Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1870-04-01
Eloise caught hold of her dress breathless-

Eloise caught hold of her dress GREATNESS
ly.
"You must tell me, nurse, or can't keep
my promise to Mr.. Herbert. shall ask,
some one else"
dear me, Miss, couldn't now posi-
bly,. I'll go tomorrow and get the things,
if I can get the time," Barbara said in a
cross voice, and hurrying on; but while
Eloise looked in puzzled fright after her,
she glanced back through the bushes and
smiled, and shook her fore finger at her
warningly. And the next moment Eloise
saw her step father sauntering slowly up the
walk
He stepped moment to speak to Barba-
ra, and then turned off towards the house
That evening, as Eloise sat in an easy
chair upon the verandah, Barbara came and
laid some roses on her lap: but as she did
80, she pressed bit Of paper into the little
thin hand that hung over the arm of the
chair.
Mechanically the child's fingers closed
upon it, and when she was sure no one was
looking she read it. 1t said, ''Be patient,
and you shall not be sorry. Destroy this"
1odI UdId COuIu WlItC oLs.v ~
heart Of the sad child thrilled almost pain
fully, as she remembered aoho used to make
just such delicate clear letters as those. and
she turned her face to the wall with
whispered cry Of ssOh, mamma J"
A week went on. One day Mr.. Her
bert was summoned suddenly cityward, and
in the course of the forenoon, the woman
who usually attended upon Eloisos a
stranger hired for that purpose, having par
taken of some fine fruit Nurse Barby
brought her, was taken SO i'll that she was
compelled to go to her chamber.
Then Nurse Barby came to Eloise, and
while she pretended to dress her pretty
curls, asked her if she could bear to hear a
bit of good news The tears came into
Eloise's eyes.
NHow can any news be good to NE now,
nurse ?" she asked reproachfully.
'But if-if the news was that somebody
whom you love was not-not-lie back in
your chair, and be still as death, or I will
never tell you Miss.
It's as much as my life is worth to do
what Pm doing.
II will be still if you speak quick. But
[ suffer SO, Barby," she pouted, clasping
her little hands on her bosom.
'Well then, Miss, your mamma is not
not"
''Not dead Oh, Barby! oh, dear Barby,
is it true?' And the child looked for mo-
ment so like flower that sudden burst of
sunshine has stricken down, that Barby's
heart misgave her.
"You wouldn't tell me story, Barby-
I know you would't. Kiss me, Barby, if
it's true" And Barby kissed her. Then
she said:
"You must hurry and get well now,
dear, for mamma is in great trouble, and
there is no one to help her but you and me,
and I'm only old Barby, you know No
one would believe me-"
"When can see her, Barby p the child
asked.
"There's no telling that, no knowing it,
she said doubtfully. ''You must get we'll,
and then we must watch our chance"
'What made him tell me that she was"
''He wants your mamma to make a will
and leave him all the money away from
you, deary and now he's made everybody
believe she's dead, he can keep her shut up
till she does it, he thinks"
"Where is the, nurse ?"
''Not SO far--but you mustn't ask any
more questions now; and don't you look
too happy, there's darling, Or the master
will suspect u.s."
The weeks moved by slowly to this anxi-
GUS little heart
Hes fox, that he ISL said Barbara to
herself, ''and we'll never match him, if we
we don't look wild.
Her welcome face dawned on Eloise once
more at dead of night. AS she hurriedly
dressed her, she whispered:
II put something in the masters wine
to make him sleep sound, but didn't dare
make it strong, for fear he should suspect !;
and the t'other one has got a beau
The ''other one" was her poor mother
keeper, as Eloise learned in time. Now,
without explanation, she was whirled away
by Barby noiselessly though, as watt of
thistle-down, down this passage, up that, Of
the great rambling old house, till they came
to portion which had long fallen into dis
use, partly because Of decay, and partly
because Of some ancient superstition such as
often fingers about such old houses.
In an inner room OF this wing, Elcise
found the wan shadow of the mother her
poor little heart had ached for so long To
describe the mingled ecstacy and pain of
| that necessarily brief meeting would be
impossible here. Confined to her bed by
an illness that was lingering and painful,
but not likely to terminate fatally for years,
perhaps, Mrs. Herbert, whom her unprinci-
pied husband had given out as dead, was
completely in his power, 50 far as her per-
sonal liberty was concerned but she had
up to this time remained firm in her opposi-
ton to his wishes concerning will, and
perhaps if she had yielded it would only
have shortended her days; for man who
would do what Sidney Herbert had already
done, would not be likely to stop at worse if
it served his purpose.
How to help the poor lady, that was the
question; and it was decided that Eloise
should try to obtain permission to visit some
friends at little distance, and should take
advantage of the opportunity to tell her
mothers story to lawyer whom she knew
in the same town, and ask his advice.
To the afflicted lady and her two simple
adherents it looked like very Difficult
matter to circuumvent so bad man as Sid
ney Herbert.
AS it CHANGED, Mr.. Herbert had at Thu
time new scheme for moulding his wife to
his wishes, and he was quite willing, there
fore, to have Eloise out of the way for ;
little while; SO she was sent off to make hel
visit
Mr.. Macy, the lawyer, listened to he
story incredulously at first. He though
without doubt that the child was crazy bu
she succeeded finally in so far impressins