text: Dattum tà H û f' Ui V. U.6 r < r3S* t: Jk W®A1| lenratl @ff H@ws* £stt@pataF@ aad Jkg^iexaltOT-® et VOLUME III. WILMINGTON, DEL., THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1869. NUMBER 18. Mautatc Itiknc Thumday, April 1, 1808, Pennsylvania has ratified the Suffrage Amendment The House, last week, concurred With the Senate in its approval. The Baltimore Sun, which is bitterly opposed to Peninsular Union, says that "if "Delaware, not satisfied with the fruits of "our soil, now wants the soil itself, the result will probably be in the end that she "will get neither." Senator Sprague, of Rhode Island evidently thinks the Republican party is strong enough to spare, without missing him. This is evidently true; the greatly-increased ratio of Republican Senators will permit the departure of such an erratic genius to the ranks of the Democracy, without a pang. Our Good and Handsome neighbor, the Philadelphia Press, has been readily converted to the cause of Peninsular Union. It publishes the figures we gave in the Commercial of Thursday, as to the population of the various counties, and says that the "movement, on the whole is a judicious "one." Why surely, it is. Rather an Extraordinary Action has just been taken at Dover. Some weeks ago, a bill was passed, divorcing two persons from the bonds of matrimony. A few days ago, another bill was introduced to repeal the divorce act, and it was finally rushed through the House, Thursday. What is the idea of the Legislature, or have they any? Is it supposed that the divorced couple will thus be re-married? Suppose, in the meantime, either or both had married somebody else? This new absurdity of our law-makers has a queer appearance. Was Solon ever bewitched by Venus? We Give Place, elsewhere, to a very full communication from a friend in Sussex County, relative to the Junction and Breckwuter Railroad bill, and its association with the "Nine Wards" bill. In reply, thereto, we have simply to say that the members of the Legislature, from Sussex, are ten in number; they want a railroad bill; they may be able to get it without the aid of the two Republican Senators from New Castle, but we know how much ought it to help them, if they join in a contemptible, partisan raid on the Republicans of Wilmington, and seek to overturn our whole city government, by illegitimate means? If the Sussex men act fairly by us, we will feel kindly towards them, and that's all there is about it. It is remarked that the "Friends" who have been invited to consult with the President, all members of the "Orthodox" branch of the Society. Their views upon the subject incline to a thorough agreement with those of some of the leading Episcopalians, and Presbyterians, as was shown by the presence at Washington, with the Friends of such prominent men as William Welsh, and George H. Hart. They propose rather the conversion of the Indians to Christianity, and the impression of decided religious views upon them, than their mere "civilization." It may be added that the "Lombard Street Meeting" of the Indian Question, in Baltimore, have had established for Indian mission, and seventy-five years have kept up, with great care and labor and expense, their effort to improve the condition of some of the Western tribes. The Legislature of this State, by its rejection of the Suffrage Amendment, has certified, anew, its resolute opposition to the general sentiment of the Republic, its hostility to President Grant and Congress, and its continuing hatred of the colored citizens of the State. The time had come, with the offering of this proposition, when the Democratic party in Delaware could have taken a respectable, if not a commanding, position. They have always been peace men. A very few of them went into their army, during a measure, peculiarly and truly calculated to set at rest a heated political controversy, and bring its sure and... Peaceful solutions. They have professed too, to be the friends of the colored people. Hero, the war. Here was the opportunity to prove that friendship. They claim the name of Democrats. Here was a proposition to establish a real Democracy—people-power—in Delaware. They have pretended to be just men of the strongest appeals for justice, from thirty thousand people of their State. But they did not ratify the amendment. They are the people that will scotch the wheel of progress! They are the heroic handful that is to drive backward the whole American nation! Bravo, gentlemen, stick to it! You had a slim chance, ten days ago, of conciliating the colored voters of Delaware. Now, you have spit in their faces, Down on the Eastern Shore of Maryland live many sensible men. Likewise, lives there, "Colonel Austin." Naturally, this produces two parties in the Colonel's neighborhood, Union. "Colonel Austin" is sons of Liberty, who plants himself on the immortal figs of the Constitution, and soars away into the sublime, with the proud bird of American Freedom. Therefore, he wants the Peninsula divided into three States. He has recently poured out his feelings in a speech on the subject, and his local paper has succeeded in catching a few of them, as they spread forth into the evanescent, illimitable depths of the cerulean infinity. They were to this effect: "Let Maryland, Maryland, ever be our mother's name. Let no son of her, however degenerate he may be to his noble sires, however unmindful he be of the sacred memories which cluster around her proud old dome, however forgetful he be of the illustrious names which adorn her civic wreath and those who made immortal her heroic deeds in arms, let him forget all her glorious past, but never, never let him raise his ruthless arm to divide asunder her noble form. Let it remain one and indivisible, from Pennsylvania's southern bounds to where the Potomac rolls her tides." From Allegany's coal-bound hills to old Worcester's briny shores." Such sentiments as these are calculated to ennoble the human race, if they have any fair show, at all. No clustering around Maryland's proud old home, without admiration. Though the Chesapeake "rolls her tides" between the Eastern and Western "shores," who is there that gazing upon the civic wreath, could raise his ruthless arm to rend Maryland as sunder? Why of course, not a man. No one. Peninsular Union be darned! What's that to this? It is now thought by members of Congress, of both political parties, that an adjournment sine die will not take place between the middle of April. The question of Peninsular of the tried behold them Which, not Marry, ae ' BY OSCAR DALE. CHAPTER III. A SURPRISE Two days after the consultation chronicled in the last chapter Ashton Cooke returned from the West, and there was a stormy meeting between him and his employers, which ended in the acceptance of his resignation— which is the polite way of putting it when a man of respectable connections stoops to fraud. Ashton Cooke, however, protested with much warmth and apparent indignation his entire innocence, and offered an explanation of the suspicious entries. He stated that Mr. Chapman had made these entries as he had many others handed them to him for entry in the books. The explanation was received with incredulity by the firm, for they argued, if Chapman whom they had trusted so implicitly would thus defraud them, why should they believe this young so much shorter a period of time. Mr. Savage did at last deign to listen with attention to his plausible story, and after consultation with Mr. Miller, said—"Mr. Cooke, ticc and, so long possibly be true, and proof to the contrary, we will keep the matter quiet. But, of course, you understand the impossibility of present position. I think you will acknowledge the justice of our decision when you come to think calmly over the circumstances." So Ashton Cooke was dismissed. As to thinking calmly another affair. He felt that in one short hour all of joy and love and hope had gone out of his life, and nothing appeared ahead but the blackness of desolation, misery and dispair. He passed a long and weary night in sleepless misery, and Iu the morning sut down and wrote a long letter to Mr. Bayne, giving bim his explanation of tho suspicious entries and concluding his letter as fol a parting. a memorandum book, and whom they had known for do not wish to do you any injus the story you tell might : have positive retaining you iu your tho matter tbat low a it a " And, r, Sir, I have told y truth, notlilug more, nothing less,—I have niece to tha written it for you and for y whom I hope you will read this letter. Y partners refused to believe it, and I suppose you will do the admitted tho plausibility of my explana tion and have "given me the benefit of tho doubt," sented not to blacken my character picion alone. I write, Sir, to ask a similar favor ut your hands. I ask you for a short time to treat !. They have, however, the lawy rould say, and c sus innocent man and to interview with your niece. I grant me shall resign all claims to lier hand, ut least until I can prove my innocence even toy satisfaction. " 1 have tried to write with calmness and sclf-restraiut, if I have failed, remember tho terrible charge brought agaiust me, and also remember llmt I love your niece from whom this foul aud unjust suspicion must separate me,—possibly forever. That 1 am innocent, I call on God and tho spirit of my sainted mother to witness. I beg that you will com ply with my request. Yours with Respect, Asiiton Cooke. Mr. Bayne read the letter with a disdain, making a fool of himself by trusting this young man would have. After Chapman had turned out to be a rogue, he would trust, except Nettie. Yes, Nettie was good and honest, but then she was a fool, like all women. Instead of sharing his indiguation against this fellow who had played the rascal, even while he aspired to her hand, she had scented utterly dejected and full of sorrow. Mr. Bayne pitied her, but then, confound her, Where was her spirit? Where her righteous wrath? This letter put him in a dilemma. It was evidently intended to himself, and he felt that maybe, considering her relations towards Mr. Cooke, she ought to see it, besides he felt much for Nettie as for scruples about withholding from anyone what he or she had a right to, so he cogitated long and read the letter again. He finally, much to his relief, came to a conclusion, and took a grim satisfaction in repeating to himself a modified text,—"She is of age; she shall speak for herself." He resolved, however, to read the letter to herself and to explain the transparent sophistry of the explanation as he went along. This plan he carried out as far as possible, but felt that he had failed to make the absurdity of Mr. Cooke's explanation as plain as he had wished,—"the affair was so ingeniously gotten up," he said. The reading ended, Nettie said, "I will Mr. Cooke. Will you let me examine the letter more at my leisure?" She spoke with the calm dignity of a woman powerful in the strength of her womanhood, and without a word of protest, her uncle handed her the letter. "These souls," in the darkest days of the revolutionary struggle, wrote one of the ablest political leaders of the day, and so in a peculiar sense they were, but the times that are and women's souls are always with us, and each moment of time soul at the crisis which decides its whole existence. All are not thus tested, but the greatest and the best loveth He chastens." "For whom He The weeping girl who had left her uncle's presence the day before stunned and bowed down with grief, now stood before him a proud and self-reliant woman full of faith beyond measure in the man she loved. Men should thank God daily for woman's faith and woman's love, and that she sees not alone, but sometimes pushing aside ways as reason with the strong arm of faith, steps afterwards come to see beyond to truths and recognize. All that letter came to Nettie Gaston not as in Ashton's explanation but as a triumphant vindication of his outraged honor. It did not convince her that she had never doubted, so she said, "I will unconscious dignity and firmness which effectively forbade audible remonstrance from her uncle." She did see him and calmly, soberly, and earnestly offered him her hand then to show those who had dared suspect him that she at least knew his innocence. Of course, he could not as an honorable man accept her generous offer but left her with the soft pros of her lips upon his own, and her last words "Ashton, I shall wait until you come" sending raptures such as he had known through his whole being. There were tears at that parting but even the sorrow of Mr. Cooke, and said it with a very low of love are bliss compared with other joys. Ashton Cooke, who had entered the house a hopeless determined to follow the fugitive cashier around the world, if necessary, and wring from him the explanation which alone could clear the way for his union with his darling. He left it full of pride and joy, he was not dependent for support, and judiciously investing his fortune to afford him an income sufficient for the purpose, he started on his hunt for the fugitive Chapman, and was still absent in Europe on this hunt when his only brother, Clarence, went to Bayneville. Nettie had returned to Bayneville with her uncle, and it was only after months of prayerful struggle and calm reflection that she could forgive him for suspecting the love which seemed to her so much in love. While she was in his family alone, he was clear under his roof, however, she respected his wishes, and held her responsible with her absent, wandering lover. When Clarence Cooke came to live in Bayneville, she welcomed him as a brother, the less gladly as through him she often heard of Ashton. Mr. Bayne, too, for his own, welcomed him, and gave him charge of his legal business. At the time our story opened, Ashton Cooke was his way back to America, a steamer behind the man he had but struck like a sleuthhound and whose course he had traced from comparative affluence down to poverty. Europe, CHAPTER IV. IN ARRIVAL AND A CONFESSION. Of late Bayneville had a tremendous not unmixed with indignation. Though Clarence Cooke ever with Nettie Gaston, he had begun to pay marked attention to Miss Temple; and she, "silly thing," as the gossips said, was foolish enough and weak enough to receive them. The cause for as intimate Miss Temple voted with great anxiety by one set of ladies in the community to be utterly wanting in self-respect, and they expressed their wonder that her father did not interfere and demand of Mr. Cooke a declaration of his intentions. Nobody, by the way, had ever told them that her father had not done this, although it is quite probable that he why he should startle the young man with so personal a query. The old relations between Clarence Cooke and Nettie Gaston and the between him and Maggie Temple were subjects of decided interest, and formed the principal topics of discussion in Bayneville society, when the parties interested were not present. But We will leave Bayneville to its virtuous indignation, and its perplexity, and turn to matters of facts of all this speculation. One evening, early in the winter, there was a great clatter on Mr. Bayne's brass knocker and Mrs. Gruimn growling at the lumbar of the call and at her rheumatism, answered the summons. The relations between the parties were well-known to the sub-all, and the visitor was not alone. Mrs. Gruimn demurred, a hut the visitor insisted, and any misgivings she ushered him into the old gentleman's presence, in a small room which would have been called his "study" if people had been in the habit of calling for names in Bayneville. The stranger stood with bowed head and by such trembling limbs apparently incapable of standing his object in demanding an audience. As he stood thus for a moment, Mr. Bayne surveyed him with no sign of recognition. At last, he said, "I believe you have wronged me deeply." "Wronged me!" said Mr. Bayne, "then you had better have held your tongue and I never have found it out. Nobody wronged me but that thief Chapman." "You, Chapman?" ejaculated Mr. Bayne, "why I hardly believe you. As a man sorely wounded shrinks from the knife of the surgeon even as he willingly submits to the operation, so did this broken and disgraced man bravely hold up his face to the keen inspection of his former employer, wished to see. "I met Mr. Bayne slowly, examined the glowing features and said, "You have the impudence of the devil! You have the impudence of the devil! You ask a favor of me; you who have robbed me; who destroyed more of my confidence in my fellow men than any other could have done. You're a scoundrel! Isay, sir, you're a scoundrel! An impudent, beggarly scoundrel. You villain, you—" But here Mr. Bayne's stock of vituperative epithets ran out and wiping the perspiration from his forehead, he sank into his easy chair and looked unheard of things of his former Cashier. Chapin looked utterly crushed and big tears coursed down his wrinkled pallid cheeks as he leaned on a chair for support, unable almost to stand yet not daring to sit. After several minutes of painful silence, he feebly said, "I was a scoundrel sir, though I did not mean to be, but I trust I am not impudent." "Not impudent," replied the old gentleman, "sit down, not impudent, sit down, I say, if you are not impudent what under heaven are you? Sit down, don't you, I'll knock you down, do you think I want a man to stand up till he drops? If you have the impudence to ask a favor of it, I grant it. Here the irate old gentleman, not impudent how me? I won't grant it, sir, I want to say, what do you want? But I tell you, I stopped his disjointed sentence for a moment for want of breath, and then proceeded some calmly, "but stop, I think you have some claim on me after all; your all that saved me from giving villainous accomplices. Postire my niece to you, my accomplice!" interrupted Mr. Chapman, what do you mean, I had meant?" "I mean Ashton Cooke, the young villain who assisted you in falsifying your accounts so as to deceive our firm, did," answered Mr. Bayne. Mr. Chapman looked at his old employer a moment in silence, apparently stupified, and then exclaimed "Oh God! have I another wrong to answer for!"—Mr. Bayne, long as you please!" I assure you, as I hope for forgiveness either here or hereafter, neither Ashton Cooke nor any other man shared my guilt. Why, for months I have had secret information that Ashton Cooke was tracking me all over Europe, and I supposed he was doing it at the instance of your firm. I have been kept constantly busy with contrivances and disguises to throw him off my track, until in despair at his pertinacity, and stricken with remorse, I have come back to offer what reparation I yet might for the wrong I have done you." It was now Mr. Bayne's turn to be astonished. He said: "Do you mean to tell me that he did not follow you to Europe to share your plunder? If he was not your accomplice, how do you explain those false entries of his to cover your defalcation?" "I directed him to make them from my memorandum to avoid suspicion which might be aroused by having too many of them in my own handwriting. I had no intention of implicating him in my guilt—I never even thought of the matter. I wonder that he did not explain the matter to you and clear himself of suspicion," answered Mr. Chapman. "So he did—so he did," said Mr. Bayne, "only we would not believe him, or anybody, after you had failed us." "I had no idea of this," eagerly continued Mr. Chapman. "I can prove his innocence." . I have with me my memorandum book from which he copied several of the entries you speak of. I kept in it an accurate account of all my transactions, always expecting to be able to pay you some day from the profits of my speculations. Some further conversation ensued which had the effect of forcing on Mr. Bayne the conviction that Chapman spoke the truth, and there followed a keen sense of remorse for the wrong he had done Ashton Cooke, and the pain he had caused Nettie. He could find no excuse for himself, for the same dogmatic frame of mind which had made Nettie's faith in Ashton's innocence seem so exasperatingly absurd to him when he believed Ashton guilty, prevented him, now that he was convinced of the young man's innocence, from seeing anything at all plausible or excusable in his former opinion. He sat in silence for some time, and then, suddenly awakening to a consciousness of Chapman's presence, he turned to him and asked, "Well, what is it you want?" "To be allowed to live here, and to be helped to some employment by which I can make money, I am lost by me. I only want for myself a bare subsistence, and all I can make over that I will pay over to the firm," answered Chapman. "I will make that I pay back all your such exaction," said Mr. Bayne. "It will not be an exaction," said Chapman with tremulous eagerness. "I beg you to let me do this; I could not look death in the face without having made full reparation. For my conscience's sake, for my very soul's sake, beg that you and your partners will not deny me this. I can never feel myself honest man until I have undone the wrong I did. Mr. Bayne, though sometimes violent, with an almost savage hatred of disboucsty, and, withal, a man to whom charity for others' weaknesses did not come easily, felt all his resentment melt away before Chapman's sincere penitence and would gladly have forgiven him his offense without any restitution at his hands; but he, this would not satisfy the conscience, so he seriously considered his request. As he did so, it flashed across his mind that nothing but full reparation would satisfy his own conscience for the wrong he had done Ashton and Nettie, and he saw that he could do no act of kindness so great to his old clerk, as to grant his request. So he promised to see what he could do. He insisted at his house, showed him to a room. He lingered at the chamber door a minute and then suddenly said "good night" and turned away. He walked half the length of the passage, then stopped and thought awhile, then, suddenly turning again he returned to Chapman's room and tapped upon the door. Chapman said "Come in." "Is the bed fixed all right?" Mr. Bayne asked. "Yes sir," answered Chapman. "I thought maybe it wasn't," he said, and then fingered awhile apparently undecided about something. The silence had grown embarrassing when Mr. Bayne suddenly blurted out, "See here Chapman, I wish I hadn't talked quite so rough to you," and slamming the door behind him hurried back to his own room feeling immensely relieved by his awkward attempt at an apology. He next went to bed but probably spent quite as much of the night in thinking out plans of reparation to Ashton Cooke as he did in sleep. Before he closed his eyes the matter was fixed in his mind that he was aroused. Chapman staying all night late, and himself up bright and curly next morning and after a hasty breakfast started in company with his strange guest for the city. Arriving there he and Mr. Chapman proceeded directly to Savage, Bayne & Miller's warehouse and there was a long private consultation in the office, in the course of which that memorandum book, moving from the minds of the other partners, the last lingering doubt of Ashton Cooke's innocence. The book gave a detailed and accurate account of all of Mr. Chapman's miserable speculation, and the amount he had drawn from the firm, and it was cashier had been weak rather than wicked. Mr. Chapman leaving the book with them went to a hotel and a lengthy consultation between the partners followed, which led to results which shall be characterized more fully in the next chapter. He was produced to exact state of the firm that their old question was now all ended—swerved. Mr. Bayne went directly to Bayneville and before he even went into the cashier's office, Mr. Chapman was introduced. Once Cooke. "Where's your brothel Ashtou," was his unceremony the moment he entered the door. "On the Atlantic, bound for America, I suppose, from a letter I have just received," answered the somewhat surprised young man. "Good! That's all right," responded Mr. Bayne. "I hardly understood you," said Mr. Cooke with a shade of coldness in his voice and manner. "Why do you inquire about my brother?" "That's what I came here to talk about," said Mr. Bayne; "let's proceed to business." A lengthy conversation ensued, in the course of which Mr. Bayne laid before Mr. Cooke all his recent discoveries, and also some of the plans he had made and business he had transacted in secret session with his partners. The conference ended in Clarence promising to telegraph for his brother to come to Bayneville immediately after his arrival in New York. Just as Mr. Bayne was leaving the door, he turned and said, "Now tell me, Cooke, why you came to Bayneville?" "Well," answered Clarence, "partly because it was a good opening, partly that I might cheer my brother with news from your niece and give her thanks for him, but mainly because I believed that Chapman would someday come here and throw himself upon your mercy, and I expected he would attempt to exculpate himself as far as possible at the expense of my brother, and then retire to his old uncle's place, near here, to die, Ashton's letters having led me to suppose that he was in very poor health, much broken down. I knew a strange man had been to see you and found that he and you had gone to Philadelphia together, and if you had not called on me I should have called on you, to ask if the stranger was not Chapman, and tell you something of my intentions, so that I should not appear to be acting the spy upon you. Now, why did you treat me so well?" "I thought you knew your brother was guilty, and wanted Net yourself," answered the old man as he hurried away. Mr. Bayne next went home to his niece, and the interview that followed need not be described. Suffice it to say that the old half-presentment Nettie had so long felt against her uncle for believing her lover guilty completely vanished during the interview and the barrier that had so long existed between these two was broken down. They were once more the same indulgent uncle and loving, clinging niece, that they had been before these troubles commenced. Two weeks after this Ashton Cooke arrived in Bayneville, summoned thence by his brother's dispatch which gave him the gratifying but incomprehensible assurance that everything was all right. Clarence met him at the station and barely recognized the stalwart, handsome, and bearded man, the brother whom a pale, anxious, clerkly-looking man he had bade "good-bye" three years before. Bayneville wondered who the stranger was, and some of the more curious eluded to spend the evening at Bayne's, (whither they were sure Clarence would take his friend) to talk it over, and much to Nettie's annoyance they carried their resolution into effect. Clarence and Ashton entered the former's office together where they found Mr. Bayne awaiting them. He utterly failed to recognize Ashton at first. Another full and lengthy explanation followed, which, as it ended right satisfied everybody but Mr. Bayne, who said—-"You fellows may say it's all right till Doomsday, but I tell you it ain't right till I do something to make it right. Until I do something I shall feel that Chapwau is an lioncoster man than I am. I must, for nothing else than to satisfy my own conscience, make some reparation for the wrong I have done you." With this preface Mr. Bayne briefly explained his plans, all the preliminaries of which had already been arranged. It was to change the firm of Savage, Bayne & Miller to Savage, Miller & Cooke, the retiring partner assigning his entire interest to the new one. Mr. Bayne also stated that the remaining partners would not have consented to take in a new partner on the retirement of Mr. Bayne, but for the conviction on their part that reparation was also due from them, though, since they have been considering the matter, Mr. Miller was delighted at the prospect of being relieved from the heavy burden of the financial management of the concern. It is needless to say that Ashlou Cooke did not refuse the flattering offer—especially, as he saw that Mr. Bayne really felt it necessary that he should balance his conscience account by some such means. The only thing that had thus far been said about Nettie since the conversation between the brothers on their way to the office was said by Mr. Bayne, who, in urging his scheme upon Ashton casually remarked,—"I want Nettie's husband to have a good income." This was enough, however, to send a rich crimson tint to Ashton Cooke's bronzed cheeks. and set his heart in a flutter of excitement. The interview having ended, Mr. Bayne said "come, let's go and see Net." No urging was needed, and the trio immediately started, Ashton thinking that his brother and Mr. Bayne were about the slowest walkers it had ever been his lot to meet. As they approached the house they saw the parlor lighted up and several persons moving about. Mr. Bayne growled: "A lot of those village gossips, I expect. Confound them, what did they come tonight for?" studying a moment, he turned to Ashton and said: "I tell you, Cooke, go right in and kiss your girl before them all. That will give them something to talk about, darn 'em." Ashton demurred, and suggested that the young lady might have some objections to so summary a proceeding, and Clarence suggested that his brother should go immediately to the sitting room, while he and Mr. Bayne would entertain the guests and send Nettie out. The suggestion was acted upon, and leaving Ashton in the sitting room, the other two went down to the parlor. After a brief consultation between Mr. Bayne and his niece, she excused herself for a while to her guests and disappeared. As to the interview that followed between her and Ashton Cooke, whether the old gentleman's suggestion was carried out or not, and all other matters concerning it, we leave those who have taken a part in similar interviews to imagine for themselves. Others will find out soon enough. Downstairs there was doubtless some disappointment that only two gentlemen appeared, but these two were in. Such a delightful good humor, and so entertaining, that but few of the company noticed how long Nettie was absent. When nearly an hour had elapsed and some were becoming restless, Mr. Bayne proposed cider, apples, and ginger cakes, which were the old gentleman's favorite refreshments for evening companies, and as he went to order them he tapped on the sitting room door and called "time's up." By the time the cider, etc., was brought in Nettie, rosy, happy, and radiantly beautiful had entered the room, accompanied by the handsome stranger, whom she introduced as Mr. Ashton, Cooke. The happy couple were of course "perfect" during the remainder of the evening but to "those who have eyes to see" real love is unnecessary as the sunshine, and even before the refreshments were disposed of most of those present had concluded that the reason why Clarence Cook did not marry Nettie Gaston, was that his brother Ashton, of whom they had never before heard, was about to perform that very pleasant duty, and inside of three months a brilliant wedding satisfied them that this was the true answer. Clarence's own wedding with Annie Thompson, which followed so shortly after, also convinced Bayneville that another reason why he did not marry Nettie was because he had no desire to do so, and at the same time showed the gossips that Miss Thompson was not so great a fool as they had thought her for accepting his attentions. The only question that was left to vex Bayneville about these young people was, what had kept Ashton and Nettie apart for so long a time. This mystery it will solve when it reads this story. Mr. and Mrs. Ashton Cooke live in Philadelphia and Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Cooke live in Bayneville while old Mr. Bayne holds his residence in Bayneville but alternates between the two homes. He is much mellowed in disposition but takes some pleasure yet in grumbling. All the young Cooks of both families appear to share equally his regard and all call him uncle. Chapman is faithfully working out his debt with a stout heart and clearing conscience, and all are happy, as all the characters ought to be at the end of a story. THE NEW AMENDMENT. SPEECH P SENATOR JOHN U. LAKSON IN THE DELAWARE STATE SENATE. Mr. Speaker, the resolutions now before us for discussion are against the adoption of the XV article of the Constitution of the United States, which reads as follows: "Article XV, Section 1. The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied. "Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." The first impressions felt by the resolution is abridged by the United States, previous condition of servitude." The second is a feeling of wonder and surprise. The body claiming to be almost wholly Democratic should institute such bitter opposition to a movement must essentially and truly democratic in its character. The singular phenomenon that a gentleman who has preceded me in his remarks (Mr. Paynter) has stated his intention of making no speech upon this occasion, for the reason that the whole question has been thoroughly discussed by more able counsel. I commonly agree with him in the main question, but there particularly pointed as respects the position of himself and his friends in the State of Delaware, that I do not allow this opportunity to slip by without referring to them. The constitutionality of the XV article will not be discussed, for the additional reason that we have the right to pronounce the measure a constitutional one, recommended to us as it is by a large majority of the Congress of the nation. The Supreme Court of the United States, not the Senate of the State of Delaware, is the proper body before which to bring its constitutionality to a final test. Neither will I attempt to attack the long-hasty phrases of the resolutions just introduced, in regard to State Rights and State Sovereignty. These form the stock in trade of our professed Democratic friends that it would be a pity they should be deprived of them. They are unable to see that their extreme views on these matters have been found wanting, after having been subjected to every test that the American people can bring to bear upon them, and lastly to the arbitrament of the sword. Let us, and allow another generation to pass before they will perceive that the nation has progressed beyond them. To come this, some arguments concern much of the importance of the proposed amendment to the proposed article. What are now your avowed doctrines regarding the right of suffrage? These are these: Suffrage, is not a political right, but a political privilege! It seems to me that the leaders of the so-called Democratic party should have allowed themselves to be driven to such a subterfuge as this—to put forth a doctrine containing the very essence of aristocracy. A political privilege, forsooth, to be fixed and allowed by a ruling class. Let this doctrine be carried out to all true democracy—all true republicanism. What stronger inducement can we have for the support of the amendment than this open avowal in our midst of views so plainly at war with the very genius of free institutions? It is death. The gentleman from the laugh when he quotes English and European authority to sustain his position that the right to vote is a privilege. I did not say that the right to vote natural right but I do say that it is a political right based upon the cornerstone laid by our fathers. The cornerstone is, that "Governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed." They, fathers, came to this country fleeing from the wrongs of that aristocratic class who considered the right to vote a political privilege. They came to found a country of equal rights and equal rights. privileges to all. Little methinks did they suppose the time would ever come when their degenerate sons, in the garb of democracy, would refer to the aristocracies of the old world, for authority to bolster up the cause of aristocratic democracy in America. I call it political sophistry, Mr. Speaker, when the gentleman argues that because may, by legislation, deprive minors or criminals of the right to vote, we may with equal propriety legislate for any other class. There is essential difference. All minorities, or nearly all, are represented by parents or other blood relations who exercise on their shoulders the rights of suffrage until the proper age arrives for themselves to exercise it, and the case with females is the same. But here permit say it matters not to me how soon the latter lay claim to and obtain for themselves the right. Not so however with the millions of the proposed to be enfranchised by this amendment. They are still in many places deprived of the protection which the exercise of suffrage will throw around them and are governed by an outside power without their voice or consent. So much weaker still is the gentleman's argument in regard to criminals that I scarce deem it worthy of notice. Do I understand him to assume that he may incarcerate a citizen for crime, he may imprison a Race, crime is proved but the Sussex makes the half and extends to race cause that therefore against which color of the skin? Mr. Speaker, I would vote most heartily for the adoption of the Fifteenth Article, and earnestly plead with the Democracy of Delaware to do the same, for more reasons than have been stated. This right of suffrage to the colored man is nothing in fact. That the Democracy of several States of this Union granted him this right in times past is an historical fact referred to so often that the gentleman says he is tired of hoping it—so also with the quotations from the writings of Thomas Jefferson, the in idoa or father of Democracy, and other great and good men. "Among men, who either pay or fight their country, no line of right can be drawn," says Jefferson. Well may he be tired of hearing arguments like these, for they are unanswerable in proving the degeneracy of Delaware Democracy. On the contrary, little can be said, little in favor of the voting of the negro, except cries of unreasoning prejudice and that inspired and fomented and aggravated for partisan purposes. The insensate and contemptible reiteration of "negro equality" answered its purpose and has been successfully used to corrupt the popular heart and smother the true instincts of Democratic feeling. Need I assert, on this occasion, that equality of political right does not mean either social, mental, moral, equality. Are those who cry out so confident so nearly bankrupt that they dread to grant fair justice to what they deem an inferior race? We, as Republicans, have been educated in and feel to a greater or less degree this prejudice against color, but we claim, also, to feel that sense of justice which leads us to conquer our prejudices and deal justly and fairly by the colored race, and every other race. We also claim political sagacity enough to see that no true and lasting peace can be had in our country on any other basis than that of equal political rights to all classes of color. I say to you, the colored man has the experiment. The experiment must be tried and woe to the country if the experiment fails. If it should in any event fail of success that party which so pertinaciously refuses to grant justice and fair dealing, and has worked so industriously to foment the prejudices of the masses, will be responsible for the troubles and bloodshed that will inevitably ensue. But, Mr. Speaker, I have only small misgivings in regard to the result, and here permit me to point out an invaluable remedy against all prospective difficulty. I solicit particular attention to the point now about to be made, for it is seldom introduced into political discussions. 