June, 1842. 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR, 



85 



jocl? lean write your letters for yon, nndbe 

 need know iioihing ot'il." 



Tlie ciilin, tlioiightful expression of Fanny's 

 countenance instantly cliangecl,and looking Frank 

 steadily in the lace with something like offended 

 dignity in her tnanner, she answered. 



"I never wilfully deceive any one, sir; much 

 less woidd I deceive my hrother." 



"Admirable girl!" Frank mentally ejaculated, 

 as he gazed upon her innocent fiice, now lit up 

 with the impulse ot trutli roused in opposition to 

 a false principle that had been presented as a ride 

 of action. "How far superior art thou to the 

 courtly dames who despise such truth of charac- 

 ter as thine, as much as they despise thy humble 

 binh and lowly condition." 



There was now a i)ause of many moments, dur- 

 ing which Fanny stood near to the young man, 

 her eyes cast upon the floor. At length he said, 

 looking up into her face, 



"Fanny, !i thought occurs to me, which may 

 relieve you from your present embarrassment.— 

 Say nothing to your hrother, now, of your defici- 

 ency, but learn to write, and when you can write 

 well, then tell him the whole story frankly." 



"There is no one tn teach me, sir, and how can 

 1 learn ?" 



" ])o you wish to learn ?" 



"Then, if you will accept my service, I will 

 be your teacher." 



Fanny looked at hiin with a bewildered air, 

 not apprehending, on the instant, his whole 

 meaning. 



" Will you not let me teach you to write, Fan- 

 ny ?" he said, after the pause of a few moments. 



" 1 wish to learn very much. But 1 cannot 

 come here often, and besides, it would be giving 

 you too much trouble." 



" O, the trouble will he nothing. To me it 

 will be only pleasant recreation ; and besides, 1 

 shall have the delight springing from the per- 

 formance of a good action." 



" It would take inc a long time to learn," urged 

 the maiden, " and before my task was half aecom- 

 ])lished my brother would be probably here, and 

 then he would be sadly disappointed in me, and, 

 I fear, cease to love me as much as he would were 

 he to find me innocent in all my ignorance and 

 deficiency." 



"When the affection is in anything, we soon 

 come to perform it well. Your eager desire to 

 learn to write, will do more ibr you than you 

 dream of. Come, let me give you your first les- 

 son now." 



Fanny hesitated a motiient, and then, as direct- 

 ed, seated herself in Frank's chair at the table, 

 while he stood, writing-master like, and com- 

 menced instructing his fair pupil. He found that 

 she already knew how to make all the letters, 

 rudely enough it is true. And as she could read 

 well, 'manuscript as well as letteri)ress, there was 

 nothing to do but to teach her to Ibrni the letters 

 after correct models, and then to unite them skil- 

 fully. The first lesson occupied an hour, at the 

 end of which time, even Fanny was surprised and 

 delighted at her own improvement. Her heart 

 was in it, and where th;;t is the case there is lit- 

 tle difficulty in learning' to do auvthing. 



" Well, what do you^'tlunk of tl;at ':■" asked her 

 teacher, hs lie held up her last trial at writing a 

 whole sentence. 



" 1 can hardly believe it," she replied. 



" You will learn fast enough, and in six weeks 

 will be able to write your brother anything you 

 ])lease." 



" Do you think so?" Fanny said, looking tjie 

 young man earnestly in the face. 



" Do I think so, Fanny r Yes, I knoiv so." 



" 1 am afraid that it will be asking too much, 

 and yet my brother's letter is not answered," the 

 maiden said, in a hesitating tone. 



"True, true, Fanny I Come here to-morrow 

 at this time, and the letter will be ready for you, 

 and then you can take another lesson in writing." 



With a graceful inclination of the body Fanny 

 Lincoln withdrew, and left Frank Beverly in a 

 somewhat mystified state of perception as to his 

 own true intQrnal thoiights and feelings. 



" She is a sweet girl," he said musingly ; "and 

 would grace, with a little education, a far higher 

 circle in society than that in which she now 

 moves. Indeed, as she now is, I would not give 

 her for a dozen of the gilded, artificial women 

 it ha.s been my lot to meet in society " 



" Who is this Fanny Lincoln, sister ?" he asked 

 that evening, lifting his eyes from a book that he 

 had in vain been endeavoring to understand, the 

 sweet fiice of Fanny ever forming in his imag- 

 ination, and interrupting bis concentration of 

 thought. 



" How do you think I should know, Frank ?" 

 Isabella said with some surprise in her tone. " All 

 I know about licr is, that she is servant to Mrs. 

 Grand, the dairyman's wife." 



" Don't say servant, in that peculiar tone of con- 

 tempt. If it is the lot of Fanny to serve others 

 — even a dairyman's wife — she is none the less 

 beautifid, iimocent, and excellent in character. — 

 Isabella, if you really want to do something good 

 and noble, go to Mrs. Grand's and interest your- 

 self for that sweet flower, springing in the wilder- 

 ness. Take Fanny under your care, and teach 

 her all she swishes to learn. You will find iier 

 an apt scholar, and she will fully repay, in gratitue 

 and affection, all your kind care and generous 



" Really, Frank, you are getting into a strange 

 way !" Isahellasaid. " You certainly don't think, 

 for a moment, that I am going to imitate your er- 

 ratie folly. It is enough for one of us, surely, 

 to consort with the vulgar, unrefined and uned- 

 ucated. As for me, let me tell you, Frank, 1 am 

 not going to join you in any of your mad 

 schemes for breaking through the just distinctions 

 of society." 



"You misnnderslaiul me, Isabella, entirely," 

 Frank urged " I have no desire to break through 

 any just distinctions. I only wish to give to those 

 below us in the social rank, all the aid I can to 

 enable them to rise, even above me, if by native 

 excellence of character, justly developed, they are 

 able to do so." 



" You work alone in this, let me tell you," Isa- 

 bella replied, with marked emphasis. 



" I am sorry for that, sister. I was in hopes 

 tliat you woidd take Fanny under your kind care, 

 but, as you will not, the duty must devolve upon 

 your brother." 



" Frank !" 



" Dont look so astonished, my gentle sister." 



" Well, I am astonished, and mortified." 



" Mortified at what ?" 



" That you should have no higher or more man- 

 ly ideas — nothing more elevated as a rule of ac- 

 tion than the simple, vulgar desire to become the 

 amanuensis, and now, I suppose, the schoolmas- 

 ter, of the whole village." 



" Could there be any higher or more manly de- 

 sire, than that of doing good, Isabella ? I think 

 not. For my part I am learning, every day, to 

 estimate actions by a new standard of usefidness 

 to others. And I feel glad to think, that I ex- 

 perience as lively a pleasure in doing good to the 

 ploughman or a dairymaid, as to a so-called lady 

 or gentleman." 



" But see where it will end, brother !" 



" That I am yet tmable to see, and would be 

 very glad if my sister would enlighten me." 



"Then I can tell you in a very few wotds. 

 The end will be this: Your position, and my po- 

 sition, will be broken down in society. We witll 

 be respected neither by the high nor low ; the 

 one will avoid, while the other will trespass upon 

 and annoy us." 



" Fear no such consequences. We possess an 

 antidote to all this." 



" And what is all that, Frank ?" 



" We are, brother and sister, alone in the world, 

 and were tliere not some talismanic influence at 

 work, should long since have passed from the eye 

 of general observation, and from the point of inter- 

 est." 



"And, pray, what wonderful power is that 

 which makes us hold our rank ."" 



" That power is money, sister ! We have been 

 left rich by our parents, and herein lies the secret 

 of our estimation. Thousands are passing their 

 lives in obscurity, with better hearts and better 

 principles, and more extensive knowledge than 

 we. What makes the difference .' Money! It is 

 not our worth, tlien, that gives us consideration, 

 but our money. For my part, I am learning every 

 day to despise this grovelling estimation. I 

 would not give the single expressive look of grati- 

 tude on tfic honest face of an old, unsophisticated 

 farmer's wife after I have written for and read to 

 her a letter to her absent daughter, for it all." 



Isabella could not satisfy her mind as to the 

 kind of reply that she should make to this, and 



so remained silent. Frank resumed the study of 

 his book, and the subject was dismissed for that 

 evening. 



For several days in succession, Frank Beverly's 

 study was graced by the welcome presence of 

 Fanny Lincoln. Her simple manners, and in- 

 genuousnes.s, pleased the young man more and 

 more every time be saw her. But he was more 

 pleased at witnessiiig the remarkable progress 

 that she made in learning to write. 



One morning, about a week after she had coin- 

 iTienced taking lessons, young Beverly was disap- 

 pointed in not seeing her at the usual hour. He 

 knew not how deep an interest the simple-heart- 

 ed maiden had awakened in his bosom, until, by 

 her failm-e to come at the regular time, the real 

 strength of this interest became apparent. 



On the next day he looked for Fanny at the 

 usual hoin- of her visit, but she came not. Her 

 fiiilure to appear on the third day determined him 

 to call over at Mrs. Grand's and see what detain- 

 ed her. As he came up the walk that led to the 

 cottage door he caught a single glance at Famiy's 

 face at the window, but it was instantly with- 

 drawn. It was some moments before his knock 

 was answered, and then he was admitted by Mrs. 

 Grand herself, a woman of many excellent quali- 

 ties, not the least of which were good sense and 

 an affectionate disposition. She had often seen 

 Frank, and knew him very well, although he had 

 no recollection of her gentle, tnatroidy face, for 

 she had resided in the village but a few years. 



" Mrs. Grand, I believe ?" Frank said, with a 

 bow. 



"That is my name, Mr. Beverly. Will you 

 walk in, sir ?" 



" For a moment or two, if you please. I have 

 come over," he resumed, after he had taken a 

 chair, " to have a word with you about Fanny 

 Lincoln. You know, I suppose, that I have been 

 teaching her to write. For the last few days she 

 has not come as usual, and as she makes such 

 great progress it is a pity that she should not 

 keep on until she can w'rke well. It is to talk 

 with you about this that I have dropped in. 



Frank paused, and Mrs. Grand remained silent 

 for some moments, in the effort to collect her 

 tlioughts,and then raising her mild eyes to the face 

 of the young man, and looking steadily at him, 

 she said — 



"Fanny is an innocent-minded, simple-hearted, 

 good girl, and did not imagine, until I su<;gested 

 it to ii;;r, that there was any imjiropriely in one of 

 her age visiting, regularly, at his rooiii, a young 

 gentleman." 



Mrs. Grand paused here, and let her eyes fall 

 to the floor, while Frank smiled good-humoredly 

 as he replied — 



"I certahily respect your sentiments, and now 

 that my thonghls recur to the subject, must own 

 that you are right. But I am sure Fanny came 

 to me only under the impulse of genuine inno- 

 cence of heart." 



" In that you arc right, M r. Bevcily," Jlrs. Grand 

 replied witii warmth. "I know Fanny well, for, 

 fiom a little child I have been to her a mother, 

 and she the gentlest and most affectionate of 

 diiughters. vSiie is pure-minded and innocent as 

 the snow-drift." 



"1 am sure of that, Mrs. Grand," Frank said; 

 and then after a brief pause added, "The more I 

 have seen of Faimy the more have I been in- 

 terested in her; particularly in reference to her 

 strong desire to learn. This desire, Mrs. Grand, 

 ought, by all means, to be fostered, and as you 

 rightly suggest the impropriety of her coming to 

 niy room, if you will permit me to call here every 

 day, and give her a lesson, in your presence, if 

 you choose, I will most willingly come." 



" Your offer is too kind a one for me to reject, 

 and I therefore willingly accept it, knowing as I 

 do so well the character of Francis Beverly," Mrs. 

 Grand replied, frankly. "I know," she con- 

 tinued, "and have often grieved over Faimy's 

 want of education. But since she came to us, a 

 friendless orphan, we have had hard struggling 

 to get along in the world, and have been unable 

 to send her to school, except but for a very short 

 time. I taught her to read, which was about ns 

 far as I could go, and she reads, I think, very well 

 indeed." 



"Then, if it is agreeable to lioth Fanny and 

 yoinself, I will give" her, now that I am here, a- 

 nother le'sson," Frank said, for he was altogether 



