Bond and Free | Page 7

the rough road, Daisy limped onward at the will of her rider; and he indulged in one of his soliloquies:
"Uncle Joe, he used to say, dat Miss 'Titia read to him out o' de good book, dat it is mighty hard to serve two masters. Now, dar's dat ar mare, she's been nigh losin' her huff, since dat ar halter got cotched 'round it; an' Maus Hunt he telled me if I don't cure it, I gets fifty; an' now, jest as I's a curin' it, 'ere comes Maus Thomas an' tells me if I don't saddle 'er, he'll get de oberseer to gi' me seventy-five. So here I is 'twixt two masters, an' I got to b'ar de kwonsequence o' one or t'other, sure, an' if dat mare don't get used up, my name ain't Terence."
Mr. Templeton's tour of investigation at the offices of the agents was to him a fruitless errand. He knew nothing of the business of his late brother, and could learn nothing; since, as he had rightly conjectured, the agents had concerted to foil his attempts to obtain any insight into their affairs, and led him into a blindfolded chase after information. He returned, after an absence of several weeks, to the farm, in an unenviable frame of mind; where he could, at least, enjoy the privilege of venting ill-humor towards his family, giving and countermanding orders to the servants. Having occasion to go to the village, he called Terence, and ordered his horse to be saddled.
After the imprudent use of poor Daisy, she had been in a sad condition. Inflammation followed, and her leg was so badly swollen that Mrs. Templeton had sent for a veterinary surgeon, who pronounced the mare crippled for life. Terence had worked with her faithfully, having taken his rest on the hay in the stable, so as to bathe and rub her in the night, in addition to his daily task. He humbly explained the case, but his master only saw his fine blooded mare a useless cripple; and, laying the fault on Terence's shoulders, ordered the overseer to give him fifty lashes.
This act of injustice was inflicted, and borne without a murmur; but, from that moment, every sentiment of kindly feeling hitherto kindling toward his master was extinguished, and in its place grew up a bitter hatred. He worked with a dogged submission to orders, because there was no alternative. Not only this, but joining his fellows in secret complaints of ill-treatment, he returned to the sullen moroseness of the African race, working as an eye-servant under fear of the lash.
CHAPTER III.
THE BROTHERS.
TWO American students were busy in their lodgings, endeavoring to restore order out of confusion. Books that would not again be wanted were laid aside for the second-hand dealer, and others carefully packed away for future use; clothing was subjected to the same inspection, and an accumulation of papers and articles, rejected as useless, were ready for removal.
James Templeton had just received his degree as Doctor of Medicine, and his brother Oscar had completed the third year in the classical department of the same institution.
Their father had determined that if any opprobrium rested upon the birth of his children, it should be wiped out by educational advantages and an ample fortune. For this end he had labored unceasingly. Superior business qualifications enabled him to carry out his plans as long as life lasted. Both the sons had been sent to Germany, and placed in a university well known for its able corps of professors. Oscar was to remain one year longer to complete his course of study in the classical department; and, that the brothers might return together, it had been arranged that James should improve the intervening time at various European hospitals, further qualifying himself for the practice of his profession in some place yet to be selected in his native country.
The last letter from their father contained a remittance double their usual quarterly allowance, that they might be enabled to recreate during the vacation, among the mountains and lakes of Switzerland; "For," wrote Capt. Templeton, "when another year has passed, I want to see both of you without delay."
For this trip the brothers were making preparations, when a letter was received causing them to drop their work--a letter containing intelligence that turned the current of their lives as effectually as a mountain, meeting a coming stream, turns its course in another direction. Enclosed was a certified statement of the brief illness and decease of Capt. James Templeton, signed by the attendant physician, also a communication in the following words:
"The property of the late James Templeton is inherited by his half-brother, Hunt Templeton, sole heir to the estate. At his request, the two boys, James and Oscar, are advised to remain where they are, lest