The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-11-19
The StockbrOker at Dinglewood.
CcoNcLUDED.1
CHAPTER v.

and I suggested that they should send
for Mrs. Gresham; and that great
lady came, 10 all her splendor, and
took little Ada away, and gave every
body notice." Then great bills oil
the auction covered the pillars at the
gate. ard strangers came in heaps to
see the place. In a month everything
had melted away like tale that is
told. The Greshams and their wealth
and their liberality and their good
nature fell out of the very recollec.
ton of the people on the Green, along
with the damask aud the gliding and
the flowers, the fine carriages aud the
powdered footmen. Everything
connected with them disappeared
The new tenant altered the house
second time; and everything
that could recall the handsome
young couple aud their lavish
ways was cleared away. OF course
there was nothing else talked of for a
long time afterward. Everybody had
his or her account of the whole bust
ness. Some said poor Harry met his
pursuers in the field close to the
river. and that Gerald and he fought
with thsm, and left them all bs4G dead
in the grass; some said that Ada ard
| defended the house, and would not
let them in; and there were countless
romances about the escape and ADDS
secret following after. The imagina-
tion of my neighbors made many a
fancy sketch of that last scene, but
never hit upon anything so touching
as my last glimpse OF her, with her
baby under her cloak, going to the
train. | held my peace, and let them
speak She had been as my own
child for about a week, just a week of
our lives; before ttat she was a COM
LIon acquaintance, after it stranger;
but could not let any vulgar tongues
NEEDLE with our relationship or her
story in that sacred time.
And after awhile the tale fell into
oblivion, as every story does if we can
but wait long enough. People forgot
all about the Greshams; sometimes a
stranger would observe the name of
NJ. Gresham, of Bishops Hope, in
some list of county charities, and
would ask if he was a Gresham of
Greshambury, or if he was any con-
nection of the ma0 who ran away.
OF course, at the time, it was in all
the newspapers. He had taken money
that somebody had trusted him with.
and used it in speculation. OF course
he meant to pay it back; but then a
great crash came. The men say there
was DO excuse for him, and / can see
that there is no excuse; but he never
meant it, poor Harry! And then the
papers were full of further incidents,
which were more unusual than Har-
RVS sin or his fight. The Times de-
voted a leading article to it which
everybody read, holding Mrs. Gresh-
am up to the applause of the world.
Ada gave up her settlement and all
of her own fortune, and one of his
brothers" the papers said, came for
ward, too, and most of the money was
paid back. But Harry. poor fellow,
disappeared. He was as if he had
me down at sea. His name and
every sign of his life went out of
nOwledge-waves of forgetfulness,
desertien, exile, closed over them.
And at Dinglewood they were never
either seen or heard of again.
As long as it continued to be In the
papers, Lottie Stoke kept in very
excited state. She came to me for
ever finding out every word that was
printed about it, dwelling on every
thing. That evening when the article
appeared about Mrs Gresham's heroic
abandonment of her fortune, and
about lone of his brothers," Lottie
came with her eyes lighted up like
windows in an illumination, and her
whole frame trembling with excite
ment. She read it all to NE, and
listened to my comments, and elasped
my hand In hers when | cried out,
That must be Gerald" She sat on
the footstool, holding the paper, and
gazed up ia my face with her eyes
like lamps. Then / do not mindl
she cried, and buried her face in her
hands, aud sobbed aloud. And / did
not ask her what she meant-I had
not the heart.
1t was quite years after before ]
heard anything more of the Gresh
ans. and then it was by way of Lottit
Stoke that the news came. She had
grown thinner and more worn year By
year She had not had the spirit tC
20 out, and they were so poor tina
they could have no society at home
And by degrees Lottie came to be
considered little old, which is 6
dreadful business for an unmarried
girl when her people are so poor
Mrs. Stoke did not upbraid her; blu
still it may be guessed what her feel
ingS were. But. fortunately, as Lott,
sank into the background, Lucy cam
to the front. She was pretty, an,
fresh, and gay, and more popular thai
her sister had ever been. And, by
and-by, she did fulfil the grand objec
of existence, and married we'll. Whel
Lucy told me of her engagement, sh
rrrxy NTH har ascfor
"She says, how can [ do it? Sh
asks me if [ have forgotten Geral,
Gresham?" cried Lucy las if
ever cared for Gerald Gresham; or a
If anybody would marry him after
| shall think she cared for him her
self if she keeps going on"
Lucy said Lottie, flushing Grim
son under her hollow eyes. Lucy
for her part, was as bright as happi
ness, indignation, high health, an,
undimiuished spirits could make hel
But, for my part, [ liked her siste
best.
Wellr" she said; land I do nc
think Il. You qoouId lecture me abou
him when we were only having littl
fun. As if / ever cared for hin
Aud | don't believe" cried Luc,
courageously, that he ever cared fe
me"
Her sister kissed her, though sh
had been so angry. Don't let
quarrel now when we are going
part" she said with a strange quivt
In her voice. Perhaps the child wa
right; perhaps he had never cared fc
her, though Lottie aud | both though
he did He cared for neither of then
probably; and there was no chanc
that he would ever come back
DingleWood. or show himself Whel