Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1869-10-08

Of these three words, with the concomitant-
"Will you become my wife ?" would secur'
to him the joint proprietorship Of fortune
of fifty or sixty thousand dollars, which Ma
bel already held in her own right.
Nature had given Garth Clarendon fac'
and form that prince might have envlee
but his mind had nought to distinguish it
save certain craftiness and genius to-
plotting which had served him we'll in hi
many abiaires du occur.
He was a scientific love- maker. Made
Colchester was beauty and an heiress; the
last word claimed his regard in a worldly
point Of view-the first touched his hear
through the senses, the only manner in which
it was possible to reach that organ.
He would never have asked her to be his
wife, did he not remember constantly that he
counted his dollars by tens, while she coun-
ted hers by ten thousands. He was, to come
down to dots, a fortune hunter-a hard cpl
tibet to be applied to such noble looking
fellow, but, nevertheless, true one.
In Mable be had found his prize, but had
not gained it, as the sequel will show.
He sat beside her like young Apollo
pleading his suit, and never was the old sto-
ry told with sweeter eloquence, but alas
just as the question had been asked, which
required the eyes which SO many women
have spoken and SO many men joyed to hear,
Mabel raised her dropping eyes to her low
er's face-what did she see there to cause
her to start back with white face and wrath
full glittering eyes? A smile, and such a
smile as few women would have failed to in
terpret it was one which seemed to say
"Aah p what farce this making love is
after all ! AS if I didn't already know that
this woman adores the very ground upon
which | walk. As if any women could say
mo- to such splendid, fascinating fellow as
myself! A conceited self-satisfed smile
it made the blood boil in MabePs veins-a
torrent of loathing and disgust seemed to
rush over her-in one instant it seemed as if
the mans true nature were revealed to her.
He seeks my fortune;" she said inward
ly, land he is smiling serenely in anticipa-
ton thereof smiling serenely at my ill
concealed devotion to him Ihate him y
Clarendon saw at once that she had read
in his face the feeling of his heart; his ex-
preston changed assuming lover-like anx-
iety that was really edifying.
But a smile had altered the current of
two lives the false yet beautiful anxiety in
those brown eyes, failed to bring back the
tide Of MabePs love and passion, it only
served to strengthen her in the conviction
that the man was acting.
She eat hack in her chair pale and proud
while the unlocked for 'sno" came from lips
which curled with scorn
It was like warm, breathing love trans
formed into statuesque scorn Clarendon
could scarcely believe the evidence Of his
senses. He tried to plead with her In
Vain i'ag f33d s4'.
&C.," she said coolly and cuttingly, "and
never. Mr.. Clarendon, appear to wear your
laurels until you have aoon Them"
So much for smile!
He strobe from her presence with curses
not loud but deep, foiled for the first time
in his life by woman, and cursing the lips
that had unwarily smiled away fortune Of
fifty thousand dollars.
And Ben Morford married the idol Of hit
| boyhood and manhood in less than three
months after, proving beyond doubt that he
tried again, and that Mabel forgot her young
Apollo in cruelty short space of time.