit nearer the half hour ; I saw him because my room looks out on tho street, and I was before tho glass putting on my bonnet for church. My husband used to go to tho chapel, and I believe, prefers it now, only I won't put up with nothing so vulgar. What gentle-folks do you sco at chapel? I say to him. Why, look at the carriage company as goes to church, compared to" "What aged gentleman?" interrupted Nod. " Well, middlo-aged, or ns ho was got up, youthful, perhaps we might say elder ly. Well, ho got out, and quickly went into tho house, leaving the cab waiting ; and as I felt a sort of interest in that Miss Johnstone, poor thing, hor father bo- ing such a regular bad un, I waited too, and gavo up my church for onco ; not but what I hold that it brings luck to " " Exactly ; I ogrco with you. Aud how long did tho gentleman stop?" "Till 12 o'clock, keeping the cab wait ing ; which would havo been much cheaper to have paid the first off, aud takou anoth er. And then ho camo out followed by Miss Johnstone, who had a box which tho cabman took and put on tho roof. That was all tho information Ned Wins ton could get at the timo ; but when ho re visited tho spot later in tho day, ho found a weazened man with a very sour expres sion on his face coming out of No. 10, aud asked him if ho know what had happened " Yes," replied the man, "tho father's drowned, and tho daughter's hooked it, and I am dono out of my rent that's what has happened." CHAPTER II. When Mr. William Johnstone was a young man and a nominal barrister, it was considered that ho boro some resemblauco in face and figure to tho Princo Regent ; and, sinco nature had molded him after tho fashion of the first gentleman in Eu rope, ho considered it his duty to act ac- cordingly ; so he dressed himself hideously, attended prize fights and cock-pits, in trigued, played high, got frequently intox icated, stuffed his head with a prodigious quantity of scented snuff, and imitated his royal prototypo in every other way that his constitution aud purse woutd allow. By tho time he was UO, however, both be gan to give out, ho so wisely determined to retire into tho country with a rich wife. Dissoluto men aro very fond of falling back upon this latter plan for retrieving their broken fortunes, but women aro not quito so foolish as satirists make out, and do not always fall in with theso prudent littlo ar rangements. Mr. Johnstone, however, was more fortunate; the royal resemblance that had been his bauo, now proved his remedy, and, coupled with an insinuation that per haps there might 1h a natural reason for it, proved too much for tho loyal heart of a drysidler's widow, who was not, as scandal reported, quito double her second bus- band's ago, and whose temper was there- fore naturally sourced by tho persistency with which people whom they mot on their wedding tour would mistako them for mother and son. After his marriago Mr. Johnstone happily refrained from assimila ting his domostio arrangements to thoso of his royal prototype, but tho ruling pas sion broke out when ho camo to build a homo for himself on a small estate belong ing to his wifo near the mouth of the Pavilion alluded to; a stylo of architecture which suited Mrs. Johustono also well enough, as, in addition to the associations, more than half tho rooms in tho building could bo used for nothing but tho storing up of jams and pickles, the concoction of which articles was tho delight of her life, she managed to preserve herself whether with sugar or vinegar, I declino to state for fifteen ye ars after marriago, and thou sho turned to mould, leaving hor husband in a position to sot up a grocery, had he been so mindod. Ho was not ; neither did ho relapse into tho sowing of wild oats, per haps bocause his morals had improvod, but also because it was doubtful whether tho soil would stand a second crop. Ho visited London only occasionally, and then his flag was pulled down. Hoisting and lowering that flag was his morning and evening amusement. On royal birthdays and coro nation days he fired twenty-ono small can nons, going from ono to another with a rod hot poker, which was quite a sight. Other wise he vegetated, and differed from a tur nip principally in being occasionally bored and cutortaiuing vaguo wishes that somo eligiblo woman would look him up aud marry him. But tho years passed away; George tho Fourth became tho prey of worms and satirists ; a generation sprang up which knew little of that modol gentle man, and had the bad taste to dislike that littlo. Mr. Johnstone could not now have gono about with ton yards of tablo-cloth round his nock, and coat buttons between his shoulder-blades, without causing tho very sheep to baa nt him. IIo modified his apparel, therefore ; but his heart clung to the old times, and hugged tho old resem blance ; so ho still had his wig mado up in the exact imitation of the ex-dandy's hair, still adopted his favorite attitudes, still took scented stuff. With his elder and only brothor ho had not, of late years, boon on good tonus. Ho owed him no grudge for having been born drat ; he forgave him for soiling tho small landed estate which had been in tho family for a respoctablo number of year ; but when ho disgraced tho namo, by a succession of petty tricks and conlri- vanccs for raising a few pounds, and especi ally whon he tried to make a milch cow of him, ho quarreled with him. His enmity dissolved, however, in the news of his death by drowning while crossing over tho Jersey, and ho hurried to London at onco, and brought Annio to his Chineso homo, with dispatch and secrcsy. " I am glad to adopt you, my dear," ho said, "but I do not want to adopt all your creditors." It had been a struggle to Mr. Johnstouo to break up tho ordinary routino of his ex istence by establishing his niece as mistress of what had now for years been a bacholor home ; but it almost always pays to do the right thing, and ho was rewarded for his conquest of habit aud indolence by being roleasod from tho thrall of his housekeeper a tyrannical, stupid, pilfering, tipling damo to whom he had not dared to montion his intentions with respect to Annie, which, indeed, had from the circumstances of tho easo been noccssarily conceived and execu ted very suddenly, and . upon whom this nieco of her master's (term of courtesy) burst therefore like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Annie's society had ono curious effect upon hor uncle ; it resuscitated all his hank ering after a second marriago. For if ho was to havo a lady at tho head of his house why, ho reasoned with himself, should it not bo a wifo? So a flirtation which had been budding botweon Mr. Johnstouo and Miss Plumptree, of Southern!, for tho last thrco years, began to throw out decided shoots. It was not so very absurd. Mr. Johustono was a littlo over Bixty, and Miss riumptreo was a littlo over forty. Both wero comfortably off, and had calm and soboi leanings toward matrimony. Miss Plumptree was not only forty, but fair and fat Just such a figure as tho monarch of Mr. Johnstone's soul would have admired and this fact tendod greatly to feed tho ma ture flame. Then there was increased in timacy, for whereas ho hod only met occa sionally before his nieco came to live with him, ho now saw her almost daily, a fervent friendship having sprung up between her and Annie. They wore sitting together now iu a wil low pattern suinmer-houso, on tho brink of a small pond. A fine dish of the fruit stood on tho table between them, with which, needle work, and confidential chat, they wero be guiling the morning not unpleasantly. And so you have never heard of him since ?" said Miss Plumptreo. " Never," replied Annio." "Just like all the mou, dear; 'Out of sight, out of mind.' " "Nay, I do not blame him, poor follow. I do not see how ho could havo found ino out, if ho tried ever so hard, I left so sud denly, so mysteriously." " O, well," sighed Miss Plumptree, "if ho had been his great-grandfather, he would havo discovered you somehow ; but young men aro not what they were ; they are so selfish, so listles, everything is too much troublo to them. And you never hinted anything about it to your undo ?" " O, no" said Annio ; " besides ho does not tako hints ; you must speak out plainly if you want him to understand your wishes." " Hum," said Miss Plumptree. "And then," continued Annie, "ho was so young, and not in a position to marry for ever so long ; and tho acquaintance was so short ; and his friends would be suro to disapprove ; so that altogether, perhaps, it is better as it is." "And do you lovo liini still, dear?" " I think I do ; he was kind, you sco, when I had no ono else, and " "Thcro, don't cry, dear. Have a straw berry." Annio recovered hor equilibrium, and turned tho subject. " I can't think what has happened to Undo William," she said; ho docs tako such a funny interest in how I look all of a sudden. Ho takes iu a paper with the fashions in it, and stands looking critically at mo with his hands on ono sido and his eyes screwed up, for minutes to gether ; and then he walks round mo grave ly as if I were a horse ; indeed, I expect him to say, " Como up; tuck, tuck; como over!" every moment, or to look in my mouth. And if my hair is not dono, or my dress ait according to the fashion plates ho scolds me. And then he takes me over to Southend whenever he hears that a packet is coming in, and waiks me up and down that long pier. Aud ho is always on tho lookout for concerts or entertainments of any kind we can go to. Can you explain it?' ' " I think I can give a guess," said Miss riumptreo ; in in fact, I expect that my in fluence may have something to do with it. Tho plain truth is, my dear, that ho wants to get you married." " No!" cried Annie, with a jump. " But ho told mo distinctly, when I first came here that, though I might expect to bo provided for in in his will, I must not look for any dowry, or even mucli of a trousseau, in easo I were to marry ; and that did not look much like great anxiety on tho subject." " No, dear ; but his views have under gone a change. Tho fact is that ho does your humble servant tho honor to wish " " O , and you will tako him wont't you ? It will bo nico to call you aunt, and havo you living in the house," cried Annie, en thusiasically. " Well, dear," continued Miss Plumptree, " it seemed to me that tho opportunity was a good ono for advancing your interests, so I refused to give him a dcflnilo answer whilo your wero unsettled ; not but what 1 would sooner havo you for a companion, of course but it does not do to bo selfish; and as your undo is inclined to bo what we may call careful in his money matters, which is often tho easo with thoso who havo been somewhat extravagant in youth, I thought a littlo stimulant to his generosity would bo beneficial. Hush I horo ho comes. Can any thing bo tho matter?" Something the matter ? Indeed thero was ; nothing loss than a threat of losing his lute wife's property, and leing reduced onco more to tho straits which had driven him into permanent matrimony thirty years be fore. One of thoso Doctors' Commons, grubbers, who live by holding out that they havo discovered something to somebody's advuntage, which generally turns out to bo a fraudulent mare's nest, but overy now and then just often enough to tempt fresh flocks of gulls proves to bo a discovery of real importance had fished up evidence that the lato Mrs. Johnstouo had by right only a life interest in her first husband's property ; and having thereupon discovered tho person who, under such circumstances would bo the claimant, ho had put himself into communication with him. Said claimant proved indeed to lie In tho legal profession, which was a disappoint ment for the griiblier ; but as there was re ally something in tho evidence ho had lit upon, liis time was not entirely thrown away. Tills was tho Btartllng information which was conveyed to Mr. Johnstone in tho hard, sharp tones of a lawyer's letter, and which lie now communicated in his distress to Miss riumptreo and Annie. They cheered him with sanguiuo speeches; and whon ho had gathered his wits together, ho started for London to seek au interview with his solicitor.
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