The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-07-06

y, question, which, after all, Is fOOllSl
= and futile, and involves a cOntradic
ton from the very nature Of things.
The wedding was over, the cOngrat
ulatiOns were said, the breakfast wa
eaten, the speeches were made, tn,
gOOd-byes were bidden, and the new
Mr. and Mrs. TrafIord, getting int
4, their new carriage, commenced tina
life the first year of which il is said Il
l. be so tantalizing and rugged. They
took their places in the train, accom-.
O. plished their journey in safety, and in
due time arrived in the quiet Old-fash-
= ioned city Of p, where Dicks
ib0arding-schOOlw was established. They
took possession Of The room which
had been engaged fer them at the no
tel, and the next morning Elleray set
Off to see his young brother, leaving
ROsaltha alone.
+ II he had the dimmest suspicion,
the blindest fOrebOding Of what was
+ to take place, hardly think he would
have left ROsaltha's side for one mo-
ment Just as they were setting ont
for p, Lucy had laughingly
warned him not TO go there, and had
reminded him Of a certain former at
tachmens Of his-a Miss Dorothy Dill
WOTth-whO still resided there, and
who might be disposed to be revenge
ful, and Meadea like toward Crousa-
meaning, of course, Rosaltha-nOw
that she had lost her Jason. f. Elleray
had cOlOred violently, remembering,
indeed, when he fancied himself in
love with one Of the prettiest little
/ IQuakcresses that P could boast
Of, but he laughed it Off and appa-
rently the whole affair was forgotten.
But could he have guessed who
would have entered the private parlor
where his wife was sitting, a few mo-
ments after his back was turned, |
hardly think he would have risEed
that walk to Dicks boarding-schO0l,
and the anxious inquiries he made af-
I ter him.
DR.. Stedman, the head-master, 4
pOmpOusly commonplace man, ex-
/ planned that Dick had left the school
two days before, and appeared as
much perpleXed as Elleray at the fact
of his not having been heard from.
He was an intensely garrulous man,
and Elleray found it impossible b eS-
cape from him. He insanely gabbIed
on, until finally Elleray tore himself
away in the middle Of a sentence. |
Arriving at the hotel, he found that
he had been absent two hours. He
also found a letter awaiting him. |
Opening it, he found it dated from his |
recent home. 1t was written by Dick, /
vas a hasty scrawl, and ran thus:
"Hll fix you Off-you see if / don't |
for not waiting for me. / got too /
late for the train, and had 10 wait for |
the next one, and 1 think you all be-
haved real mean.
"YOur affectiOnate brother, DICK.n
Smiling at the bnyish terms in |
which this note was cOuched, he put |
it i'm his pocket and preferred to go
up stairs to ROsaltha.
Meanwhile, how had R0saltha spent |
the time? Listen.
Elleray had been gone about five
minutes, when, without tap or knock,
or any other intimation, the door of
the private parlOr opened, and a lady,
entering, stood hesitating just inside
the threshold.
ROsaltha looked up. Her visitor
was what IS called gay Quakeress.
Her toilet was expensive, but extreme
ly neat, and was peTvaded, through
all its tasteful interchange Of color,
with one quiet, natural hue, which
blended into a rich, yet simple whole.
Her face was so sweet, so modest, so
candid, that it put you in mind OF
magnolia blossom. She was appa-
rently about twenty years of age, well
formed, and decidedly stylish.
is this Mrs. Tratford ~ she askad.
ROsalth looked more steadily at
the new conner, and an unquiet feel
ing took possession of her bosom.
"Yes," she said, "wOn't you be seat
ed" and rising, she offered her visitor
Il chair.
The pretty Quakeress sat down and
eaZed with undiSguised curiosity at
ROsaitha.
49," she said, "you are ElIeray
Trafford's wife ,"
ayes" assented Rosaltha, once
more, hardly knowing how to accept
her visitors manner.
There was a moments embarrassed
pause.
"BIay ! ask" said Rosaitha, then,
"to what ! owe the pleasure of this
visit?"
"Oh, yes, certainly" replied the
QUakeress. "NIy name--my maiden
name that isis Dorothy DilwOrtn."
ROsaItha half rose from her chair,
the blood starting to her cheek. Then
she checked the impulse, with a half
smile at her jealous credulity, and re-
seating herself quickly, said:
81 have heard that name before"
"From Elleray, perhaps ~
"From Mr.. Trafford ?r answered
Rosaltha, with spirit. "NO; from
his sister, Miss DilwOrth.n |.
The next moment she regretted
having spoken i'm a harsh tone, for
lIeI visitor began to show very evil
dent marks of agitation. Her fine
blue eyes filled with tears, her expui-
site red lips trembled, and, pulling
forth her pocket handkerchief, she
aid her face therein for a few mo-
ments.
a wild, indefinite suspicion sprang
into R0saltha's heart, and she trem-
bed with the violence OF her feelings.
She constrained herself 10 rise, how
ever, to bend over her weeping visit
or, and inquire, with some appear
ance of sympathy, what was the mat
ter. For some time the young girl
refused to be comfOrted. At length
she raised her head-mOTe lovely
through her tears, thought ROsaltha,
than when her features had been eX-
pOsed-and looking with great effort
into ROsaltha's exclaimed:
"HOW can tell YOU >"
''Tell me what ~ exclaimed Rusal-
tia. "For Heavens sake, don't tor
ture me. Anything is better than
this suspense. What is there, Miss
Dilworth, that you have got 10 tell
me that I ought To know ~
You ought to know that this not my
name any longer. You hear the name
that have better right TO, and that
is"
"what?v exclaimed Rosaltha, in
Mortified tones.
''Trafford.n
ROsaltha Withdrew the hand she had
laid upon the girls shoulder. The
contact seemed to sting her with fire.
She reflected intensely fora minute or
two, and then her courage retured.
"YOu must be insane" she said
"Why do you eome here when my
husband is out? Why do you bring
me such a tale as this? You dare
not confront him with it. tits a false
hOOd.n
'DO look as though were acting
4 falsehOOd ~ asked the pretty Quak-
eress, raising her teaT-stained eyes to
ROsaltha's face. "No, Mrs. Traflord"
and her exquisite lips trembled again
-''what ] say is too true. 1 had no
opportunity 10 warn you before, or !
should hive warned. saw your ar
rival in the morning paper, and came
to YOU at once, at the risk of meeting
him. Forgive me if / render you
miserable; but perhaps my grief has
made me selfish. i have been miseT- /
able myself for the last year-ever
since he made his wife,
aCHfs wife - repeated ROsaltha. 1t
seemed as though the heavens would
burst, or the ground open at her feet.
tI swear to yOu l am his wife-his
true and lawful wifer continued the
visitor. at is nearly one year ago
since we were married. l do believe
that once, when ] was innocent Do
rothy Dilworth, he really loved me
After our marriage we lived together
happily Just one week. From that
hour to this have never laid eyes up