The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, November 01, 1881, Image 1

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1SJEW 13LOOMFIELD, IJA.., TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1BB1.
NO. 41.
7 irmr wv a
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THE TIMES.
Vu tmlependeut s Family Newspaper,
18 FUBUeaiDaVkRTTURtDAT T
F. MORTIMER & CO.
TEHMH t
INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE.
fl.30 PKIl YEAK, POSTAfiE I'HKK.
80 cn ton o months.
To sub-crlber- residing In Tnis county, where
we have no pontano to pav, a dIscnuHt of 2. cents
from the above terms will be made If payment is
made In advance.
- Advertising rates furnished upon appllca
tlon.
Stave. Gaskill's Apprenticeship.
THE following true Incident was
brought to niy remembrance while
listening to the rebellious words of a
young man who could not see his fath
er's wisdom in desiring him to learn a
trade.
"It will make a common man of me,
father," he said querulously ; "I shall
be as dirty as a blacksmith and have
hands like a coal heaver."
"And if you think, Fred, that wearing
fine clothes and having white hands
makes you a geutleman, let me tell you,
sir, that you are a very common man to
begin with. A good trade might help
you to truer notions of gentleman hood."
Then he looked at the handaomeyoung
man for he was handsome and I
thought just now of Steve Gasklll.
Steve had made his mark now, but
many years ago I heard Just such a talk
between him and old Joslah Gasklll,
relative to the young man, learning his
father's trade of a wool stapler.
"It's a dirty business, father," said
the splendid Steve, In full evening dress,
"and I hate the smell of oil and the sight
of those men In blue linen blouses. I
hope that I shall do something better for
myself than that."
"Very well, lad, what is it thou'd fain
to be?"
"A lawyer, father."
"They're naught but a lazy, quarrel
some set; but thou sbalt not say that I
stood in the gate. Be a lawyer ; and I'll
speak to Denhain to morrow about
thee."
So young Steve was articled to Den
ham & Downess to study law, especially
conveyancing. He had three sisters,
and over them and his mother he exer
cised supreme influence.
Whatever Steve did was right, what
ever he said was beyond dispute. Even
old Joslah with all his sound sense, was
in spite of himself swayed by the undis
puted acknowledgement of Steve's su
periority. He would not have advised
his son to be a lawyer, but seeing that
Steve was not afraid to he one, he was
rather proud of the lad's pluck and am
bition. It cost them a good deal. Steve's
tastes were expensive and he fell natur
ally among a class of men who led bim
Into many extravagances. There were
occasionally awkward scenes, but Steve,
supported by his mother and sisters, al
ways cleared every scrape and finally
satisfied the family pride by being regu
larly admitted upon the roll of her ma
jesty's attorneys.
In the meantime his father had been
gradually falling iu health ; soon after
this he died. Most of his savings had
been secured for the helpless women of
the Qaskill family. Steve now found
himself with a profession and a thousand
pounds to give him a fair start in it.
People said old Gasklll had acted very
wisely, and Steve had sense enough to
acquiesce in publio opinion. He knew,
too, that as long as his mother and sis
ters had a shilling they would share it
with him.
go he hopefully opened an office in his
native town of Leeds, and waited for
clients. But Yorkshire men are pro
verbially cautious ; a young lawyer was
not their ideal. Steve could not look
crafty and wise under any circumstances,
and that first year he did not make
enough to pay his rent.
. Nevertheless, he did not in any way
curtail his expenses; and when the sum
mer holidays arrived, he went as usual
to a fashionable watering place. It hap.
pened that he saw the debut of Miss
Elizabeth Bralthwalte, a great helren
and u very haudsome girl. Steve was
attracted by ber beauty, and her great
wealth was not a drawback in his eye.
In a Bhort time he perceived that Miss
Bralthwalte favored htm above all other
pretenders to her hand, and he began to
consider the advantages of a rich wife.
His profession hitherto had been a
failure; his one thousand pounds were
nearly spent; his three sisters were all
on the point of marriage, a condition
which might modify their sisterly In
stincts, and his mother's income would
not support lilin a month wouldn't it
be the best plau to accept the good for
tune so evidently within his reach t
Elizabeth was handsome and inclined
to favor lilm, and though Bhe had the
reputation of being authoritative in
temper and economical in money mat
ters, he did not doubt that she would
finally acknowledge his power as com
pletely as his mother and sisters, so he
set himself to win Miss Bralthwalte, ami
before Christmas they were married.
True, he had been compelled to give
up a great deal more than he bad liked,
but he promised himself plenty of post
marital compensations. Elizabeth in
sisted on keeping her own house, and as
Steve had really no house to oiler her,
he must needs go to Bralthwalte hall as
the husband of its proprietress. She in
sisted on his removing his olllco to
Bralthwalte a small village, offering
none of the advantages for killing time
which a large village like Leeds did ;
and she had all money scrupulously set
tled on herself for her own use and un
der her control.
Steve felt very much as though his
wife had bought him, but for a little
while the eclat of marrying au heiress,
the bridal festivities and foreign travel
compensated for the loss of freedom.
But when they returned to Bralthwalte,
life showed a far more prosaic side. Mrs.
Gaskill's economical disposition became
particularly offensive to Steve. She in
quired closely into his business and did
not scruple to make unpleasant witty
remarks about his Income. She rapidly
developed, too, an authoritlve disposi
tion, agulnst which Steve dally more
and more rebelled. The young couple
were soon very unhappy.
The truth was that a great transition
was taking place in Steve's mind, and
times of transition are always times of
unrest and misery. The better part of
his nature was beginning to claim a
hearing. He had now seen all that good
society could show him ; he had tasted
all the pleasures money could buy, and
he was unhappy.
She bad no ennui and no dissatisfac
tion with herself. There were her large
houses to oversee, her garden and con
servatories, her servants and charity
schools, her toilet and whole colony of
pet animals. Her days were too short
for all the small interests that filled the
day; and these interests she would will
ingly have shared with Steve, but to
him they soon became intolerable bores
Under such circumstances he might
have found his work in the ordering
and investigation of bis wife's large
estate, but Elizabeth was far too cautious
to trust her business to untried hands.
Her father's agent was her agent; her
banker managed all her investments ;
her parks and farms and gardens were
all under the management of old and ex
perienced servants, who looked upon
Steve merely as " MUsie'a husband."
In the second year of his marriage he
began to have some thoughts which
would have astonished his wife, could
she have thought it worth while to In
quire what occupied his mind in the
long hours when he paced the shrubbery,
or sat silently looking out of the win
dow. But Steve was now ready for any
employment that would take him out of
the purposely dependent life which he
had so foolishly chosen for himself.
One day geatly to his surprise Eliza
beth said to him ;
"Steve, I have a letter from a cousin
of mother's who lives in Glasgow. She
is going to Australia and wants me to
buy her home. She says it is a great
bargain and I wrote to Barret to go and
see about It. I have a letter this morn
ing saying he is too ill to leave his bed.
I wonder if you could go and attend to
it." , ,
Any thing for a change, Steve show
ed a very proper business-like inter
est, and said :
"Yes, I would be very glad to go."
"Very well ; I should think you
knew enough of titles and deeds and
conveyancing and all that sort of thing.
I will trust the affair to you, Steve."
So next morning Steve found himself
on the Caledonia line, with 100 in his
pocket and a valuable business on hand.
The first twenty miles out of Leeds lie
enjoyed with all the abandon of a bird
set free. Then be began to think again.
At Crewe he missed the train, and he
wandered about Uie station, aud fell In
talking with the engineer of the next
one, who was cleaning and examining
the engine with all the love and pride a
mother gives her favorite child.
The two men fruternlzed at mice, and
Steve made a trip over , the Caledonia
line In the engineer's small cuddy. He
was a fine youug fellow, "one of seven,"
"all engineers and machinists;" he was
only serving his time, learning every
branch of the business practically ; he
had brothers who made engines and he
hoped to so some time.
In spite of his soiled face aud oily
clothes, Steve recognized that refine-
tnent that comes with education ; and
when his new friend called upon him at
the Queen's Hotel he would not be
ashamed of his appearance iu the N most
fastidious days. )
"Mr. Dalrymple,I am glad to see you,"
said Steve, holding out both hands.
" I thought you would be here sir ; it
is not often I make mistakes in my lik
ings. I will go with you now to see my
father's 'works, if it suits you.
Never had such a place entered Stephen
Gaskill's conception ; the Immense fur
naces, the hundreds of giants working
around them, the clang of machinery,
the mighty struggle of wind and matter,
of Intellect over the inanimate. He en
vied thoso cyclops in their leathern
masks aud aprons ; He longed to lift
their heavy hammers. He looked upon
the craftsmen with their bare brawney
arms and blackened hands, and felt his
heart glow with admiration when be
saw the mighty work those hauds had
fashioned. The tears were in his eyes
when Dalrymple and he parted at the
gate of the great walled iu yard.
"Thank you," he said, "you have
done me the greatest possible service. I
shall remember it."
That night Steve formed a strange but
noble resolution. First of all he devoted
himself to his wife's business, and ac
complished it in a manner that elicited
Mr. Barret's great praise and made
Elizabeth wouder if she might not spare
her agent's fees for the future. Then he
had a long confidential talk with the
owner of the Dalrymple Iron and ma
chine works, the result of which was
the following letter to Mrs. Gasklll :
My Dear Wife I shall not be at
home again for at least two years, for I
have begun an apprenticeship to Dal-
rvmnle as an Iron master. I propose to
learn the process practically, I have
lived too lonsc upon your bounty, for I
have lost vour esteem as well my own.
and I do not say but that I have deserv
ed the loss, riease uoa 1 win reueem my
wasted past, and with His help make
man of myself. When I am worthy to
be your husband you will respect me,
and until then think as kindly as pos
sible of
" SxEniEX Gaskill,
The letter Btruck the first noble chord
in Elizabeth's heart. From that hour
even her favorite maid dared not make
little compassionate sneers at "poor
master."
Steve, in leather apron ana coarse
working clothes, began laborious, happy
davs. which brought him nights of
sweetest sleep, and Elizabeth began
series of letters to her husband which
probably grew more imbued with the
tenderest interest and respect. In a few
weeks she visited bim of her own free
will, and purposely going to the works
she saw her half-banished lord wielding
a ponderous hammer upon a bar of, white
hot iron.
Swarthy, bare-armed, clothed in leath
er, he had never looked so handsome In
Elizabeth's eyes, and her eyes revealed
this fact to Steve for in them was the
teuder light of love founded upon genu
ine respect. Steve deserved it. He
wrought faithfully out his two years'
service, cheered by his wife's letters
and visits, and wheu he came out of
the Dalrymple works there was no
more finished iron master than he.
He held his head up fraukly now, and
looked fortune boldly la the face ; he
could earn his living anywhere, and bet
ter than all he had oouquered his wife
won her esteem, and compelled her to
acknowledge a physical and moral pur
pose better than her own.
Between Leeds and Brslthwalte hall
there have been for many years gigan
tic Iron works. The mills and railroads
on the West Hiding know them well ;
tbetr work Is known for its excellence,
for the master Is a practical machinist
and overlooks every detail. The profits
are enormous, and Stephen Gasklll, the
proprietor, Is also the well-beloved and
respected master of Bralthwalte and of
Bralthwalte hall's mistress.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
MBS. CHILD, in her work advocating
the abolition of capital punishment,
gives a notice of two cases In which cir
cumstantial evidence led to the execu
tion of wrong parties.
A few years ago a poor German came
to New York and took lodgings where
he was allowed to do his cooking in the
same room with the family, The hus
band :il wife lived in a perpetual quar
rel, due day the German came Into the
kitchen with a clasp-knife and a pan of
potatoes, and began to pare them for his
dluuer. The quarrelsome couple were
in more altercation than usual; but he
sat with his back toward them, and, be
ing Ignorant of their language, felt in no
danger of being Involved in their dis
pute. But the woman, with a sudden
and unexpected movement, snatched
the knife from his hand and plunged it
into her husband's heart. Site bad suf
ficient presence of mind to rush into the
street and scream murder. The poor
foreigner, in the meanwhile, seeing the
wouuded man reel, sprang forward to
catch him iu his arms, and drew out the
knife. People from the street crowded
in aud found him with the dying man
in his arms, the knife in his hand and
blood upon his clothes. The wicked wo
man swore in the most positive terms
that he had been fighting with ber bus-
band and had stabbed him with a knife
he always carried. The unfortunate
German knew too little KogUh to un
derstand her accusation or to tell his
own story. He was dragged off to
prison, and the true state of the case was
made known through an interpreter;
but it was not believed. Circumstantial
evidence was exceedingly strong against
the accused and the real criminal swore
unhesitatingly that she saw him com
mlt the murder. He was executed, not
withstanding the most persevering ef
forts of his lawyer, John Anthon, whose
conviction of the man's innocence was
so painfully strong that from that day
he has refused to have any connection
with a capital case. Some years after
this tragio event the woman died, and
on her death-bed confessed' her agency
in the diabolical transaction; but her
poor victim could receive no benefit
from the tardy repentance ; society had
wantonly thrown away its power to
atone for the grievous wrong.
Many readers will doubtless recollect
the tragical fate of Burton, in Missouri,
on which a novel was founded, that still
continues in the libraries. A young
lady, belonging to a genteel and very
proud family in Missouri, was beloved
by a young man named Burton, but un
' fortunately her affections were fixed on
another less worthy. He left her with a
tarnished reputation. She was by na
ture energetic and high-spirited ; her
family were proud ; and she lived in the
midst of a society which considered re
venge a virtue, and named it honor.
Misled by this false popular sentiment
and her own excited feelings, she resolv
ed to repay her lover's treachery by
death. But she kept her secret so well
that no oue suspected her purpose,
though she purchased pistols and prac
ticed with them daily. Mr. Burton gave
evidence of his strong attachment by re
newing his attentions when the world
looked coldly upon her. His generous
kindness won ber bleeding heart, but
the softening influence of love did not
lead her to forego the dreadful purpose
she had formed. She watched for a
favorable opportunity and Bhot her be
trayer when no one was near to witness
the horrible deed. Some little Incident
excited the suspicion of Burton, and be
induced her to confess to him the whole
transaction. It was obvious euough
that suspicion would naturally fasten
upon him, the well-known lover of her
who had been so deeply injured. He
was arrested, but succeeded in persuad-
ng her that he was in no danger. Cir
cumstantial evidence was fearfully
against him, and he soon saw that his
chance was doubtful ; but with affection,
ate magnanimity he concealed this from
her. He was convicted and condemned.
A short time before the execution he en
deavored to cut his throat, but his life
was saved for the cruel purposeof taking
it away according to the cold-blooded
barbarism of the law. Pale and wound
ed, he was hoisted to the gallows before
the gaze of a Christian community.
The guilty cause of all this was almost
frantic when she found that he bad thus
sacrificed himself to save her. She im
mediately published the whole history
of her wrongs and herreventre. Her
keen sense of wounded honor was in ac
cordance with publio sentiment. Her
wrongs excited indignation aud compas
sion, and the knowledge that an inno
cent and magnanimous man had been
so brutally treated treated excited a gen
eral revulsion of popular feellnir. No
one wished for another victim, and she
was left unpunished, save by the records
of her memory.
BROTHER GARDNER ON EDUCATION.
J1
T AM not edication dat makes de
man, any mo' daa it am de har
ness dat makes de boss. I daily meet
enthusiasts on this subjeck. I know
white men who emaglne dat a son's
fuchur am all serenely settled as soon as
he can write fo' lines of Latin an1 trans
late six lines of Greek. I know cull'd
men who have worked night an' day
an' no' ol' clothes an' libed on nuffin to
cram der boys full of educashun. It am
true dat de more educashun we have de
less vice we have, but doan go too fur.
America stands to-day Jn de front rank
of nashuns, an' ylt her leadln' men am
not ber college graduates. Take de men
in Detroit who were educated de mos'
an' your h'ar de less' of dem. Dey am
not at de head of our big factories,
in our big stores, or plan in' an' car
rin' out our big enterprises. Mo
dan five hundred college an' high-school
graduates am book-keepln' an' sto'
clerkln' In dis werry'cityTon sallaries of
leas dan $-0 a week. Fin' me a college
graduate among de merchants. Fin' me
one along de rlbber front. Fin' me one
among de ship-owners. Fin' me one
among de tobacconists. Does a college
educashun direct de affairs of our big
stove works, our locomotive works or
our dozen railroads V
"I tell you, my friends, a boy wid
hoss sense in big head to iin on, tem
pered up with two or threey 'ars of union
school educashun, will make hia way
where a college graduate can't go. Our
mos' successful business men am almoa'
self educated. Men whojnebber saw a
college have invented our reapers,
mowers, sewing-machines, an' labor
savin' machinery. Men wid deestrick
school educashuns havebuilt our biggest
ships, an' planned our grandest enter
prises. Star-gazin' poetryj an' philoso
phy am well 'nuff, but it has been native
genius an' business push which made
dis ken try what it am.
"Fust feel of your boys an' see if de
Lawd gin 'em any hoss sense. If he
did, it am your duty to develop an' di
rect it. If he didn't de only way to
prevent men from caliln' dem fules an
idiots am to pack 'em off to college an'
stuff 'em so full of Greek, Latin, Ora
tory, ancient history an' classical slop
dat some of it will spUl'oberlwheneber
dey open der moafs.
"Does it, after all, pay to be hon
est V a disappointed young'man writes.
No, my son, not if you are honest for pay,
it doesn't. Not if you are honest merely
because you think it willjpay; not if
you're honest only because you're afraid
to be a rogue; indeed, my dear boy, it
does not pay to be honest that way. If
you can't be honest because you bate a
lie and scorn a mean action ; if you can't
be honest from principle, be a rascal ;
that's what you are intended for, and
you'll probably succeed at it. But you
can't make anybody believe in honesty
that is bought and gold like merchan
dise. t3TPut a rieh'mau on mule-back and
the mule will throw him just as quickly
as he would a beggar.