{"character_count": 4478, "word_count": 898, "ccnet_language_score": [0.9857000112533569], "ccnet_perplexity": [1655.5], "fasttext_language": ["en"]}
ly,


hat
'sete yiiig Oh tne counter; then lied up
the bundle, and laid it on the shelf
"You seem, Mr.. Ross, Lot incline d to
answer my enquiries, am afraid some
misfortune has happened to the poor
girl"


"Would you like TO know ma'am
what has happened to herr" He lean
ed his elbow on his desk, and seemed
about beginning story.


"Certainly l would"


"Well, you know when Lucy Wen
dal came TO me she was a little de-
mure thing--not beauty, but SO calm
ly and tidy, that she was pretty rest
ing place for the eye Of old or young.
She was as great contrast TO the 9TH
er girls in the work shop as white is to
black. She just sat quiet in one cor
ner, and minded her work and took no
part in their Cabling. You must know
where a parcel Of girls are, there is
dinging from morning till night, like
forty thousand chimney swallows
Lucy was very different; she made
herself neat and trig in the morning,
aud did not lose half an hour at noon,
when the prentice boys were coming
Ia dinner, twitching out curl papers, ,and
furbelowing her hair. The boys and
gils used TO have jokes about her, and
called her little parson; but she only
preached in her actions, and this is
what | call practical preaching ma'am.
She was little master-workman with
her needle. | never had match for,
since | first began business; Gut you
know a'am, there's alway 6m in
this lile-she gave me great offence
She crossed rue where l could least
bear to be crossed"


"Not intentionally, am sure, Mr..
Ross"


"You shall hear, ma'am. l have
an only son, John Rosa fine fresh
looking, good natured, industrious
youth. | set my heart on his marry
ing his cousin, Amy Bruce; she is the
daughter Of my youngest sister, and
had pretty fortune in hand, enough
10 set John up in any business he fan
cied. There was no reason in the
world why he should not like Amy
had kept my wishes 10 myself, be-
cause knew that young felix's love is
| like an unbroken colt, that will neither
mind spur nor bit; | never mis-
trusted that any thing was going on
wrong, Til one day heard the girls
making great wonderment about a
canary bird that they found when they
went in the morning into the workshop
in cage hanging over Lucy's seat
T and then remembered that John had
asked me for five dollars the day before
and when / asked what he wanted the
money for, he looked sheepish enc
: made no answer. Thought it pruden
before matters went father, TO tell Johr
: my wishes about his cousin Amy. Ny
: wishes ma am, have always made ;
? law 10 my children--io be sure, / have
7 taken care for the most part that they
] should be reasonable. | am a littl,
wilful, own it; but it's young folk
= business to mind; and, "Children obe'
: your parents" is the law both OF scrip
ture and nature So / told John,
r did not hint any suspicio ION about Luc
s but toldIhim this marriage with his cous
e in was what he could have no objeC
= ton to; what had long fixed my heal
e upon, and what he must set abol
k without delay, on peril ofmy displea:
e ure. He was silent and looked ca,
At down; but he saw | was determined
= and believed he would not disobe
Ie me. A few evenings after, / saw
/ light in the workshop after the usu
,p time, and vent to inquire into it.
il had on my slippers and my steps mad
IS little or no sound. The upper part {
ht the dooris set with glass. saw Ii
le cy was finishing off, pair of glove
d. my son was standing by her; it appea
e. ed they were for him, and he insiste
n on her trying them on his hand. Her
ps poor thing, seemed TO tremble; Il
ne glove would not go on, but ii came ot


and their hands met without glove


and a nice fit they were. l bust in u
/" on them. / asked John If this was
n, obedience to me, and told Lucy
on quit nv services Immediately. Nc
We the whole matter is past, | must
o. John the justice to say he stood by h
. like man. He said this was matt
=, which he could not obey me; he h
ro given his heart and promised his ha
TO Lucy and she owned she loved h


him who was not worthy other lol


he said, too, something of my havi


been a kind father and kind nlan;a
Ter he would not believe that the first of
Ith doing wrong wouldsbe to an orphan E


whom Providence had placed un,
ng our roof. Ma'am, you will wont


that | heardeLed my heart 10 this,
me you know that anger is said to be sh
oss madness, and so it is; and besid


there is nothing makes US so deaf
in reason and true feeling as the sting


sense that you are wilfully do
>, wrong. 7 vvaa harah Tohn lost