LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 975, 10 August 1877, Page 3

LITERATURE.

FEED BRANDSCOMB'S STRATEGEM. BY CHARLES P. BROWN,

(Concluded.') 'Oh, nothing but an idea hardly worth £ mentioning.' i A few days after this they both returned i to their occupation. ] And Grace, how was it with her. Modesty had forbidden her in any way to reveal the fact that she loved the man of so short an ( acquaintance, yet such was the case. But she had given him no encouragement. To be sure, she had asked him if he ever came £ to G. to call, but 'twas more than likely she r would never see him again. These were Grace's musings, as she sat by her mamma one evening, who was much improved in health since she was last introduced to our , readers. It was the 14th of February. Her. fi father, who came in from the post-office, j threw two letters in her lap. The first* hat i caught her eye was from Saratoga from her , aunt; the other was in a strange handwriting, and the postmark was so indistinct that it gave no clue from where it came. = Her curiosity was aroused, but she put it in her .pocket, opened and read the first to her . parents, and, pleading a headache, sought the retirement ~of her room. With a trembling hand she broke the seal, and fouud it to be a valentine containing a verse of six , lines written in a gentleman's hand No , name Jno postmark ! nothing that wou'd „ serve to identify it, or that would tell her from where or whom it came ; but Grace thought she knew the author, and that night _. found our heroine with a little glowing ember of hope in her heart. On the two sue- , ceeding years on St. Valentine's day came the same love offering, the peculiar tinted . paper emitting the same delicate odour, with . nearly the same sentiment, and the spark u in her heart became a little more brilliant. 8It was in the fall of the same year, three years after the Saratoga trip, that Grace n and her parents were seated around' the 8< centre table, in the snug little sitting-room ®! one evening. They had been chatting on general subjects, when Mr Haywood asked n if Grace had heard of the new arrival ' I mean the young lawyer, Mr LeClair, who is practising down with Mott and McDer- J l , mott.' she answered that she believed some ,? of her lady friends had mentioned the fact. 'He has a chance now,' observed her ? : father, 'of making himself very popular if ! s he wins the case that I hear he has under- H taken. You know the widow Graham, who 1J lives just outside of the village on the mill " road ? Well, when her father died he left £ her that little place and a, few hundred *' dollars, cutting off' her brother (who is a ° profligate, and who ran away from home at the age of sixteen, and has since led a very J d sreputable life in New York) with one *! hundred dollars. And now he is going to + try and break the will. I believe lie has * two very talented lawyers from the. city, * and everybody Jseems to think that ifc will *: be a very uneven chaso, and that this young J* fox will be easily trapped and caught by the * two experienced hounds fit the law that are on his track,' 'Well, I hope he will win the case,' said * Grace, 'for I'm sure justice and right are on his side.' , Two days after Grace's friend, May Clark, L ' came over to see her, and the conver-ati n turned on the all-absorbing topic of the 5 village. 'So you have not heard any of the particulars,' said Mary. T ' No, only that he won the case, but do tell me about it, for I am very much inte- n rested.' ' Brother George told me all about it: he 3aid the large hall was full, not; a vacant j; scat visible ; every body but the two lawyers and their client seemed to be in sympathy - with Mrs Graham; hut those two fune- v tionariea of the law seemed to look with * dignified contempt upon their seemingly ? weak adversary, and whenever he would 1 raise in his seat to make an objection during * the swearing of the witnesses, they would meet it with a self satisfying leer, so sure * were they that the verdict would he in their ' favor. After the evidence was all in, Mr s Le Clair got up and addressed the Judge. 'Georgo said he felt very much as a father or mother would feel, if their"son or daughter was about to make their debut upon a public stage : an instinctive, undefinable timidity, which causes one's eyes to wander everywhere but upon the object of their affections, until the clear, ringing tones are clearly distinguishable, when con- £ fidence in tluir ability is at once restored, i and thenceforward' they engross their ( whole attention. Thus \\ was with young lawyer. Jn a moment's time every \ eye wasj upon him.. .liven, the. «P|Mi§i]ftg, j counsel listened with &&a *" der to hja learned rhefcoylify s££ *> •* on " terly maguey with, w h_iub •■ ' «*« ™"' case, ll«nicked»•*" . -e handled the piece auU tt- f evidence piece by L'ji-i,' .o it into the tmett threads, and 1 ' a vehement and eloquent appeal on behalf of his client, closed his argument amid the cheers of the whole assembly, and thus he won the case : and George said he heard from a reliable soure« that when Mrs Graham asked him for his bill he would not accept anything for his services.' ' I am so glad he won her case, for ho has had my sympathy from the first,' said Grace. ' Do you know him then .'' ' Oh, no ; hut I think I should like to J very much after this. Just think what an J eloquent appeal he could make if he were - one's devoted admirer. However, we shall . soon have the pleasure of seeing this modern Cicero, for I believe he is invited to Mrs « Lendeu's party next week.' ! This ended the conversation in regard to ; Mr Le Clair. > . At the party the following week, Grace s and her friend May were sitting in one corner of the room when Mr Le Clair was announced. Mrs Londeu brought him over to where they were seated, and as he came t up, Grace had time to observe him He 9 was of medium height, rather slight in t build, fair complexion, with a high, intel--0 lectual forehead, dark brown hair, deep 1 full, expressive, hazel eyes, with mustache . and side whiskers, and rather prominent s nose. He was dressed very plain in a dark suit of clothes ; the only jewellery visible A were peculiarly-shaped gold studs in his t. shirt front. 0 'Mr Le Clair, Miss Clark, Miss Haye wood. a When Grace heard the sound of his voice io it made her catch her breath, and for a moment she stood like a statue. She soon y recovered, though not, however, without her friend noticing the emotion undor which eha wa3 labouring,

After some light conversation he withdrew, and Grace, taking May's arm, walked out on the balcony. When they were alone May opened the conversation by saying—- ' Did you ever meet Mr Le Glair before?'

'I think not; but his voica reminded me so much of the gentleman who rescued mamma and me from the runaway horse three years ago in Saratoga. You remember I spoke to you about it ?'

' But his name was not Le Clair, was it ?' ' No, it was Mr Branscomb to whom we owed our fortunate preservation; but it's only fancy, it can't be the same.' The young ladies soon rejoined the vest of the company, and when supper was announced Mrs Londeu, whether by accident or design Grace could never rind out, came over leaning on the arm of Mr Le Clair. He would oblige her very much by escorting Miss Haywood to supper. Thus with the opportunity afforded her, she could do no less than employ her woman's tact in drawing him out, but he evaded every leadiug question in such a gentlemanly and smooth manner, that when she bid him good night, as she was entering the carriage with her friend May, she knew no more of his past life than when she was first introduced at the beginning of the evening. Grace met him often after this, and once or twice tried to lead him into ambush,' with regard to his previous place of residence, but all her efforts to find out his past history met with no better success than the first attempt. Eight months had now passed away since she had been introduced to Mr Le Clair. He was a frequent visitor at her house now. He called one night—it was the first of June. They had been sitting on the veranda, but they had arisen and had strolled down into the garden and were leaning against a grap« arbor that covered a portion of the walk. It was one of those delightful summer evenings, when the mantle of night is seemingly thrown around dame nature, to screen her from the public gaze, in order that she may more fully develop her loveliness. ' Miss Haywood,' said he, ' I have known you now for nearly a year, and from the first time that I saw you, my love and affection for you have been steadily increasing, like the little spring up in the mountains as it ripples along over its mossy bed. It is weak, unpretentious, and oft-times ignored, but additional rivulets swell and increase its burdens, and little by little it develops into a rushing torrent, and becomes a living power ; so with my affection, at first weak and insignificant, until by additional impulses! it has swollen i+»to the broader, deeper, and purer stream which is destined to change the whole future course of my life. Miss Haywood I love you truly, deeply, devotedly ; have I any assurance that my affection is returned ; way I hope, that if after a time I should increase my practice to that extent that it would he ample to support you in the style you are now living, that I may thcu call you my wife ''.' Grace put her hand in his and at the same time he drew her toward him and in\p?sssad the first kiss upon her brow, which was a seal of the mutual blading together of two loving hearty. ' But, Mr Branscomb, I could never marry you under that assumed name," said Grace, with a merry twinkle in her eye. ' And you know me then ? ' 'And have from the first at Mrs Londeu's. Your voice recalled you to my mind, and thp peculiar shape of those gold stud? made the identification complete,' Reader, little remaius to be told. Fred explained how he had loved her from the first, but had thought that perhaps the obligation under which she felt might in some way influence her, and so he assumed his middle name, that being his grandfather's on his mother's side, and from whom he inherited an ample fortune. They were. married that fall, and now occupy a, fnl residence in a fashionable qJ the metropolis, and judging ai;l appearance Fred Branscomb will 9&ve?- regret his little strategy.