Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-10-15

and Rugged her favorite on the spot. Such a
perception of prepriety, so much moderation
and consideration Lefty was fine crea-
ture moreover she had proved herself d
philosopher.
While rejoicing in the result, Mrs, Bridge
water, in the middle of her lady-like gentle
ness and softness, was very inquisitive to pen
citrate the origin of such philosophy. Then
Lefty confessed, with charming confusion in
so wise and clever a woman, that there was
clerk lad at home, an old acquaintance, and
that indeed she had not concealed the en-
gagement between them from any deceit
Lefty was troubled lest she should give that
impression, but her friend Mrs. Peaston had
known it all along, and for any one else lefty
did not know how to speak of such things
That was Letty's explanation of the fact that
with her, love was as sacred and deeply
rooted as religion, and one of Letty's young
ladies, who was unavoidably privy to the in
cdent, cried out with refreshing satisfaction
that she had guessed the solution Of Letty's
riddle
Lefty Browns travels were over, and her
single life with them. She was Lefty Brown
no more, but Lefty Ashe, one of the million;
the poor clerks wife, with her mari w house
hold cares, and toilsome household drudgerv.
Never mind, Lefty never looked handsomer
or happier than when she arranged the scan
ty furniture, and made the markets in the
circumscribed fiat, in the ugly, crowded man
ufactuTing town. Lefty was such young
wife, so stately and so sweet, so civil to her
neighbors, so genuinely frank and kind to
old friends, and above all, such a companion,
friend, mistress, lady to George Ashe, though
she had worked as a factory girl once, and he
never likely to be more than the poor clerk
to the end Of the chapter, that it was good to
see her.
Lefty had been cooking her husbands din
ner, and was sllillfully and pleasantly beauti-
tying his dwelling; she was busting the cage
with her turtle-a remembrance from the
land Of turtles-and she was sitting out her
flowers, cheap primroses and periwinkles, as
she used to deck her old Mile-end factory
loom, and with new, graceful ideas, brought
| from the fragrant myrtlts and Oleanders on
the affairs in old classic Roman lands, when
the postnlan's knock resoundcd, and she re-
ccivcd lctter-a London letter-not for
Mrs George Ashe, but for Lettie Brown
Lefty was not little puzzled as she read
the address in an unfamiliar hand; she had
no friend that she knew in London but the
Bridgewaters, and they not only were appris-
ed Of her marriage, but had loaded her with
wedding presents, useful and ornamental-the
| polished Chllomlier, the embroidered table
cover, the fanciful ake-basket, Ietty would
| surely eat cake sometimes, were all from the
| Bridgewatcrs.
Lefty did not open the letter instantly, and
reach the bottom of the mystery. She was
| not exctablc, this Young woman, in her sound
| sagacity; she was rather slow at adopting a
fancy, though swift at making an
| observation. She was engrossed with what
| she WAS about-shc had no pressing interests
| apart from her own home. She put down the
| letter, half determining not to open it till
| George came home; then she took it up
| again, and burst the envelope, and read, first,
| a lawyers exceedingly civil preamble, sec
| Ond, a copy Of the substance Of the will OF
| the late Hugh William Anneslcy, Lieutenant
| Colonel in one Of Her Majesty's dragoon regi-
ments, deyising and bequeathing to Lettie
| Brown, formerly of AoorfieId Che had acct
| dentaly, as it were, asked her the name OF
| her native place the very morning she took
leave of him, the bulk of his fortune, and his
| house at Bayswatcr, with its plate and furni-
| turc. The testator stated that his relations
| were distant in degree, and in affluent cir
cumstances and that he made this disposition
| Of his property, as being in sound mind, as a
4
| Lettie Brown, in further testimony of which
| he left the legacy without limitation or reser-
walton, beyond the further legacy duty, which
| the lawyer took the opportunity to apprise
| her it was her business to pay.
| Lefty read the communication three times
| before she admitted the Importance of its
| contents, and laid them to heart and the
| first thing she did after she knew she was an
| heiress-a great heiress for Letty's anteced-
| entS-and that George Ashe was rich and
! able to lead life of leisure, and indulge his
| tastes, was to sit down with the tears rolling
| down her cheeks, making them wan in their
| palcness-and Lefty seldom cried-and to
pray God that He would enable her and her
! husband to bear their unexpected and unex-
| amped prosperity.
| The exultation, the triumph, the delirium
| of pride and joy were all for George Ashe,
| when he arrived at last, and was gravelv, al
most efficiently informed of the Aladdins
| lamp that had been handed in at his door,
| 1t was not that George was mercenary, but he
| had all the vehement impulses which were
| calm in Lefty There was no end to his bril-
| liant dreams. The poor Colonies bank notes
| and bonds might have the lustre Of Aladdins
| charmed stones, the hard, glittering fruit of
his unnatural artificial trees; Bayswater
might have been Paradise, considering how
the simple fellow with his poetic magma
ton, brought to bear on his prosaic luck,
plans regarding them. 1t took all the influ-
ence of Letty's controlling power to restrain
him. She was not without fear at his fever,
though it was not in her nature to show her
fear. She was a woman who could be modest
ly silent alike in trepidaton and mortiica-
ton, in pain of body and anguish of mind.
The Jealous lawyer pressed on Mr.. and Mrs.
Ashe to come to town and satisfy themselves
with regard to their legacy; he even limited
at their Immediately occupying the house at
Bayswater, and seeing something of the sea-
SON. Lefty recoiled in horror from this ex-
travagance, considering their late position
but when she urged fresh delay and conside-
ration, wOman-hke, eXaggerating her caution
till it verged on cowardice, George Ashe pro-
posed to 90 up to town alone, and receive
and invest their funds. Lefty objected has
tily and strongly to this solitary expedition,
and instanced that with very little more
time and trouble she could accompany him.
1t would not DO. George was atfronted, res
tive, unmanagable, and was quite ready to
throw out hints that Lefty was looking upon
herself as an heiress, was wishing to act upon
her heiress-ship, to establish her indepen-
dence of him, or at least to imply his subordi-
nation to her.
Lefty was really wounded. 1t was the first
unjust, ungenerous treatment she had expe-
rienced from George Ashe. The fact was, he
was rapidly getting captious and overbearing
1t was as if the golden mist of his magma
ton was converted into clouds Of dim smoke,
binding and confounding him. He was a fine