The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-12-16

what sha now felt Raa tar o., and
shrinking nom the very thing which sh
had once so hopelessly coveted, so vainly
sighed Tor ----.
But she had not answered his last ques
ton. Still, he did not seem surprised u
her confused look or OF her silence. Z"
see" he said presently; this won't b
altogether news to you. Well, it will b,
news to Maria, at any rate"
News to Maria Yes, she had no dOubI
II would be news to Mrs. Lorimer, AM
not Of an agreeable kind, And was shl
quite sure-the question flashed on her
that the news would be welcomed by her
sell, as she had fancled It must be? Sh(
kept silence and he went on.
"Ailer all, Priscilla, il you had any no
ton Of this, you might have given us I
hint, But perhaps Il was more pruden
say nothing about It, OF COURSE ht
saw her now completely puzzled look
you guess that Eve come to tell you
about the will" r
THE WHIP and she gave a gasp, o
anxiety, as 1t seemed 10 him, in reality, o
relief He had come, then; merely 10 tel
her about Mrs, Barker's will; perhaps OF /
legacy To herself; not To make anything
like proposal Of marriage She was re
lieved-shO was certainly relieved,
ITO be sure, the will. Mrs. Barker has
left you all her money. You have sue
ceedcd 10 forty thousand pounds"
CHAPTER ".
Miss Brown was once more alone in her
pArloT, seated ut her table, with the tea
tray and the cold teapot before her. Dir.
Dixon had gone, and she was left to real
lie To herself as she could tho news that
ho had brought her. Forty thousand
pounds Nobody had ever supposed that
Mrs, Barker was SO rich, though she was
known to be well off, And all this money
was now he's This was her legacy At
first she was 100 awestruCk To BIO actually
happy. II she had been lett q hundred
hounds she would have been able better
to realize and enjoy the idea Of such unex.
pected gOOdfortunC. But forty thousand
She was COMPOUNDED, awed, hali.incredu-
lous. She found herself thinking In va
cant, absent way, Of that additional half
penny which she would have 10 pay for
her next pound Of sugar, Then she re-
membere1 how indifferent Mrs. Barker
had been about the threatened rise in the
price of sugar and so, by degrees, she got
10 conceive OF what was to be her own
future immunity from all such petty cares.
" Robert says shall have fifteen hundred
pounds year." she thought, and another
standard whereby to measure her strange
new late occurred to her, She knew that
even Mrs. LOrimer had only six hundred
year.
She went 10 bed mechanically At her
usual hour she got up the next day and
wcntabout her frugal daily housekeeping.
She was not sure that she had not been
dreaming dream about having been LETT
a fortune. But before the, day was far gone,
there came 10 her sufficient confirmation
Of Mr., Dixon's news and before tho oven.
ing, she found herself deep in the ma%o
of strange law papers and law phrases,
and listening in meek, uncomprehending
bewilderment 10 the talk between the
lawyer and Mr.. Dixon, who had come
buck to see her, and whose proilered as
sistanCe In this, to her, overwhelming
embarrassment OF riches, sue was glad to
accept.
Miss Brown proved herself 10 be very
poor woman Of business. They were very
patient with her-both the lawyer and
the banker-and did their best TO make
her understand the meaning of the new
language which she had to learn; and
she was obliged to them for the pains
they t0oOk to explain things clearly, and
very much ashamed of her own stupidity
and muddle.mindednesS, and Of the trou.
bio she was giving them. When MIR.
Finch, tho lawyer, was gone, she tried to
apologize TO her cousin
-'"YOu see, Robert, l am as Ignorant
about all these business matters. am
afraid / am very stupid" MIR. Dixon
smiled indulgently; and As he looked at
her gentle, still sweet face, with It's OK
preston Of shy helplessness, perhaps
some remembrance came to him OF the
time when he used to take pleasure in be-
ing appealed to by his pretty cousin iol
help or enlightenment In her girlish dllti.
culties.
"You are quito clever enough for q wo.
man, Priscilla" he said, In what ho meant
to be o complimentary tone. ut doesn't
do for ladies TO be born lawyers. II Mrs.
Barker, for instance, had trusted more TO
her lawyer, and less 10 her own wisdom.
But IL doesn't signify much now, and 1t Is
all the better for you after oil. But how
ever, needn't say, Priscilla, that shall
always be delighted tn be Of any use to
you. Don't speak Of trouble" continued
Mr.. Dixon heartily, as Miss Brown again
made some apologize murmur TITS no
trouble; Its u pleasure 10 me TO do any
thing for you. Of course you wlllrequire
good deal Of advice, being, as you say,
80 unused to these matters; and though
Finch isa capital man Of business-yOtl
couldn't have your affairs In better hands
still, there arc many little things that
you might like to AYE o friends opinion
about, and you must apply to me, you
know. I'm always OF your service. Why,
we've been good friends all our lives, you
and ], and itwCuld be odd If weren't
ready and happy to be Of the least use 70
yOu.h And then, Mr.. Dixon looked OF his
watch, and shook hands cordially with her
and lastened away to his business not
dreaming that lie was leaving his cousin
lust at.the moment when he might have
been Of use to her, and when she really
wanted hin. But she had taken up so
much Of his valuable time already, that she
did not like to dCtain him longer, when he
seemed III hurry. Alter he was gone,
lnvpvcf. slln ant and fried hard, buthOpe-
lcssly, 10 think over and understand oil
she had been told. There was one thing
In particular which she puzzled over In
perplexity. Mrs. Barker had made her
own will, instead Of employing a law
yer to doit for her. This Miss Brown
easily understood was q serious folly and
tnisdemeanor on Mrs. Bakers part, and
sicli as she herself would never have
dreamed Of committing, Sill, the viii
was acknowledged TO 10 perfectly valid
one. What was wrong, them why
-t'a..tI At. Iai,,nt, 0nI Mr. Nixon have