The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-01-26

1.-THE poison of asps is under their lips,''
"A lie that is oil lie may be met. with and fought
But lie that is part truth is harder matter to
nght!'
-4$""'''"'
CHAPTER II.
Marion Elliot and Eugenia Archer
were the daughters of Mrs. Beale, by
her second marriage with a Bengal off,
Ger Of little repute and less fortune, but
whose handsome face (the sole legacy
he had left his children) had been the
successful means of inducing the we'll
to-doe widow, Mrs: Algernou Frederick
TolIemache, to forget what was due to
the high.souuding name she bore by
sinking it in his own.
Not that Mrs. Beale ever permitted
those who associated with her to for
get what she had been, or lost an op-
portunity of impressing on her daugh-
ters how extremely grateful they ought
to feel for the sacrifice she had made in
their behalf. And as the sudden fancy
she had conceived for the handsome
officer, many years younger than her.
self, whom she had honored with her
hand, gradually died away, and her
eyes became opened to his real charac-
ter, her regrets for what she had so
easily resigned became more poignant
and moso public, and her affections
seemed to return to the past and cling
there. 1t was chiefly, perhaps, for
this reason that she always appeared to
favor her daughter by her first marriage
(also married woman) more than eth.
er of her younger children, and that
every thing that Antoinette .Lennox
did, said, or wore, was accepted by her
mother as pattern Of good breeding
or good taste.
It is certain, however, that during
the term of Captain Beale's reign he
did not take much pains to make his
wife forget the past in the present. He
was selfish and extravagant, and, though
he had married her with a very nice
little fortune, he died leaving nothing
behind him but Ash Grove, few
thousands which he had been unable to
touch, and the Bengal Military Fund
for the maintenance Of his daughters
Now, the Bengal Fund differed frou
other funds in this particular, that it,
female members were compelled eithe,
to 60 out to Calcutta at the age Of eight
cen, or resign the benefits they receiv
cd from its benefits, which in any cast
they gave up on becoming wives.
Marion Beale, the elder of the sisters
by five years, had received an offer o
marriage, just before she reached tha
age, from a widower of the name O
Elliot, for whom she had formed
strong attachment; and she was there
fore at once married to him, and tn
necessity Of the voyage to India provid
ed against. But when, five years later
it was announced among their circle Q
acquaintances that Eugenia-so tende
and so pretty-was about to be consigu
ed to the care of friends of her fathe
in Calcutta, and make the long journe
by herself, many people said it was
shame Of Mrs. Beale, and that she wa
surely rich enough to have been able
keep her youngest daughter with he
at home, even though she had to re
sign the assistance Of the Bengal Fund
Mrs. Beale apparently listened t
none of this, She was not rich, an
she had a sure though secret drainag
on her purse, which made her certail
that she never should be so therefor
Eugenia's fate was fixed, and her pas
sage-money paid.
The girl herself dreaded the Who'll
affair. She could not bear to part fror
her beloved sister Marion, whose hous
had been as much her home as wa
Ash Grove she shruuk from the pub
licity, from what seemed to her tn
shame, Of the proceeding; and she te1
that natural sorrow and timidity whic
all experience when first called upon t
leave their friends and native lane
Notwithstanding which, Eugenia reach
ed Calcutta in safety ; and she had nc
been there long before the letters hom
of her friends, the Grahams, were file
with accounts Of her conquests and oE
portunities.
, Her mother and sisters therefor
naturally expected that she would max
a grand match, and were consequent
disappointed when they heard that h<
! choice had fallen on certain Hsnr
: Willoughby Archer, who was simply
clerk in the firm ot Andrews & Carde,
merchants Of Calcutta the truth beinl
that there was no choice in the matte
but that the unsophisticated girl VI
so bewildered with the unusual atte,
, tion she received that she was hardI
in fit state to judge of the r
Atiye merits ct the various e.nd
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