Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-03-25

gacity Of Mrs. Grunm, wko asked orders
, the young housekeeper and manouevred t
, have them sufficiently indefinite 10 leave he
! a wide range for the exercise of her excelen
judgment.
From twelve to fifteen Nettie divided he
time between her housekeeping, her stud
les, under the direction of teacher residip
in the house, and in romplug with her uncle
who was supposed by the outside world t,
be very dgnifsd and crusty.
AT fifteen, unused to restraint, wild as
colt and in the enjoyment ofbounding healtl
and spirits, she went to boarding school a
s., near Philadelphia. Here she soor
became the leader of the romps, and wa,
hailed more frequently as CASTOR than al
Nettie,-Hettie size would submit to having
contracted some prejudice against the name
But the same lo"seness of training that had
made her wild had given her inquiring active
mind free play, and she brought to her stu
dies an Intelligent comprehension and an
ambition to excel which made her as much
leader amongst the more studious girls, as
she was amongst the romps, and this went
fur to molify the wrath of her teachers, al
some Of the pranks into which her exuber.
ant animal spirits sometimes led her.
In the end mind triumphed over matter,
| and she became as hard student as posi-
bly, three young ladies out of hundred do,
so that when at the end of three years she
left school, 1t had just cause to be proud of
her attainments. She was now really beau
ful young lady Of eighteen. She had spent
her summers home at Baynevile, and her
uncle Jo., as she called Mr.. Baync, had vis-
tied her several times. He was her only
visitor except Ashton Cook, the reserved aud
quiet young assistant cashier of Savage,
Bayne & Miller, the city firm of which Mr..
Baync was member This young gentle
man called quarterly TO settle her bills and
hand her whatever sum OF money she chose
to demand.
And now, having finished" her education
in the fashionable manner, she felt a very
unfashioneblc desire to continue it, and with
the consent Of her uncle, took up her resi-
dence in Philadelphia fort purpose of talk
Ing more thorough Instructions from favorite
Jurors in l'nguages, music and painting.
During the time she remained there her
uncle was much in the city and as Netie
became more and more interested not only
In her studies but in society, he sometimes
talked of going there to live. He said there
was but onr thing that made him hesitate
the fear that about the time he got fixed
Nettic would get married and leave him in
the lurch. There was better carsc than he
knew Of for entertaining this fear Among
the many gentlemen Nettic frequently met
in society was her former banker, as she
called him, Ashton Cooke, and between
these two there easily and naturally grew UP
greater intimacy than she allowed any of
the other young butterflies who hung around
her As she and Ashton came to know
each other better each discovered in the
other qualities and tastes which were all the
more pleasant from the fact that in their
former formal intercourse neither had sus-
pccted the other of possessing them.
OF course the gay young beauty ilirted
some, but when weary with that and Its exi
citement and hollowncss, she rested hcrsel
by talk with this quiet well-dressed young
man who let him whisper what nonsense he
might in the ears of others always met her
as an equal and talked with her nationally
and pleasantly, and in the quiet evenings
they now sometimes spent together they
had much conversation which was pleasan,
disputes between them, but ON the main
they agreed, and their acquaintance took the |
onward course which is the safest way to |
really permanent love. They first liked, |
then admired, next esteemed and finally |
loved each other. But gradually as they
glided into the absorbing passion as it grew
upon the consciousness of each, il, as is Of |
ten the case, marred the perfect understand |
ing and pleasant relations which had existed
between them. The embarrassment which |
frequently preceles an explanation in such
cases, was heightened in this case by Ash |
ton Cookies sensitiveness to being suspected |
of anything like mercenary motives. THIS |
caused some delay in bringing the affair to |
its natural termination, but his passion
being genuine one broke through all such |
restraints, and SO with glowing eloquence
he pleaded for that which was his for the |
asking, and the twain agreed to be made |
one.
Then came tn G consideration that "Uncle |
Jo" must be consulted and " ilh it the re- |
Election that he might not look at it with as
favorable eyes as did our happy lovers.
Mr.. Bayne was down at Bayneville at the
time busily experimenting the putting of |
steam power in his mills to avoid winter |
stOppages ON account of ice As he was |
sitting in his office one day there came to
him two letters. The largest he broke open
first and read II carefully through with a
mixed expression of vexaiion and amuse-
ment. Ii was Ashton Cookies modest re-
quest for the hand of the =" old mans darl-
ing" Neitie, accompanied by voluminous
protesiations of his entire freedom from
merccnary motives and his perfect willing
ness to labor for her support, etc. Mr. Bayae
grumbled sarcastic comments to himself,
smiled, scowled and sometimes looked not
i'll pleased as he ran through the closely
written pages, and actually laughed aloud as
he read short postscript from Netie her
self, in which she unhesltatingly and sweep
ingly endorsed the entire truth of everything
Ashton had said.
Mr.. Bayne sat for some time with the let
ter in his hand musing and gazing into the
fire, and as he finally folded it up and re-
turned it to the envelope his countenance
dld not bode i'll to the youthful lovers. 1t
had touched a latent chord in the old mans
bosom and there came to him recollection
of his own youthful love for the wife he had
many years ago followed to the grave.
He next opened the other letter and as he
read II he became alive with excitement. 1t
read as foll0ws;-
PnILApRLpHIA, Feb. 18th.
DEAR BAYNE: Come to town immediate-
ly. Chapman, our Cashier, Is defauler to
q large amount and we fear Cooke his