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Show 48 HOEBUCK. ~Ir. Ambler, of a con1pn.nion yon b::xcl in the carriage this n1orning." "Ye,; you, Colonel Fairfax, kno'v Abrahan1 niarlin tho cooper '!'' :. V cry ,ve1l; an odcl character, but a good n1a11 and a o·oocl moe1 H un.c . " o" llave yon ever lleflt·d h1'rn pre"'ch ?'' asked tho H (AI doctor. ~'Preach ! '' cxclain1ccl :\Irs. Fairf.1x. "Preach or exhort, as yon prefer. lie is an illiter- ate euthusiast Yrho has . tun1b!etl1. nto a sect o fN. ew- L1ghts and forth with taken to exhor.ting hi.· neighbors. They arc beginniug to style hirn pas~on, I am told." "I dare say he is a 'vorthy man," n1ilrlly observed ~Ir. Atublcr, "though he 1nay be prestunptnous. In all tin1es there have been hone~t tnen 'vho felt then~· t'Cl Yes called to preach reljgious truth bec~l.use theu· I:)Onls were tired 'vith religiouH zeal." . . " They n1istake the fever of fanaticisrn for 1nspu·a· tion," saiLl the <1octor. " Uncle Dick, I fl.!ar your late reforn1 needs reform· ation." "True Colonel J u1ia · you are as good as a second conscienc' e to n1e. Sinc' e you are not satisfied w1.t h n1y refornuttiou, I pr01ni::)e not to refonn any morereform ll1JRelf~ l1nean." "1-Iowever,'' continueit ~Ir. An1blcr, "it was not of :i\Iarlin, the cooper, that I was abou L to speak par· ticularly, bnt of hi.· son, ])fn.rlc." "J\Iurk ])Iurlin-1 kno'v hirn well " remarked I-I ugh ' . Fitzhuo·h · "he i~ a fine you11g fellow. I met hnn fir~t in hu;1tiug. Ilis father lives in a cabin on a small 1)iece of land at the fooli of the Ridge." ROEBFCK. 49 "'Vell, ns I carne fro1n the vil1nze to-day I overtook a youth 1valking on the road-side. .l\1 v attention 1\ras attracted by hi~; fine rrthle tic fonn n.nrl "his elas tic 8tep. \Vhen he turned his £we to mo and ra.isino- J . ' ' <:"> 11s hat. saluted n1e 'vith the title of passon (tny dear do~tor) I thought his countenance displayed n1ore intelJJgenco than 1ve are used to find in snch hon1ely garb a~ he 1vore and at his age, for he could not b~ 111ore than seventeen. Curious to learn soinethin<Y about hin1 and Y\,.illing to giYe the pedestrian a lift a~ the expense of your horses, l\Irs. Fairfax, I invited J1in1 into the carriage. lie courteon~ly declined at firBt but 'vhen ~ asked hitn to grant 1ue some convers:-~ tion as a favor to n1e, he carne in. I soon learned that his n~~me 'vas .ilfark l\Iar1in, 'vho.~e ittther I knew slightly, and I dre'v him on to such other disclosures as .rnight enable zne to jndge of n1y duty to my young neighbor." "We, young men," interposed 1-Ingh Fitzhugh, "have to thank you for treating us all as sons rather than as neighbors only." "It is one of my pleasant duties, If ugh. I discov. ered that l\lark had an acute intellect, and that he had .reflected much on son1e of the knotty problems of hfe. From defect of edneat.ion his ideas were so1newhat confused n.nd imperfectly expressed. I sa'v that he had some ambition, and I asked him what he nimecl to make of hiinself as a zuan. 'A gentlen1an,' wn.s his brief and ready response. I endeavored then to gather fro1u his talk what conception of a gentleman had fired his youthful an1bition. IIe neither defined nor described the character, but simply said- ' Colonel Fred is the sort of man.' Thus, you per-a |
