Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, January 08, 1874, Image 1
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VOL. SO. YORKVILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, J^lsTUA-RY 8, 1874. NO. 2.
JU (Drigiual
Written for the Yorkvillo Enquirer.
f DESTINY;
OR,
HOUNDED DOWN.
BY NELLY MARSHALL McAFKE.
CHAPTER V.
Almost midnight!
^ - ??'-l?* 1"*??> A nloifntl pnffnn
/I ui^ut"Jaujf7y tumiu ui n
wick in a saucer of oil, hurn9 with weak light
and strong odor, casting its dull ray on the
white face of the invalid, and upon her two
nodding friends, who, utterly worn out with
the excitement and sorrow and bodily fatigue
of the day, are locked fast in the arras of
Morpheus. The room-door was fastened with
a bobbin latch?nothing stronger?and every
other tenant slept profoundly. Suddenly, old
Mrs. Dinwiddie snored loudly, and the woman
on the landing outside, who seemed moulded
out of the crapy shadows of night, started
back in alarm.
"The devil seize them !" ejaculated Miriam
Halstead, (for it was she) full of impatient
wrathfulness, "would they were dead and out
of my way !" she added, clenching her hands
fiercely ; "I have taken divers add sundry
drinks, and yet I have not the courage to
complete the job ! These infernal boards
creak so!" she muttered, after a pause, and
a1 ?,l.t|l0 dnnr fjpn
II1WU 5U1 LI > UUVilliicu lunuui k.v uw.
tly she pulled the bobbin and the latch flew up
as silently. Accomplishing this much, she
stood listening for a few moments with her
head bent. Mrs. Dinwiddie was now snoring
loudly in downright earnest, and in a fainter
key Benna kept accompaniment. They were
fast asleep as the oldest church in Christendom.
Miriam now pushed open the door, only a j
little at a time, and finally put her head in
the open space and gazed about her. She j
P could see that the slumber of the watchers
was too deep to be easily disturbed. She i
thereupon drew a sharp butcher-knife from j
the pocket of her dress, and with this in her I
hand, she noiselessly advaneed, step by step.
It was well that the sleepers were quiet; for
had they stirred or wakened, this desperate
woman would have used her sharp knife for
a-rash and bloody purpose sic had not at first
contemplated. Nearer, yet nearer, she approached
the couch on which her dying sister
lay in feverish slumber. Every limb was
shaking as with palsy, for die trembled, lest
the dreamers should arouse and discover her,
and thwart her cruel errand
Presently she paused abriptly. The clock
in a house across the way chimed out the
hour of midnight, in clear, tickling sounds, that
made Miriam catch her breath iu dread. JLJut
the metallic strokes did not rouse the sleepers,
and Miriam proceeded t? perform her mission
without additional fearof peril or hindrance.
With ice-cold anc unsteady hand
t she used the knife, after suirlry gentle fritteriugs
of the wood about the ock, to prize it
back and open the top drawer of an old fashioned
chest of theirs, and tate from thence a
worn leathern pocket-book, jut of which, a
dozen times, she had seen oil Mrs. Diuwiddie
count her honest earnings.
She then retreated with 'ar hastier steps
than she had eutered. Theprize was secure
in her hand, and her wicked heart was beating
loudly in exultation. As she left the
room she stumbled over the bit of oil cloth
that lay untacked at the do?r. The noise of
her sudden and violent mo'ement wakened
the unconscious but good olc woman and her
grand-child at the same tine. They both
started to their feet with jxclamations of
* alarm, for the room was cora)letely dark, the
draught caused by the abrup. closing of the
^ door having extinguished thenight lamp that
did not, at best, afford much -elief.
"Mercy on me, Benna, I ha-e been asleep!"
said Mrs. Dinwiddie, in half-iwakened tones.
"So have I, granny, I do btlieve," answered
Benna, in a whisper.
"Did you hear any voice, clild ?"
"I thought I did, granny. What made the
light go out, I wonder? Do you reckon it
burned out, granny?"
"Where did you put the ligiters ?"
Benna was so dazed she coild not remember.
She tried to think, but gave it up. "I
^ don't know, granny ; somewheres about!"
Mrs. Dinwiddie groped abcut everywhere.
On the mantel?then on the table?then in
the press?but without success. She could
, not find the match-box anywhere. Finally
she grew impatient and gave up the search.
"I can't find 'em," she said ;"we must stay
* in the dark till day dawns."
"I don't much like that, granny," answered
Benna, with a shudder. "It isn't pleasant to
be in the dark with a poor sick body near us
A1 1 Minnfa T'm nil r\f* 41
ill til may \winu uu> iuiuhk. j. v.
shiver like."
Mrs. Dinwiddie groped her way to th?>
couch and touched the sick girl, then returned
to her grand-daughter?
"The poor critter's too much eat up with
fever to want anything. Daylight'll soon be
here ; so don't let us bother about it, but wait
patiently as we can !"
So saying, the good old woman seated herself,
and putting an arm about Beuna's plump
shoulders, they soon fell fast asleep again.
Meanwhile Miriam Halstead had stealthily
stolen from the house and secreted herself behind
a pile of wood under a shed, and there
stretching herself at full length, she soon became
unconscious of the world around her.
f The beams of the morning sun rested upon
the face of good Mrs. Dinwiddie and her no
less worthy grand-daughter, when they next
opened their eyes. They wakened, by vital
sympathy, at the self-same instant, and together
stared about them. They did not
speak; the power of speech seemed lost to
thorn. Benna clung to her grand-mother, and
she, in turn, clung to her, while thus voiceless
and with loudly beating hearts, they gazed
first upon the fever-flushed face of the sleeper,
and then upon the open drawer of the chest.
"O, Lord!" Benna at last gasped forth, as
she pointed with a trembling fiuger to the
forced lock and the whitlings on the floor,
"we've been robbed 1 That horrid Miriam
Halstead did it, I know?yes, I just know
it?and what will we have now to take care
of poor Miss Lide with ? I put our last five|
* cent piece iu the pocket-book yesterday for
safe-keeping." And she sobbed bitterly,
hiding her face.
"Wretch !" muttered Mrs. Dinwiddie, in ex
ecration. "Well, daughter, its done and it '
can't be undone. We must not break our
word to the poor thing there, although we
have lost our money. She mustn't suffer because
that horrid creature robbed us. I
couldn't help fullin' to sleep?no more could
I you !"
"I know all that, granny?but I blame myself
for it?all the same?"
"Blaimin'yerself, or me either, won't bring
the money back, daughter?"
"I know that, granny," she replied, sobbing j
i louder than before ; "but Oh ! if I had wicked j
Miriam Halstead by the throat!" she cried '
out suddenly and fiercely. "Let her keep
J away from me! Let her keep away?or !
'twill be the worse for her! I never did any
body a harm in my life, but I feel that I could
murder her if I met her this morning!"
" 'Vengeance is minesaith the Lord,"' quoted
the humble and pious old workwoman, and j
, with meekness and no sign of anger, she went
to the chest to discover the reality of her loss, J
while Renna drew the curtain folds so as to
shut away the sunlight from Lide's sweet face.
CHAPTER VI.
"You can't see her ! My mistress is a lady, j
j and on no account receives such as you. Get1
' you gone from whence you came ; you can't
! see her! She never allows herself to be both|
ered with the likes o' you !" said one -of the j
i servauts of the McDonald house, in answer !
to an inquiry made by Miriam Halstead.
"I must see her! Not the elder lady, but |
: the younger?the beautiful one, with eyes like i
stars," said Miriam, persistently,
j "Can't do it," responded the servaut, in his
most nonchalant tones ; "young anil oeauti-1
ful ladies, with eyes like stars, never have
anything to say to the likes o' you !" And so
i saying, the waiter marched away with head
' erect aud an air of general pomposity, and
; was soon lost to Miriam's view, down the :
j length of the high aud spacious hall.
"Curse my luck !" said Miriam, between her i.
j clenched teeth. "If I should be baulked af- j j
ter all!" And she turned reluctantly away j,
and descended the broad stone steps, and
thence wandered down through the flowery ,
terraces of the garden. Reaching the last of!
these, she paused to consider what course was |
best to pursue in order to secure success.
How could she obtain an interview with the |
beautiful lady who had expressed a desire to ',
give a large sura of money for her sister's services,
for the mere sake of her beauty, which
was such an admirable foil to her own bril-1
liaut and exquisite loveliness?
As she stood thus in her sin and darkness? :
like a blot unon the fresh beauty of that gar- j ,
den of blossoms?with her head bent in an ' '
attitude of dejection and reverie, she heard a I
voice close beside her?just an osage orange ,"
hedge in full bloom dividing her from the !
speaker. The accents were those of the very j j
lady she desired to see ! Fate was aiding and i j
abetting her in her sin. The ladies?for there :
were two of them?had evidently been enjoy-' j
iug a morning ramble through the parterres of i t
flowers, and Gertrude was chattering gaily, (
talking of her husband. n
. . . A
"Oh! mother-in-law," she said, "I will be
ioo happy when I see him again ! I am I
wretched when he is away from me ! And I I j
never will consent to be separated from him j
again, even for a week ! No, I will never? '
never leave him agaiu !" J j
"Not even to take another trip to Paris and : ^
be the belle of the season ?" questioned Mrs. t
McDonald, senior, with a sneer.
At this instant, Miriam Halstead, who had
skirted the hedge, stepped into view and stood !
bowing to Gertrude McDonald.
"Madam, may I crave a few words with 1
you, in private ?" I
"Fn nrivate ?" echoed Gertrude, in decided ! ]
astonishment. , t
"What is it ?" queried the mother-in-law, ; a
adjusting her golden-rimmed eye-glasses and | s
scrutinizing the wretched creature from head i g
to foot. "Pooh, daughter, she is a lazy ;
tramp," and she turned 011 her heel in su- I r
preme contempt. "Give her a piece of silver, 1
my dear child, and send her about her busi- ; e
ness," she added, as she left the terrace. : c
"Indeed, madam, I have something impor- c
tant to say to you!" cried Miriam, hurriedly e
retaining Gertrude. "Only hear me!" c
"Somethingimportant?" repeated Gertrude. , a
"I cannot stop to hear you this morning. I t
have an engagement; I am sorry?very sorry, i
indeed?but I cannot?" ; v
"Only one word, madam ; I entreat it!" g
interrupted Miriam, eagerly, but in a subdued a
voice. "Pray forgive me, if I hardly know a
how .0 put my question. I never talked to so '\
grand and beautiful a lady before?and it; t
dazes me like?" |a
Tin lady flushed to her lips. f
"We will dispense with compliments, my t
good voman ; state what you wish." ! s
"Al l l?.v, T T ot ! f
vi iiiauaiU) x cauuvi uuiv? xiv/v j v
me see you in private!" pleaded Miriam. v
"In private? I don't understand you. h
Speak here, now."
| "I ciunot speak here as I wish," answered v
Mirian, in a husky voice; "it is of my sick j d
j sister?and here the sun glares so, and it is a
I so warn." t
"I an sorry she is ill, I?I?" said Gcr- , n
, trude, sirinking away at the thought of the g
excitensnt of the evening previous. , (
"Oul; let me follow you to your private a
' room atd I will then explain all. Show this v
| pity on ne?011 us !" ; n
"Gertude !" cried the harsh, resonant voice s
j of old Ms. McDonald, "in the name of good- j ii
I ness, whit detains you in that sun ? Come s
i out of it You will tan horribly! And do c
j dismiss hat creature. She is disgusting, n
even to lok at." I ti
She hal hardly ceased speaking, when the j a
j loiterer a.d her attendaut appeared in full j li
! view, Mitam cursing the old lady in her in- h
most heat as they approached her. e
"Follov me," said Gertrude to the woman, ^
: scarcely cmscious of her own speech. And
! she ran up the steps with Miriam close after
I her.
Mrs. Mc)onald, senior,stared in open-eyed b
i astonishmeit at seeingGertrudethus attended. j I
j "Why di you bring that wretched creature v\
1 to the hous ? What in mercy's name can ! tl
1 she want?"3he asked, regarding Miriam all j ri
J the while wth her large, cold, gray eyes. "I; n
i don't like hr looks. I'll wager you would I ei
i not find agfcaterthiefifyou searched through ft
Five Points?or in the Toombs !" j a
i "Hush, nother-in-law ! She wants to speak j si
j to me." ancvered Gertrude, hurrying along ei
, the hall, ad thence up a wide, carpeted stair- 1
case, untikhe came to the door of her hand- w
some and asty boudoir. g
??i????
"Are you crazy, Gertrude?" demanded'
Mrs. McDonald, entering the apartment immediately
after them ; for she was nervous,
seeing her thus attended.
"Mother-in-law," whispered Gertrude, in
the dull ear of the matron, "she wants to tell I
1
me something?something about her sick sister
!"
"Eh ?"
"Please, he quiet!"
Miriam uow shut the door in a hesitating
way, the lynx-eyes of the old lady on her all I
the while, and then without uttering a word, j
cast herself at Gertrude's feet, and hid her
face in her hands.
The two ladies simultaneously cried out in j
amazement, and Gertrude turned pale and
looked frightened.
"I thoughtyou had something to say ?" said I
old Mrs. McDonald.
"A limit vmir clctnr " cnid Gm-trndn flndincr
j""* , 0
voice. "Is she dead ?"
"She is dying," moaned Miriuni, in a choked i
and trembling voice.
"Poor creature ! And so lovely, too!" said .
Gertrude, sorrowfully.
"She is dying?of want?starvation weak-!
ened her?and then brain fever set in, and j
she will die of want. No doctor will nurse !
her free of charge," murmured Miriam.
"What is it you want me to do? What
can I do ?" asked Gertrude.
"You can save her, if you will. The doc-j
tor came last night and said what she wanted |
was care and attention and medicine, and a j
good bed and better lodgings; but that all j
these things required money to get them, 'and :
the doctor as well,' he added, and then went!
away."
"Cruel!" cried Gertrude. "How much
money do you wish ?"
"Enough to move her to a decent lodging-'
house and make her comfortable, where, may ;
be, you, kind lady, will go to see her; and |
when she comes round, she will come to live I
I
with you and pay you back. All last night, i
in her delirium, she raved about the beautiful ,
lady with eyes like stars. Oh ! madam, pity
and help us!"
"Certainly, I will ; how much do you
want?"
"You spoke last night of giving her two j
hundred dollars to live with you. If you I
jould let us have it in advance she will pay it j
kn ftlr iiknil olio ooiiioo r/llinrl T.pss llinn t.llflt. i
would hardly fix her up."
"That is too much money. The idea is
ibsurd," said Mrs. McDonald, senior, in an
abrupt tone.
"I heard the lady say she'd give that, and j
jven if Lide hadn't fell sick, she would have |
jeen compelled to ask for money in advance
-o get some decent clothes before she came in j.
four presence."
"That is all true," answered Gertrude, with !
jeutle thoughfulness. "I think, mother-in-1
aw, I'd better give her the money?least thy j
jread on the waters'?and all that, you know." I
"Well, well, child, I see you've set your ;
ipnrt nn it nnrl np.rhans it. micdit as well f*0 !
V w.. .w , J O O ,
hat way as in bonbons, ribbons and laces.;
)nly decide?and let this creature go," said
ilrs. McDonald, senior, "I am dying l'or my
ihocolate." And with that she left the room. 11
After the lapse of a few more moments, ;'
diriam Halstead quitted the grand old house :
vith four fifty-dollar notes in her possession, j <
She did not go toward the tenement build- i
ng ; but gaining the high road, struck out '
"or the country, crying with inward exulta-; <
ion, "Now for a great city and gold !"
i i
CHAPTER VII. ! ^
Irvinjr McDonald was decidedly one of the ,
landsomest men in the State of Tennessee, i |
ie was tall and proportioned magnificently. I ]
-lis features were finely cut and brown as i,
ironze, almost, while his eyes?large, lustrous I,
md dark, with wonderful magnetic power? ',
ubdued and controlled all upon whom his , :
;a/,c fell. j ]
People said his ancestors were Italians; but i .
lothing was known about him positively, for j
lis hauteur and supreme dignity deterred ev- 1 |
xybody from daring to touch on the subject j
if his birth-place, of his belonging, or his an- ;
cstors. He appeared to be in possession of:,
normous wealth, and his mode of living was j .
me of great splendor and elegance, while the . (
.ristocracy of the whole country paid court ,
o his magnificence. j
He gave superb banquets sometimes, at!.
vhich his guests were regaled from off solid ,
;olden dishes, and the choicest wines?amber , (
nd ruby, golden and purple?fiowed as freely j
.3 water. He was a patron of the fine arts, j j
rhe enormous sums he paid for pictures at- j
ested to this; and the statues and landscapes,; |
nd still-life renditions of game and fruits and 1 j
lowers, and fairy forms and lovely heads, after I
he first masters, that filled his studio, proved it i
till further. But more than all, it was no- j \
iced that the poor and the needy never asked i I
without receiving?not only aid and money? t
lit consolation ! j i
Yet, in spite of all this, Irving McDonald ]
. as a mysterious man ; and nothing that he ! s
lid, could divest him of that air of secrecy <
nd profoundness he always wore. Some-1.
imes he would disappear for weeks, or even (
lontliSj and no one could tell whence he had j
one or from whence he would return. Even : \
Jertrude, his young and beautiful wife, was y
s ignorant as the rest of the wondering (
rorld. She sometimes asked herself why he t
ever invited her to accompany him. But' y
he usually took no note of his going or com-1 1
ng, because he gratified her every wish and ]
urrounded her always with gay and agreeable t
otnpany; and no matter if, in his absence, she ' .|
mde a thousand mental resolutions to ques- f
ion him about his mysterious movements, just r
s soon as she had met his tender glance, or };
stened to his loving voice, her resolve would r
ave been forgotten ; and so it was that neith- j c
r query nor explanation passed between them, j f
lowever, .ill was loving connaeuce ana anec- e
onate attention, and they were accounted c
:ie happiest pair in existence. ! p
There was another thing that was noticea- , v
le when Irving McDonald entertained guests. s
Jnder his hospitable roof the gaming tables j
ere spread out, and thousands and tens of a
lousands were lost. Irving played more f<
2cklessly than any one else. The piles of t1
loney that he alternately lost and won seem- a
J no more than vile dross to him ; for his b
latures never lost their supreme repose for ; h
n iustaut, and the hand never trembled that w
vept the money from him, nor did it show n
igerness when drawing it into his own coffers, ii
Gertrude would entertain, on these occasions,: r;
ith her husband, and she was so naturally \s
raceful, so extremely cheerful in her temper, I d
so gay of heart, and loved her husband with j 1
such a naive and charming abandon of idola- 1
try, that it was delightful to enter her pres- <
euce; and her beautyjaud ease attracted many s
guests coequal with his gorgeous banquets. <
This gaming and dicing nevcrseemed wrong , t
to Gertrude. The poor girl had a mother i
whose chic fast thoughts were of her "nerves" 1
and "the fashions," and, therefore, she neither <
knew nor thought of morality or principle he- t
ing involved. This mother was the wife of a (
cnptain in the regular army, and besides the t
widow's pension, which the government annu- j
ally paid her, she was utterly unprovided for, , J
and almost friendless. 11
Irving McDonald, a short time previous to
her death, had rescued her and her lovely
daughter, Gertrude, from the crumbling, t
flame-devoured walls of the Richmond thea-:
tre, and at her death received in trust the or-: ?
phan girl. ''
"Watch over Gertrude; be kind to my j 1
beautiful child!" murmured the dying mother, j
Irving was very moch affected by the ap- j ?
peal, and fervently answered her? {
"I will devote my whole life to her happi- t
ness. I will make her my wife if she will
consent," lie added, with increasing fervor. i
The expiring woman took his hand and t
carried it to her lips, and her sad eyes beamed j
with gratitude no words could ever have ex-1 i
pressed. j '
"God bless you ! God bless you both !"
she said in a voice almost inaudible from 1
weakness. The day after that she closed her 1
eyes, as if wooing sleep to restore her to health, c
since peace \*as in her heart, and never t
opened them in life again. \
A few weeks subsequent to her demise, Ir- s
ving McDonald took Gertrude Fairleigh for "
his wife, and thereby made her not only the I (
happiest woman in all America, but mistress a
of the finest house in Boston, of another in s
New York, and of a superb residence in Ten- s
nessee. 1:
There was only one shadow on Gertrude's t
life. She detested iier mother-in-law, and it' d
was not to be wondered at; for Gertrude j
Fairleigh was .1 "thorough-bred" Marylandcr, f
although poor, and Mrs. McDonald, senior, 1
had something indescribably repulsive about j c
her. She was cold, suspicious, mercenary and j 1
exacting. Gertrude had brought no dowry j
to her husband, except her youth and her j t
beauty; and this fact was the incentive for li
many a discursive theme from the old lady on
Irving's wealth, and the folly of throwing it v
away on a penniless girl. h
Had it not been that Gertrude loved Irving v
with all the passionate ardor of her nature, b
and trusted him and believed in him as the v
truest and most perfect of mankind, their conjugal
relations would have been unhappily h
restless and doubtful, and she would have v
been, consequently, wretched ; wretched, be- u
cause Irving was everything in the world but si
a perfect being, and could not, under any circumstances,
have abided peaceably with a wife a
who exhibited the least imperious spirit.
Sometimes he would be subject to moodi- h
ness that amounted to a mania with him. At g
times like these he would lock himself up in d
his private apartment, and none?not even
Gertrude?would dare to approach him.
This demeanor cast a gloom over all the
household, for everything was silent as if the
dead inhabited the mansion. Servauts trod j.
the halls noiselessly and talked in whispers;
the bells were muffled ; and evendhc'dogs were
confined in their kennels, lest an untoward
bark should disturb the master of the domain, ^
Gertrude remained in Ircr roogi, Mrs. Mc- r
Donald, senior, in hers, and never a guest
was allowed to step across the door-sill. All a
this care and anxiety was shown because Ger- ^
trude, once, deeming it the best plan not to
notice these "fits" of his, ordered that every- .
thing should go on just as usual, and not a "J*
shadow of notice be taken of his mood; but
. II
the merry sounds of a happy house-hold jar- ^
red on his excited and teusioned nerves, and
lie came out among them in the most violent j
md uncalled-for rage, making every-body ^
fly from him, right and left, as if lie was a t(
furious and enraged tiger escaped from a cage. ^
After that time, Gertrude never allowed a .
sound to break with ajar upon his utter mel- ^
mcholy. In return for this, Irving McDou- ^
xld was all the tenderer to her when he re
J i ? i/* i 1.1 i_i? i ! ?
jovereu nunseir, auu wouiu luku ner uveiySI
ivhere she even fancied she would enjoy visit- ^
ng. One week they would be in Boston;
mother in New York ; another in Baltimore ; ^
i day or two ufter that they would be in Chi- g
lago ; in a week in New Orleans ; soon after
n San Francisco or Paris, or London, or Naples,
or Charleston ; and they would travel as !
fthcy had wings. Then would they come j
ionic, with feasting, dancing, gaming and : ^
est. .
Gertrude never questioned her husband 111
ibout these strange freaks. She knew that it ?'
vas best to take everything in her life with : 11
lim just as it came, and to care for nothing ei
hat did not explain itself. She liked variety '1!
tnd beautiful robes and jewels and laces; she ,
iked elegant turnouts, and gracious people ;1 cc
ihe liked fine houses and all the nppurtenan- \
:es that wealth and luxury bring about them ;} P'
md the traveling from city to city, from j
lountry to country, suited her to admiration. j
After Irving's stay in Boston, he joined his j se
vifc at Bristol, some weeks later, and brought ''1
vith him a half dozen gay friends. Pie met!
jertrude with every demonstration of affec- th
ion. She noticed that he was paler than it. cc
vas his wont to be; but his gay manners and of
lis light laughter reassured her anxious heart, al
t was his keen-eyed mother who took note at
' ? - - 1-11 1 -.:?xl.1 '
hat Ins laughter was noiiow auu miruuess,
liuI that though talking with ease, it was af- is)
ected, and that his words smothered sighs. A | th
nother's eyes are never blinded ; a mother'3 H
icart is never duped. But Gertrude saw hs
mthing. After her first momentary suspi- ar
ion, she had not a doubt. Her mind was so pr
ull of all that had happened since they part- tei
d, and she had so many things to communi- -sa
ate to him about their new home and the th
leople about them, in which she felt sure he ba
r-ould be as much interested as she was her-' go
elf. ' | pa
She danced round him in all the exuber- i
nee of youth and health, and displayed her as
sminine grace to perfection, exclaiming all G<
lie while, "0, Irving, I've such a surprise? 1 roi
lovely girl! 0, ten times prettier than any bo
ody either your eyes or mine ever before be- j thi
eld ! Behold !" And with that, the fair ! tin
roman stood still, struck an attitude and j
odded her head toward a deep bay-window tin
i the study, where Lide reclined on a luxu- be
ious crimson satin divan, the reflection of j
rhich threw the faintest tint of the rose in her ni(
elicate cheeks. Iler golden hair was uu-1 ev<
bound and flowed about her like billows of
light. The lashes drooped low over her violet
iyes; a half smile was on her parted lips; one
iuowy hand supported her cheek amid the
jushion; the other, with its beautiful arm,
vas half hidden in the folds of a white mull
nuslin wrapper, girdled at the waist with the
nost delicately tinted amber silken sash of
Canton crope. Irving McDonald followed
;hc direction of Gertrude's shapely finger, and
jpened hiseye3 in such astonished admiration
.hat she laughed merrily.
"Who is she? Who is shet Where did
fou find her?" he asked, when he found his
yoicc again.
"What do you think of her?" she rejoined.
"I think she is peerless!" he answered ; "I
im almost dumb with admiration !"
"So was I!" echoed Gertrude, an cxpreslion
of delight spreading over her fair face.
'0, I think she is the very loveliest creature
[ have ever seen !"
ISIrs. McDonald, senior, who was present,
it the time, laughed and rubbed her hands together
with an air of the greatest amusement
ind satisfaction.
"Aha! Did I not tell you your husband
ivould sextuple the wages?" she cried, exult-1
mtly ; "two hundred dollars, indeed !"
" 'Two hundred dollars, indeed,'" said Ir- j
ring, turning to Gertrude for explanation ; i
'what does my mother mean ?"
Gertrude blushed intensely and pouted a |
ittle; but seeing that she had nothing to do
nit avow the entire truth, she did so as suc:inctly
as possible. And Irving became acjuainted
with the whole story herein written,
vith the addition that the sister, Miriam Ilaltead,
had fled, with the two hundred dollars,
'to parts unknown," and in deep sympathy
Gertrude caused Lide to be moved to her house,
is soon as the fever had passed, and that now,
ince she had proper attention and comforts,
be was convalescing rapidly ; that she found
ter intelligeht, educated and charming, as j
pell as beautiful, and that she loved her
learly.
"And you will'let me keep her here, Irving,
or a companion ? You will love her too.
Ind she will be such an acquisition to our
:ircle ! Tell Ifie that you will," she entreated,
ooking up into his face.
He listened to her with grave patience unil
she had concluded her explanation ; then
ic said, patting her cheek tenderly?
"When a man undertakes to shut from his
pife all that makes her happy and brightens
ler life, he is a fool. Keep the girl if you
pish, Gertrude, if she is willing to stay ; but
ie careful that she is a proper person to reside
pith you and to be loved by you."
"I declare to you, Irving, she is perfectly
Dvely, and good as can be. Old Mrs. Dinpiddie,
the woman who nursed her when she
pas sick, says she's perfect, afid even Sadie
ays she's an angel!"
"So be it," said Irving McDonald, briefly,
s he turned away.
Gertrude looked triumphant, and the old
idy, while she watched her, had a horrible
rimace on her face, and shrugged her shoulers
like a French woman.
CHAPTER VIII.
There had been a half dozen days and
ights of banqueting and gaming. Irving Mc)onald,
a9 usual, played high and honestly,
nd lost immense sums of money. ' The night
f which we take note, surpassed, in splendor
nd munificence, all that had preceded it.
ivery distinguished man and woman for fifty
liles around Bristol had been invited.
There was music and dancing, and wine
nd gaming; splendid men and fair women ;
nd twinkling feet were going here, there and
verywhere. Such an array of sparkling
iwels and emeralds, rubies and pearls, neckices,
tiaras and bracelets, rich laces, shimlcriug
robes and beautiful faces, had never
een seen in that State.
In the depths'of Gertrude's heart doubt
ad been growing like miserable fungii, day
y day. Her mother-in-law was full of mys;rious
nods and hints, and she had gradually
11..1 n ...l i. e i
iiuu \jruru uue wiwi vague suspiuiuua ui uei
usband, until the young wife began to notice,
ith pain, that his treatment toward her was
ecoming noticeable for coldness and neglect
lone. And yet only a few weeks had passed
uce he was more like a lover than a husand.
What had wrought the change? This
imptuously splendid feasting was plunging i
im into a sea of the wildest extravagance,
he felt confident of it, and it was becoming j
source of sorrow and alarm to her.
He lived in a style of luxury and boundss
prodigality, which could not have been
ccelled had lie been emperor of the world,
ut, apparently, his wealth did not diminish
i the slightest degree. He still scattered his
)ld in profusion, like the constant flow of a
ver whose source never dries. Everybody '<
ivied the man the possession of his inex- 1
lustible riches, for they procured him all
fe's delights, the chiefest of which was exissive
gaining. This habit appeared to afrd
him the greatest pleasure, and yet his 1
jrse was ever open, paying his losses?and :
3 almost always lost. Consequently, his sans
were always crowded. It absolutely
emed to afford him as much, and more de- i
jht to lose, than it did to win. ;
Among the many who thronged around '
ie tables in the McDonald mansion, was a 1
irtain Colonel Vaughn i<essenden, a retired |
ficerofthe regular array. He had lived 1
most all the years of his life on the frontiers; 1
id now that lie had taken position on the 1
tired list, lie carried with him into the pol- i
bed and refined circles of modern society,all i
e brusquerie and crudeness of army life, t
e was a rough old soldier, whose features (
id been beaten by the winds of sixty winters, > t
id wore always a sullen and haughty exessiou.
To this man Irving McDonald Io3t I
rribly large sums of mouey. Indeed, it was j t
id that McDonald frequently would throw!!
e game in Fessenden's hands and count out j i
.nk bill after bank bill, and gold piece after j
Id piece, seeming to feel infinite relief in J "
rting from his money. j 1
"What is the matter with you, Gertrude?" j t
ked old Mrs. McDonald, one day, when she, i
3rtrude and Lide, all sat together in the . k
om of the latter person, who had become a j h
usehold favorite, and whose position among o
em belied the mother-in-law's prophecy and I
e infamous sister's hopes. j tl
"Why do you sigh so deeply?" persisted f<
e importuuate questioner, who would not
deceived. w
Gertrude's sweet face bore traces of intense \
ratal anxiety and disturbance; but what- st
er annoyed her, she exhibited no inclination tl
' to entrust her troubles to a third party, for | f
I her only reply was a shake of her head. Cer- j i'
tainly, if she should, at any time, choose a j
confidante, that preference would never fall, s
upon her mother-in-law. She did not possess1
; her affection and regard?much less her con- a
fidence?and it would never be into Injr in-1
? oKa fwrvnlrl rtAil r tliA QAfPAW- 1
(jtioitivu cai mat one nv/uiu |<uui ?v..w? ,
j ing complaint of her overburdened and un-1 1
; happy heart. i1
j "0, he! I understand. You decline to 11
tell!" said the old lady, vcxatiously.
i "Tell? What have I to tell that all the I ^
; wide world may not know, too?" said Ger-: ^
trude, imperiously.
"Much! much! you poor young thing! ia
You can't deceive my eyes. They see every j 3
thing. Poor thing! Poor thing!" And she j a
donned her spectacles to mark more surely |
the ravages a nameless sorrow had made upon 1 s
| the fresh and exquisite loveliness of her daugh- j ^
; ter-in-law's face. j 3
| "I would be obliged if you would spare me ! f
j the infliction of your pity. I have no demand ^
for it," said Gertrude, flushed and indignant.
The old lady shrugged her shoulders?and
looked condoling, despite her daughter's ob- 3
jection. ^
"Why should you call me a 'poor thing,' 3
t _t?1,1 in? i ...i? u v
X SI1UUIU 11 Kt LU M1U1V) WIICU 11 is a ncu xviiuvv u
fact that Irving's wealth is like the sands of
the sea ?"
"It was only a mode of expression, dear
child, and not uttered in a financial sense."
"It could have no other meaning for me." (
"There were never two people who thought *
exactly alike on the same subject, my dear !" a
After this there was a silence for some moments,
during which cessation of hostilities, ^
Mrs. McDonald, senior, examined the hand- r
some rings upon her large, shapely white s
hands, while her daughter-in-law sat pale aud tl
stern, staring directly in her placid face.
Finally, seeing that her mother intended to
maintain her quiescent state for an hour to n
come, she demauded with evident effort? ']
"Who is Mrs. Vaughn Fessenden ?" r
"The consort of Colonel Vaughn Fessen- 31
den, of the regular army, I conclude," an- '
swered the old lady, with a smile like a death's ^
henA ?
"Of course ; everybody knows that much C
as well as you do," rejoiued Gertrude, knit- \
ting her brow into an angry frown ; "what I e
want to know?is?who was she before she il
became Mrs. Vaughn Fessenden?'consort of ^
Colonel Vaughn Fessenden, of the regular y
army ?' " and she concluded her sentence with Q
a sneering and scornful emphasis. ci
"Oh! ah! yes?to be sure?I understand F
you now. Well, her name was Cecelia liar- lJ
wood." ^
"Cecelia Harwood ! And did she and Ir
ri
ving know each other before they married?" jt
"Yes?very well?indeed ; they were very tl
intimate." w
"Intimate ! Do you mean that they were ^
devoted ?" ^
"Yes." ri
r<
"Were they lovers? Is that your opin- ?
ion ?" T
"Well, really, now, that is a queer ques- V
tion." F
"Queer or otherwise, I would be obliged for ^
an answer! I want it?now!"
"Well, I used to fancy they would make a
match some day ; but you see I was mistaken,"
admitted the old lady. E
"I knew it; I felt it!" inwardly moaned the E
ifAim ? ti?? fn Unf nU a noan rv?A/1 nn Allium H/l /I Q. ^
j nnu | uuii cue aoouiiicu au uutuaiu
gree of calmness and said nonchalantly? (
"She is beautiful, I think." j;
"Beautiful!" I should say so! Far too cl
beautiful to be the wife of that old brute of a e<
Fesseuden. Goodness! I have seen dozens of "
men wild about her. She was worshipped. a
See her now?bright and lovely as a girl in J
her first season ; and yet she has been yoked c]
to that disgusting old churl for six years! It s\
would have killed me ; but it has not dimmed b
even the fire in her eyes. Did you ever see tc
such eyes ! They outshine the very stars of ^
heaven!" ?
"You, too, love her ?" questioned Gertrude. a]
"No, I love no one, except Irving!"
"But he and she were lovers, you say ?" a
Gertrude's voice was scarcely audible. in
"No, I did not say so!" sc
"But you gave me the right to draw the al
inference, did you not, mother-in-law ?"
The old lady laughed maliciously.
"Are you jealous, that you ask so many 0j
questions about Mrs. Vaugh Fessenden ?" a
"Jealous! /jealous?" se
" Yes; every wife?every woman who loves? P'
may be so. It is innate in all of the sex !" a'
"Perhaps you are right; but I am not jeal- ta
ous. She and Irvine: are both married, and nf
I believe them to be honorable in heart and w
deed." w
"Fudge! You talk like a little nun, in- P1
stead of a woman who knows society as thor- *
oughly as you ought to know it, considering
the time you've been in it." so
Old Mrs. McDonald sneered out these
words in accents of the most evil meaning.
Gertrude looked at her with a shocked and ci]
frightened expression on her sweet face, and
then, suddenly bridling up, she said?
"My husband is an honorable geutleman, ^i
madam, and were he the degraded creature he
you insinuate he is, his mother should be the T1
last being on earth to divulge his error to his m'
loving, trusting wife."
She said all this, not because the conviction | qc
ivas in her own soul that she had asserted the ; ye
truth ; but because she was trying to compel j Yi
lcrself to think so, despite all his late cold- i
less and indifference toward her; and despite,! or
ilso, the ardent devotion of speech, and ges;ure
and glance which he constantly lavished yQ
m Mrs. Vaughn Fesseuden, when they were
ogether. B>
"An honorable man!" exclaimed the elder lor
Mrs. McDonald ; "you have pinned your faith t0
o a phantom if you believe any man to be ?f.
lonorable, where his heart is dishonorably
nvolved in au amour." j a]j
Gertrude dropped her face in her hands. | hj3
'0, mother-in-law!" she cried out, excited- or
y, "would you have me believe that my hus and
is perfidousand base ?"
"I am fifty-five years old, Gertrude, and I ?eij
:now much of the world. Men I know by j ^
ieart. My son, Irving, may be better than ' 4u
ther men; but I don't believe he is J"
"It is cruel in you to try to convince me '
bat he is treacherous, even if you speak truly, [ mo
jr I am his wife !" j '
"If you were not, it is not likely that I i
rould discuss the matter with you at all. | jj('
rou thought Irving perfect, and a doubt has jne
;olen into your heart, and cast a shadow over Sfti(
ie Eden of your love. It makes you unhap- ing
>y ; you show it, and I would undeceive you
itterly."
"You are his mother? 0, God! and you
ay all this to me ?"
"I do! and I would say more, if you will
,llow me."
"Continue ; I am listening."
"Do not grieve about your husband. Men
ove bright and smiling faces. Swallow your
ears, if they choke you. Do not watch him ;
nen despise espionage; let him go his way.
'fever cast an objection to obstruct him.
dark me, you will be happier. Be blind; be
lumb; be deaf; and if Irving will love 3lrs.
Vaughn Fessenden, you should find some ay
,nd agreeable gallant also, and amuse yourelf
with him. It 13 a modern fashion?
nd?"
"Hush! mother-in-law, hush; for God's
ake, or you will drive me mad," interrupted
lertrude, shudderingly, and with an expresion
of horror and consternation upon her
tale and agonized face, and in her great, wide,
lark eyes.
"You aro horrified !" laughod the old lady ;
I have wounded your refined Southern senibilities,
haven't I ? A second thought would
inve made me silent. I beg your pardon !"
he continued with mock humility, and then
/cut away to take her afternoon siesta, care?
ess of the wounded heart she left behind her.[to
be continued next week.]
Ax Anecdote of Harrison.?Colonel
lhumbers, of Kentucky, an intimate personal
riend, who had served on the staff of Gener1
Harrison in one of his campaigns against
he Indians, was under an engagement of
Darriage with the widow of his son. Chamers
accompanied him to Washington, at hi3
equest, aud the arrangement was that he
hould have the appointment of Register of
he Treasury, and after the marriage he was
0 reside at the White House, Mrs. Chambers
3 be the presiding lady of the executive manion.
She was an accomplished, elegant wolan,
greatly caressed in Washington society,
'he finished gentlemen by whom she was surounded
at the seat of government, contrasted
3 strikingly with her Kentucky lover, who
ras a plain man, of brusque manners, that
be finally declined to fulfill her engagement,
leneral Harrison was much concerned at this
nfortunate contretehips, and perceiving that
Jhambers would be uncomfortably placed in
Vashington, offered him any appointment
Isewhere that he might select. The unlucky
jitor asked for the office of Governor of the
'erritory of Iowa. The place was assured
im as a matter of course. Meantime Mr.
Vebster had promised the office to his friend
reneral Wilson, of New Hampshire. At a
abinet meeting Mr. Webster informed tho
'resident that it had been decided by thegeueraen
of the cabinet that James Wilson
lould be Governor of Iowa. ''Ah ! that is
le decision, then, is it?" said General Ilarison.
The gentlemen of the cabinet replied
1 the affirmative. Without making any furler
remark, the old gentleman wrote a few
ords upon a piece of paper and handed it to
Ir. Webster, requesting him to read it aloud.
'he Secretary of State looked a little erabarlssed,
but there was no alternative, and he
aad, in an audible voice, "William Henry
larrison, President of the United States."
'he general, rising to his feet, said, "And
William Henry Harrison, President of the
fnited States, tells you, gentlemen, that John
hambers shall be Governor of Iowa." Of
aurse that concluded the subject, and Charaers
was appointed.
4 4
A Remarkable Man.?While Colonel
Iroom, commandant of the marines at the
Irooklyn Navy Yard, satin his office ono day
few weeks ago, says a letter-writer, a light,
nobtrusive tap sounded at the door, nnd a
iraarkable soldier entered, cap in hand.
Irect as a pike staff, with arms adhering as
lose to his sides as though they were skeweri
there, he marched to the exact centre of
ie apartment, faced front, and in language
[most unintelligible from its strong French
ccent, acquitted himself of a brief verbal
ammunication with which he had been
barged. His hair was cropped close to his
cull and his moustaches bristled luxuriantly,
ut his demeanor was passive and submissive
) a painful degree. His hand did not fall
om the salute, and his steadfast eye did not
auder from his superior's face until he was
idden to retire, which he did with as erect
ad soldierly a gait as though on dress parade.
"That man," said the colonel, "who now is
mere automaton, regulated to an unswervig
conformity with discipline, is Major De:hamps,
who was famed as the most rabid
ad implacable of the Parisian Communists,
fith Dombrowski he commanded the furious
ibble who destroyed the Column Vendome.
'riven from the barricades on the re-entrance
Thiers, he was hidden by his comrades in
cellar until a loophole for his escape prented
itself. He was then enclosed in a
icking case, carried to Havre, and smuggled
1 ' -1 i* i! - Oi.i
loaru a vessel Douna ior ine uniteu oiuira.
jon after his arrival, from inability to obin
employment, he was brought to the verge
'starvation. He then enrolled himself and
as transferred to this port. In conversation
ith his comrades it leaked out that he was a
ofessional musician, and desired to become
member of the band. I at once directed
at his wish should be gratified, and he has
inced superior ability as a baritone. As a
ldier he is without reproach."
A Singular Dinner.?In one of the prinpal
restaurants in Paris a single guest lately
t down to a table laid for thirteen. He sigfied
to the garcon that the other twlve places
jre taken, and proceeded quietly to eat his
uner. For twenty years, on the same day,
s had dined at a table similarly furnished,
lis year he was unaccompanied, except by
smories of the dead. On the first anniverry
the thirteen places were all filled. Al;d
de Musset, Theophile Gautier and the
>mte de Flenac being of the number. Next
ar one chair?like Banquo?was empty,
sar after year passed, and though the friends
ire fewer, the seats were placed as for the
iginal party. During the course of the prest
year the last but one died, and the survir,
M. Rabelles,the artist, in his eighty-fourth
ar, dined alone.
+
2T It is an error to suppose that a man beisrs
to himself. No man does. He belongs
his wife, or his children, or his relations,
his creditors, to society, iu some form or
ler. It is for their especial good and beIf
that he lives and works, and they kindly
ow him to retain a certain per centage of
gains to administer to his own pleasures
wants. He has his body, and that is all,
i even for that he is answerable to society,
short, society is the master and man is the
vant; and it is entirely according as societurns
out a good or bad master, whether he
ns out a bad or a good servant.?George gmtus
Sala.
? ?
A merchant entered his store in the
ruing, and found his boy Bob attempting
:hrow all kinds of somersaults. "What
you about?" asked the merchant, aston2d
at such antics. "Obligin' my girl," re}d
the almost exhausted youth. "She writ
a letter, and at the bottom of the page she
1 'turn over and oblige,' and I've been goit
for more'n half an hour."