Riches have wings; or, A tale for the rich and poor

by T. S. Arthur

To sit idly down and live upon this little remnant of his fortune, until exhausted, was not to be thought of by Mr. Townsend. Something must be done, not only to gain the means of present subsistence, and keep the little stock undiminished, but also to add to it, and lay the basis of future wealth, after which Mr. Townsend resolved to strive. Some business must be entered into. But the recollection of former disasters filled his mind with doubt, and made him hesitate and ponder long and anxiously the way before him. At length, he opened a store as a commission merchant, thinking that the safest, and used his capital in advancing upon goods. This was the aspect of things without. At home, Eunice and Eveline were doing all in their power to smooth the asperities of the change that had taken place, and to make every thing conform to their father’s reduced means. This was their labor of love, and in the performance of it they had a sweet reward.

Still, they were not without their trials, and especially did the heart of Eveline often sink in her bosom. Strong as was the feeling of indignation with which she thought of her lover’s heartlessness, the wounds his base desertion of her occasioned, healed but slowly, and were often painful. Only a few of the many friends and companions of brighter days sought them out in their retirement; and these were not of those who had been most beloved; but they were better appreciated now, and truly loved.

Less than a year had passed, when Eunice said one day to her sister, when alone with her—

“I am afraid every thing is not going right with father. He is getting to be very silent, and looks troubled again.”

“I have noticed as much myself,” returned Eveline, a look of anxiety crossing her face. “What can it mean? I hope he has not lost in business the little capital he saved.”

“I trust not. But I have my fears. He was getting more and more cheerful every day, when, all at once, there came a change. I noticed it for the first time last week, when he came home one evening. Ever since then, he sits silent and seems anxious about something.”

The words of Eunice filled the mind of Eveline with alarm. The change in their circumstances had been very great. But, although in obscurity, and living with plainness and frugality, the means of living had still been at hand. If, however, another reverse should have met their father, and stripped from him the little remnant of his property, how were they to retain the comforts they still enjoyed? This thought chilled the heart of Eveline. A lower, yet still a firm step, she did not see.

“What is to become of us, if your fears are true?” she said, while her lips trembled and her eyes grew dim.

“Don’t let such a question find utterance in your thoughts, Evie,” replied Eunice. “We must not look downward in human despondency, but upward in spiritual trust. Let us not think of ourselves, nor of what will become of us. All will come out right in the end. Of that I have a deep assurance. We may be called upon to pass through severer trials, and to make greater sacrifices, but the strength to meet the one, and sustain the other, will be given. Evie, there are deeper places than any we have yet gone through, but there is a bottom and a shore to all. He who calls the soul to enter these dark and bitter waters, will not suffer it to be overwhelmed. Here rests my strong confidence, and here should rest yours, Evie.”

“Ah! sister,” said the now weeping girl, “these deeper waters you speak of, fill me with dismay. I tremble at the thought of entering them, and shrink back in fear.”