The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-07-20

DEgD1llllS lbEhtil HI Tie NstlluS OI lFDll
le Island was obliged to discharge il
freight then and there.
ie The perils of maternity came suC
denly upon Margaret Lacy, and in
rs warm corner Of 4 hOspitable farI
house Dora opened her eyes upon
world that was cruel from her birth
For she was motherless!
Nothing but John Lacy's ambition
kent him from taking return pass
age to Liverpool; nothing but his low
, Of art could have kept him from de
spair at the rude shattering Of hi
hearts idol. That it embittered hi
X whole life ana made him sour AM
misanthrOpical, only those wOult
have realized who had known him il
. his English home, when the love o
Margaret Lacy seemed To ill eacl
e day with unspeakable enjoyment
And then DOra's sex was such a dis
appointment!
John found his way to New York
established himself al once, and, Will
, a transatlantic Teputa ion, bade fair Il
win success as a painterof landscapes
Dora was left in care Of Mrs. Fletch
er, whose home had been her frs
b shelter, and whose heart adopted the
mOtherless child Immediately, anC
. grew into a sturdy, hOmely maiden
whose only attraction was her re.
T markable good nature.
''YOu can't put her out of temper u
r said Mrs. Fletcher to Parson Midway,
who was making his pastoral calls,
"she really don't seem 70 have a par
, ticle of sperit ~
"a peculiar child" /" said tine Pars0n.
az doubt il there are many like her in
MOriches."
"Or anywhere else" said Mrs.
Fletcher. 81 sometimes wish she
wouldn't he so much like a patient
old COW, for / am so used 10 being an
swered back when IscOld that it Vexes
me TO have any one look at me as Do
ra does and not say single word.
Now that's the truth"
At which confession the parsOn
laughed heartily, and said il remind
ed him of the boys who didn't like TO
hunt hares, for they never turned on
their assailants.
John sent frequent letters and re-
mittances, and came himself during
the summer months To finish up the
sketches made during the winter and
also to add to the contents of his port
folio.
/ In later years, when his health gave
way and he was able to do but little
with his brush, he bought himself
/ home i'm this quiet retreat, and Dora
was installed as hOusekeeper.
As months and years vent by, y,leaV-
/ ing him a still more confirmed invalid,
and drawing heavily on the purse he
was incompetent to supply, they We're
/ forced tc let out the lower part of the
cottage and cOnffne themselves TO
rooms on the upper floor.
Here, surrounded with few evil
dences of wealth or refinement, John
Lacy breathed his last, grieving only
that he could not see his genius re-
flected in his offspring, nor leave her
any better heritage than his unfair
nished name.
To live for herself was not in Dora's
nature; so, after Strengthening the
furniture, and adapting her wardrobe
to meet the eXigencieS OF the Occa-
sion, she set about looking for some
sphere of action. According to her
fathers idea,nO woman had any right
TO a sphere who had neither beauty
nor brains; but she had no time to
consider the disadvantages of her pO-
sition, nor inclination TO hide behind
them.
But first she must consult Mrs.
Fletcher, her fOster-mOther.
"DOW said the good old lady i'm re-
spOnse to Dora's question. 'YOu poor
child, what can you dc? You'd better
bring your duds here and live with
me, and trust to luck to have q better
home offered you"
az don't want any better home"
said Dora; ''and if you mean mar
riage, never want TO think of that"
"NO, OF course not; it comes with
ont thinking, if il comes at all. But
don't like the idea of your being oft
all alone, when you've got my house Ia
come to-"
"Oh, but, auntie, your house is full,
and running over, and you neither
need my help or company, and Pm
never lonely"
But Mrs. Fletcher had nothing bet
Ter to propose. MOriches was not an
enterprising village, and all available
places for women were already Occu-
pied. TailOresSes, seamstresses and
hOusekeepers We're out of proportion
to the demand for them; and as for
MolllNll AAOlllA bAAL " AAeAe AAANAA
hands could find to do was out of the
question, unless it was teaching, and
one district school neither offered
advantages in one way or the other.
So when Dora turned her back on
Mrs. FIetcher's home and hospitality,
she felt rs though she had indeed sew
cred the segment of the circle by
which she was bound to Moriches,
and there was no sphere for her there,
at all events.
You may think that being a woman,
she went to her little room and had a
good refreshing cry, and then sat inn
mediately down to writing a novel, in
which Dora Lacy would appear as
the prosecuted heorine.
No such thing. She went home with
her mind made up to seek a place and
position in the city, where her father
had found possible it 10 obtain there.
She had not made up her mind as to
what she could do, but she felt conf
dent that some field would offer itself
TO the combined forces Of youth, hope
and energy.
She laid off her bonnet with sigh,
for signs are natural TO the human
heart, and started as she saw on the
table small triangular bit Of paper
addressed to her.
There was no outstanding debts that
she knew of; but il this should be one,
would the creditors wait until she
could earn some money? She seized
it desperately, for the suspense was
terrible TO her, and she read aloud for
she seemed 10 require the aid Ofall her
senses:
"IfDora Lacy wants employment,
let her call on sylvester PTime.n
Vet Prime! all MOriches knew him;
and his reputation as an enthusiast,
visionary, antiquarian and encyclOp-
edia of useful and curious information
had even gone beyond the precincts of
the village that Rad been his home
long before Dora Lacy was received
into il.
IL was still early in the afternoon, so
size put on her bonnet again and start
ed for the lane, at the end Of which
hope stood with her beacon Of encOuT-
agement. ] don't know that she
thought Of what might he wanted of
her, Indifferent As she was to the kind
OF work in which she was engaged, so
that it WAS honorable. Certain it is
that ske hummed a cheerful song as
she went, and plucked gOlden-rOd, but
tercups, aud other wild flowers that
called her out of the stiffness and the
shadows. For 10 her very blossoms
had a voice of their own.
There was a small gate at the end of
the lane. and rs she reached this she
paused. more % collect her thoughts
and prepare for the meeting than 10
question the propriety Of going amy
I further
/ Dora Lacy's courage never would
have led her thus far 10 play her false.
She might not have come OF her own
accord, but she had been sent lori ana
though the old house looked worn ana
I dilapidated, and village gossip Ilad
said all manner Of queer things about
the occupant, that was no concern 81
hers and should not prove a barrier
between her and prosperity. She
/ might he nearer heaven than she
knew, and certainly noOne ever reach
ed Canaan without taking a step in
J that direction.
The upper half Of the front door was
! open and she knocked gently. There
3 was no response, so Dora passed