A DISCOVERY.
"IT is not wrong, Helen," remarked Mr. Knowles, "to hate injustice,
oppression, and crime, wherever you see them, but you must try to
forgive your enemies, whoever they are. Mr. Tracy, in his letter,
speaks of you with great tenderness. Indeed, he seemed desirous of
making up to you the loss you have met with by the sudden fall in the
value of some of your stocks, by the fortune he should settle on you is
the wife of his only son."
"I wont touch a cent of his property," sobbed the excited girl. "I
never will see Roswell if I can help it. But Mr. Knowles, what if I
can't help it? If you know Mr. Tracy as I do, you wouldn't wonder that
I'm afraid. I've heard him boast, time and again, that he never gives
up any purpose. He hangs to it till he has accomplished it. There is
only one thing that would stop him, and that is if I were married to
another man."
Helen glanced timidly in her companion's face as she said this, and her
heart grew warm as he answered gently:
"That's so, child! That's so!"
"Would it be wicked for me to tell you some things I know about him?"
she asked, eagerly. "Things I heard him tell himself, laughing and
joking meanwhile."
"I don't know that it would be wicked."
"He had a party of gentlemen one night. They sat down to dinner at
seven, and afterwards they drank a great deal of liquor. When we went
back to the parlor, the company were all in gay spirits, and began
to talk over their youthful pranks, as they called them. I wanted to
retire, but Mrs. Tracy, and the wife of one of the visitors bogged me
to stay. They said our presence was a restraint on the men. I wont call
them gentlemen. I never shall forget the disgust, the loathing I had of
my guardian, after that.
"Why, Mr. Knowles, he confessed that all the while he was pretending
in papa's presence to be religious, while he went regularly to church,
and discussed religious subjects because he saw it fell in with the
weakness of his 'boss,' as he called papa, he was acting exactly
contrary to his wishes.
"Several nights every week, after the store had been locked, a company
of boon companions met there, and carefully securing the shutters to
exclude every ray of light, gambled until the small hours. Sometimes
the debating club met there, and caroused till morning.
"One of the company asked how he obtained possession of the keys; and
he shouted with mirth as he answered:
"'Oh, it was the easiest thing in the world to humbug the boss! He had
such an exalted opinion of me that he would have suspected any of the
clerks sooner. When I told him that I wanted to balance my accounts
for the month, and would like the store key, he gave it out at once.
Sometimes I hinted that my boarding house was so noisy, I couldn't
meditate and pray as I wished. On these occasions, he would offer me
the key with tears in his eyes.'
"This confession was received with repeated shouts of laughter, while
I, mortified beyond measure at finding myself in such company, could
only wish that my papa would appear bodily and accuse Mr. Tracy of his
perfidy."
"I am very sorry to hear this," said Mr. Knowles, "sorry for many
reasons."
"I might possibly have concluded that these confessions were the result
of the liquor," continued Helen, "but unfortunately I heard other
confessions equally disgraceful. And then Mr. Tracy often boasts that
he can drink any amount without showing the effects.
"You know, perhaps, that he has another ward, a young man who has
gone into business with Roswell. I have listened with dreadful
heart-burnings to the fatherly advice given the young partners, advice
which, if followed, without the skill in evading law he himself
possesses, would lead them to prison."
"That is a grave charge, Helen."
"Please listen. I am not exaggerating in one particular.
"You know that he used to import coffee, tea and liquors of various
sorts. He instructed them in watering their liquors, boasting, with a
laugh, that he had watered many a hogshead of New England rum or many
a pipe of brandy, while in the employ of Mr. Edmond, and then pocketed
the money the extra liquor brought."
Mr. Knowles groaned.
"Do you wonder now that I have no respect for the man? Is it strange I
could not endure to live under his roof? Do you think I would connect
myself with him by marrying his son?"
"When do you expect your brother, Helen. I wish to see him as soon as
may be."
"Not until Christmas, unless something unusual occurs."
The clergyman seemed to be absorbed in thought, but as they drew near
their destination, said suddenly:
"I must write him to meet me in the city."
The family who needed the pastor's services consisted of a widow and
four children. The oldest boy had found for himself a situation in a
store, but the others were dependent on their mother.
When Mr. Knowles and Helen knocked at the door of a neat one-story
house, they were shown into a small parlor plainly furnished, but
bearing the marks of taste and refinement.
Presently Mrs. Russel, the widow, entered, and apologized for having
taken the liberty to summon the clergyman by saying:
"I heard from my neighbors that you were a friend to the poor and
afflicted; and I am in great trouble."
She then went on to state that while her husband lived, though not
rich, she didn't know the meaning of the word poverty. When he died,
it was her great desire, the one she insisted on when her relatives
urged her to break up, to keep her family together, certainly until
her children's characters were more formed than at present. She had a
rich brother in the city, she said, who urged her to give away her two
youngest, put the others out at service, and find a place for herself
as housekeeper.
"Abominable!" exclaimed Helen, greatly excited by the simple story.
"I wrote him I was willing to work hard, to deny myself of every
luxury, even to live on two meals a day, but I could not consent to
throw a mother's holy duties upon another."
"You did right," said the young listener.
"At last after many changes, I heard of this place, and with the advice
of a younger unmarried sister who has been like an angel of mercy to
me, I made the move with the idea of taking table—boarders from the
factory. There are four overseers who have already engaged to come,
and they promise to bring me as many others as I want. But last week,
just as my hopes were raised to the utmost, my landlord decided to sell
this house, and move to one of the Western States. In consequence of my
disappointment, he offers to sell it to me for one thousand dollars,
one half of which can lie at interest for a year or two.
"After consulting my neighbors here, and finding that without doubt
property would rise, I went at once to the city, though I could poorly
afford the expense, to plead with my rich brother to buy the house
for me and let me pay him by instalments. This would have been a safe
speculation for him, and have given me perfect relief. But he would
not advance one dollar, though I told him that our sister was willing
to risk one hundred dollars which she had earned as school teacher.
He said he could speculate with his money more to his advantage than
buying country houses."
Mrs. Russel wept as she added: "I remember the time, and I reminded
him of it, when but for the kindness of a good Christian gentleman, he
would have starved while trying to procure work."
"And did not that recollection soften him?" inquired Mr. Knowles.
"He made no reply, sir, except that he had plenty of use for his money,
that his taxes and church subscriptions were enough to ruin any man.
And, to prove what he said, he brought me a newspaper wherein a large
subscription had been noticed. I think I have the paper now."
She opened a drawer in the worktable and took thence a copy of the —
Journal, which, with flushed cheeks, she unfolded, and gave to the
clergyman, placing her finger on the paragraph.
While he was deliberately putting on his glasses, Helen seized it, and
with a scream of astonishment read aloud:
"We are gratified to notice among the liberal contributors to the new
orphan asylum, the name of one of our princely merchants, MONSON P.
TRACY. This noble and large-hearted gentleman has added one thousand
dollars to the sum already raised. A few more similar donations, and
the entire amount will be made up."
"Shameful! I wish everybody knew that he refused to help his own sister
to a shelter for herself and children. Mr. Knowles, is it wicked for me
to hate such a man?"
"Hush, my child, let charity have its perfect work. The building of
an asylum for orphans is a noble undertaking. Don't let us impugn his
motives."
Helen turned away from him with a look of disgust. "Your brother is my
guardian," she exclaimed; "and my father is the gentleman who gave him
employment. I am quite prepared to believe your story, having lived
with him for a year. And I am acquainted with some of the methods by
which he tries to cheat his fellow-men into a belief of his goodness. I
am thankful that he cannot cheat his Maker."
As she said this, there was a flash of defiance in her eye which her
pastor had not seen there for months.
"Helen," he urged mildly but with a glance of reproof, "we will not
pursue that subject any farther. Our business is to advise our friend
what course to take."
"How long, Mrs. Russel, will your landlord continue his offer?"
"Only one month, and a week of that has gone."
"I will write to Mr. Tracy to-night that I want five hundred dollars to
help a poor woman," exclaimed Helen.
"Oh, Miss! The Lord will reward you, I never can," answered the widow
with a burst of grateful tears.
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