The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-11
rHx RIVAL SISTERS.
CHATTER ].

rHE RIVAL SISTERS.
CHATTER ].
..rr,prrr ROT DANGEROUS HEROINE.
ria. crxnston. q very accomplished wo-
- ksnA a female school near Bianton, q
49, go. IN New Jersey. This place had
80 49, ss,scted nv Mrs. Blake, the mother Of
IN. r. the Riyai Sisters, % her home on &C
ccs,ns az the reputation Of the school. MIS-.
H,sirs made her advent in Blanton In the
chersefer OF q widow who had recently iosI
her husband, and she brought with 1 nsi :"
asuehter Of ten years Of age, named aes, ICY
Who was placed with Miss Cranston ~ ~"
Hester Blake was a remarkable cnila. L.,
Niss rranston fo,lpd her curious s'uuy;
GW ahs 40 NOT tempted, all may go Men
,~sas her thought the old lady; !" put II siie
&C. and the oriinous shake OF the heau GA
r,S,asxsd nore than words.
No. rake had fifteen hundred dollars
,.s- which, she stated, was derived ron
nSoperty In the South; but where u was sil,
xsted. and In what place she had lived before
she made her advent in Blanton, was mat
Ter M conjecture. No amount OF pumping
bad been successful in extracting suct IN
formation from either mother or daughter.
For few wears the stranger lived almost
alone. for her friendless advent among tnenl
bad not inspired her neighbors with mncn
confidence in her antecedents; but as time
went on she won upon the good opinion OF
those around her, and at the time my story
epens Mira. Blake was received as guest ny
the best families In the village. j,
People did not trust her, but they aaihil ,,ll
and pitIed her; for they said "ahe IL gooais
20 look at, and she has evidently beeh sui,
ferer in the battle Of life" All II they had
known how and under what circumstances
that battle had been waged am lncilneo 10
think that the reputed widow would nave
found few friends or defenders in that strait-
laoed neighborhood.
about mile from the town. 1t was com
Portable house, with yeranda In front, over
which Towering vines were trained, ana the
isree ward that surrounded 1t was shaded by
elm trees.
She was now dreamily regarding her
daughter. who stood in front of mirror
combinp out mass of black glistening hair.
The figure of the girl was modelled al
ter that Of her mother-there was the same
perfestion of outline, the same sinuous,
elastic movement, but the faces were moi
alike.
she suddenly turned, and facing her
mother, said: a..
1.-The dull monotony Of this place Is De-
coming uncomfortable TO me. l wish 10 See
something of the world must nee IT,
mother"
With sigh Mrs. Blake said
"Sit down on that low chair and Try 10
be quiet while speak of things l had III
most determined never to reveal to you
Hester sat down, and prepared to listen 10
what she had 80 long desired to know.
Mrs. Blake at length spoke:
"You ask me how it happened that was
cast of by the man adored why ne was
permitted to wrong me so bitterly a. 10
bring to his home another wife while YET
lived and suffered?
~ must 60 back to my early llie, ana ten
YOU of myself before i became the wife OF
Armand Landry. My father was dlssipa-
tad. reckless man, who owned small place
near Le Bocage, as the Landry plantation
was called. I was his only child. i was
educated In convent school in France till
was nearly eighteen years old. Then my
aunt took me home, having already arranged
Q marriage for ME. was not consulted, but
I did not rebel against it, for Claude BeltOt
was young and good-looking, and pre-
ferred remaining in France as his wife to re-
turning to the dizziness of plantation life.
"My father give me twenty thousand
francs as my dover, and Belt0t expected to
get much more from him. ! think that pros
pect induced him to marry me, for soon
found that he was as Indifferent to me as !
was to him.
Indifference soon merged into contempt
on my eide, and something like aversion on
bis. We had evidently made wretched
mistake, and we were glad to separate by
mutual consent. / returned TO Louisiana,
and Belt0t went to Algeria.
"When / came back to my early home
found my father living as recklessly as ever.
among the young men who came to his
house was Armand Landry. He was two
years younger than l, for he had not COM
pleted his twentieth year when l first met
him. He soon forsook the gaming table to
finger near me, and well, was mad
enough to give him the heart my husband
had never tried to win. loved him to that
degree that I thought life would be worth.
Lsss unless 1t was shared with him.
Armand seemed devoted TO me, but he
never asked me to marry him. He knew that
his proud old father would look with scorl
on the daughter of such man as my father
was.
"My father swore that Armand should vel
be my husband, and for that purpose he OBJ
mined q divorce for me from Belt0t. / was
90 infatuated that / cared little by what
means Armand was to be ensnared, provided
became his wife. entered into his plans,
shameful as they were, and allowed myself to
be united to man who had been lured again
20 our house, and when incapable of acting
for himself was pronounced my husband by
missionary who had been 80 short time in
the country that he knew nothing of the
wrong he was helping to carry into effect.
He was brought to the house few moments
before the ceremony was performed, and left
Immediately afterward.
"a time had been chosen when the elder
Landry was absent from home. believed
that Armand loved me as truly as did him
at WIS several weeks before he recovered
all the natural energy Of his mind, and be-
gan once to fear that he would be perma
nsntly injured by the drug had permitted
to be administered to him. But the time
came when he fully understood the position
In which he was placed, and then sucf
scenes as passed between us / cannot de
scribe. He fiercely resented the part haC
taken In entrapping him into marriage thai
would be odious to his proud father, aud de-
clared that he could never forgive me.
"Vainly tried all my powers of fascina.
ton to enthrall him and win forgiveness
from him.
"As soon as no was we'll enough to leave
tbs house he went off In search of his father,
In spite Of all could do to detain him. His
father instituted proceedings for divorce
after sending Armand to Europe to make a
tour In company with MIR. Russell and his
two daughters.
when heard that, was devoured with
jealousy; for Ellinor Russell was the young
hdy who had been chosen BY Mr.. Landry for