, 1865-12-26

would have explained all, now th8t hat
como to an age 20 appreciate her mouvea.
One cold morning Of the early winter saH
me on The stepa of that house which now BE-
IenEEed TO others, and beside me The trunks
One Of these held my mothers clothing
now were my most precious possessious--the
| Gther contained my own small wardrobe, and
tho few hundred dpllara which had come from
| the sale OF the property. The stage Rhict
| was 10 convey me to tie rallroRd 6tatfon
| rolled up; | took seat outside, beside The
| dnTe1, and as We dashed through the out
] ekits Of Wardyille, / saw slender little
Ing handkerchief In mnte farewell. -
l had had an interview with Oracle The
previous evening. She had come to bid me
good-by, and ! hAd given her that little
miniature Of my baby self which my mother
had painted, ID return for her patiently be-
slowing upon me every bit OF Inf1rmauo
which She Possessed concerning Evelyn. II
my foolish vanity and mad passion, I hoped
that when Evelyn came home she would see
the picture and want 1t.
CHAPTER ".
"roRTRArr or A LADx.n
Four years he'd been 1,ard working stu.
dent was not ig11orant entirely when be-
gun my studies IN New York. My mothers
taste anc knowledge had been OF fnestimAble
raiuc to me. The previous year, had hoped
that some Of my pictures would gain access
to the Academy, but they were rejected, at
the last hour, by tho committee. Now, at
the poorer in pocket as was richer IN ex.
perience. I had lived with the closest
economy, bnt my few hundreds melted away,
aud IS yet had not sold even sketch. It
was 1gh lime for me to open studio, and
enter upon my profession, with TieW t9 gst-
sell to it from love Of 1t. The road to tame
and competence appeared much longor,
sleeper and drcaricr, than it had when 1Tas q
hoy, but still on the golden hilltop saw no
face smiling but that OF Evelyn Ward. It was
she who beckoned me onward, aud who was
TO crown me at tho summit.
The second simmer after leaving Wardyille,
I had returned to 1t or a sketching tour,
wa1king the whole Distance Of hundred
m}1cz, Stopping ut farm houses for food and
rest. Evelyn had returned from her finish
Ing SCHOOL" quite ready to take her place aa
the belle and hcircss Of the village named
paid court 10 her, and had tho bitter pleas.
uze Of meeting them occasionally, riding out
together on spirited 6toeds, while I trudged
along the dusty highway with my portfolio
slung at my back. On these occasions, Eve
lyn honorcd nc with nod, bnt Willis never
looked at me; be could not forget The thrash.
couple; on horseback bliss Ward was mng.
nificent.
Little Grace seldom saw, for I could not
call Mt her home. She was growing Into q
Young lady now, who could no longer en-.
courage triendles5 boy. When I saw her
once, BY chance, she told mo that it was her
turn to he sent to the finishing school, and
pearcd cold ind constrained; I thought tho
| world YVES changing cYen her innocent i'm.
pulses.
When I went back 10 the city. after that
visit. time eeemed to me TO be turning to
lead. Evelyn would be married In year
or two; she had bcau1 by the score,
from being able 10 enter into compe.
tition with them as when Was boy !
grew melancholy I am not certain but that
l Would have mndc the very ideal Of nu
artist In those days, had my picture been
taken. I think I let my hair grow long, and
that buttons and collars were. neglected.
miserable, that labored to Kill time. To
soothe my lonely aching soul, began life
size portrait Of my mother in her youth.
For guide, l had miniature taken when
she was not over twenty; then I had the
dcathless memory OF her graceful move
ments aud noble figure. It Was q labor
months. Ifelt That II / had genius the best
effort 1t could achieve could not sufficiently
consecrate that fur beauty Of one whose lilc
had been like 2 bright stream suddenly vast
Ing ttscH and disappearing In desert sands.
l resolved to conquer the pre1udiccs Of the
Academy against an unknown studcnt, and
enter It first With this book. Ny Portrait
Of Lady hung upon the walls, and crowds
came to snze upon It In common With the
other pictures with which It had the honor
TO be associated.
fingered oflen and long in tho Academy,
as might have beell expected of a young ar
tfst who enjoyed tho honor Of being repre-
scented there for the first TING. Ny picture
cttrncted Ito full sharc Of attention. I was
qnite willing to believe the admiration 1t e1-
cited was given more to the rare beauty Of
the Woman than to the skill Of her portrayer,
though had given the most painstaking cure
to the drapcry and accessories. The dress
was The same as that Worn In The minia-
were copied from thosc Of my mother which
had IN my possession.
! think It was the second week OF the cxh1.
billion, that vent In the morning, rutl1et
carly, and found an old gentleman, with ail-
ver-whlte hair and Eold-heaaed cane, stand
lng before my picture. passed By IN affected
wild look that the thought crosses me that be
might have been insane.
Whose-whose-w portrait Is that !?
"hq1*ho-wto ?. !; painted T: Iiey?"
"Maurfcc Ha1laen.n
Then, Of course, 1t all came ont. The ex-
planattun was long one, but will com.
press II. My mothers family wns respect
ably aud Hca1ihg : she, the eldest daughter,
mad, With whose credentials her father never
was fully satisfied. In fact, he opposed the
marriage he forEnvc them, md they came
1omc to live with him. In his house
! Ess born Ny mother 1naa'y loved my
fntnfly distrneied him; When WIS about
to whom my father had been previously mar.
Hcd. There was no doubt Of It !; shc had the
proofs with her. Tho guilty man was awsy
at the time on business in neishbosing city.
reared. Every eflott was made to trace her
without avail. It was generally believed that
she bad committed sulcldc; her parents and
family put on mourning, believing her to be
dead. Mr. Ballacrt fed to California.
Dear moiber dear, henrt-btokcn mother
could read the motives which had driven her
to that sad exile Too sensitive to bear the
pity, curiosity or blame Of the world, her
tafth rudely broken, her love outraged, what
could she do but aee away with her child,
his name, II possible, untaintcd by the stigma
Of bis fathers acts!
Iwcpt more freely than Ind since the day
Of her burial, rs listened to her snii history
from the lips of these who knew 1t best !;
and did not weep alone. Uucles, aunts and
cousins gathered about me with their sympa-
thy. AS for grandfather {who did not stutter
except when greatly excited), at once be-
came his idol. was Emily's child, and, &C.
S. r. 1ft- II ~
doubted, ID dne boy splendid young man ~
As ifgood fortune must be heaped upon me.
after Icing 60 long withheld, learned that
was the heir to thirty Thousand dollars,
which my tather, dying in California, had
wil1cd 10 me, should be discovered amoug
the living In that will he expressed bis
love for my mother, solen1nly asserting that
heard that Lis first wife, whom he hated, was
dead the year before. Be that as 1t may, he
has gone 10 that bar where the truth Is made
apparent.
/, CHAPTER Y,
THE LAST BECOME F1RsT.
A very brief time after this important oc-
currencc found nc in Wardyilel. ! had heard
that Evelyn had discarded Willis Green, (he
was too young for her now and was about
to BE married TO leading Philadelp|hian, .
business connected with cotton. would not
believe 1t. Cotton money" "w!dow-
ers,'' distinguished position"--whnt had they
to do with SO beautiful nnd proud q creature,
whose very thought should be = romance
No. was too late Iwould ut least strive
eallnntly for the prize. So made haste to
Wardvillc.
1t was rosy evening ID the last Of May
that approached the house Of the Wards, to
which I had been that day Invited by the
hotel, ignoring my past In vicw Of ms pres
ent- The sun had snnk from view, but bis
warm light still deluged the garden, which 10y
ut one side, spot Of perfume and' bloom, as
walked up the avenue leading to the por-
t1co., Looking nj this garden with beating
heart, to calm myself with It's quiet, l saw
a young lady, in white dsess, sitting IN a
little temple, looking at the western sky. Was