The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-11-17
HELEN DYVOR AND
A Story of Thou.nud Pounds.

| "hN "Sht aib
came quickly, whenever, during that
summer visit of mine to DyvOr Terrace,
the butler, at breakfast time, brought
in the morning letters.
The post did not penetrate to that out
of-the-way old mansion in time to al
low you, if You expected letters which
you would not like to read in the pres
ence of other people, to intercept them
by early rising. 1t was seldom much
before ten that the bag arrived, and yon
had to gaze unconcernedly at the envel-
Opes handed to you, whether the writ
ing told you that they enclosed fiery
pissives from duns, the answer to that
momentous communication you had ad-
dressed to the publishers, Messrs. Half
Profit & Co., or tender composition
from the object of your affections. say
it was long before / understood the
cause of the young lady's excitement,
but it was not long before l noticed it,
being myself pretty well seasoned to the
surprises of the poStInan, and at leisure
to watch my neighbors.
Helen was beauty, and had q de-
cided sensation the season before that
Just over, when she had been brought
out under highly favorable auspices at
a ball given by the Countess Of West
lake, for her father, a distant connec-
tion of mine, though plain Mr.. Dyvor,
of DyvOr Terrace, was closely bound by
marriage with many noble families.
met her at half dozen fashionable
houses, and got into her good graces in
rather an odd way.
All the young men to whom she deign-
ed to speak cast themselves down be-
fore her in alteration. In this way she
got to look upon alteration as a right
which, whether she pleased or no, would
be offered up to her of course. (Be it
understood that Helen had much to re-
commend her besides her good looks,
being Dyvors only child.)
Amongst young ladies she made few
acquaintances, and no friends. They
were too jealous, as rule, for that.
Pretty well spoilt the petted heiress
grew to be, can tell you.
Now, myself had seen very many
seasons, even when Helen had been play
ing about her nursery in short frocks,
and in that time had tlirted with many
debutantes, having in real truth grown
to be utterly weary ofthat amusement.
l was rapidly growing to be n confirmed
| old bachelor; i never went to ball I'M
less happened to be ready dressed for a
dinner, and then often when on my way
found it impossible to resist the tcmpta-
tion of lounging away the evening in
the smoking-rOom of my club. All this
led me to be very callous to Helen's
charms. Therefore, being on very inti-
mate terms with her father, and with
herself from a child, and twice her age,
thought that instead of offering up in
censc ut her shrine, as the custom was,
| would do her really friendly turn by
snubbing her little.
must explain that, being her fathers
friend, knew that l must appearin her
eyes to belong to the generation before
her own, though, always having heard
ne called George" she had grown
from child into the habit of using that
name herself
Consequently we never met without
having little sparring match; but
whether she was witty, OF wether she
lost her temper, always remained i'm
perturbably good-humored and indif-
{sHet &RVy PJr t thG charms % S & EsE ESEey yit features
We fell into the old habit when /, at
ter Il long absence abroad, went down
on the visit to Dyvor Terrace, to which
have already alluded. We were avery
pleasant party. Mr.. Dyvor was Il hearty,
high-bred English gentleman, who.
next to doing good to his ncighbors,
took no greater pleasure in his wealth
than that of using it for the pleasure
and entertainment of his friends. There
were about a dozen of us, all counted,
who moved in the same circles i'll town,
had much the same tastes, and. above
all, the sexes were properly balanced.
As for Helen, she was sometimes gaycr,
more excited and wittier than ever,
sometimes unaccountably depressed,
and once or twice when l surprised her
alone had good reason to believe that
she had been crying.
felt sure that some trouble or ankle
ty had come to chcquer the brightness
of her life, and when on these occasions
| found her marked with the traces of
tears, tried to talk to her kindly and
seriously, but she always broke out into
some unnaturally gay banter, and would
not be drawn into any condolences, only
once there was an exception to this.
The term which / had set to my visit
was gradually drawing near. A lovely
autumn day had melted into a perfect
evening. "The charmed sunset fingered
low adown in the red west" and the air
was SO i'll that the leaves of the trees
did not even rustic, and you could hear
the twittering Of every bird that was
near. 1t was after dinner, and l had
strolled down the old-fashioned flower
garden, to near where it ended nj lane
leading by circuit into the high road
to the village. | had bent my steps to-
wards summer house, which stood with
its back to this lane, where | intended
to sit down quietly and finish my cigar
by myself As l turned corner which
brought me suddenly before it, l was
surprised to see it already occupied, and
by Helen. In the garden she generally
wore broad d-brimmed hat, but now she
had a bonnet and mantle on, and par
asol lay on the little table before her.
On this she was resting her elbows, with
her face buried in her delicate white
hands, her fingers pressed tightly over
her forehead. At the sound Of my foot
steps on the gravel, she started up with
look of alarm.
"Helenw said, IN tone OF some sur
prise.
She was silent moment, swallowing
sob, and then answered with strug-
gle, in the old tone that Jared horribly
upon my nerves, when l saw that she
was really in much grief.
swell, sir, mayn't take an evening
walk in the garden like other people,
without asking Mr.. George Harley's
leavep
'I beg your pardon" said, very
gravely, "if my tone seemed to hint at
a areproof, which assuredly should have
no wish to give, even if had, as have
not, the shadow of right to exercise
authority over YOU"
"How extremely courteous we are
this evening. Have we discovered a
copy of Sir Charles Grandson in the
library"
1t was painful to hear that hollow
tone of gaiety, when / could see the
tears ready to start out of her beautiful
ewes. / was silent for moment, as
had no right to seek her confidence, and