Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-09-05
MRS. FRANK.

y IIalN .'a u.s. mn one knew; and as Mrs. Cripps
( sur ,',,i,om milliner and pOstmistress, said
ine Mo''I,,'r p"rnes the Tector's wife, ''lt was
4 70 VI I,rly awkward thing not TO know
+ party 4, ,,as when YOU came to think of il.
s NIlCli i;,Ic was known of her old home or
A'iors A. MS of her legal patronymic. If
itplsiI"5 sI come from the clouds she could not
H que p''I 'IIronned into Mentham and Fairview
Dar s,difnly. or with more mysterious apt
rc.' ~, ,os TO be Supposed said Mrs. Cripps,
rn.cnling public opinion on the matter,
y .t Sourc 'Iapp the owner of Fairview,
." .,,i,fci. But il he was no one else
WI, ond he should have considered his
rC,hbors feelings ,
& alto hirh against Mr.. Tapp; and the Men
& gamtrs were disposed to resent It as per.
'nn,i nilront that he should have let one of
s Ir;r pcticst places to stranger win no
81 "orr sponsorship than had this monosyllabllc
,. Frank. What did he know of her
& ,..r n,,. a.Erd Indignantly of each other Moth
s @ ~" shsnlutely nothing and to know moth
lL' o,. conivalent to knowing-eycrythng
Nr. Frank was young and pretty; two
If .,,, offences in society composed mainly
81 /, unmarried ladies of a certain age, with a
s nnlo Of disappointed bachelors in leash.
s yo,n, pretty, alone, reserved, unhappy, and
s. ,a, ,on rich. the Menthamites were convinced
lc ,,as no GOOD, and that if every one had
.or her due, and moral Obliquiiies were
n rni.brd like legal ones she would be some
& ,,lrr, now in a mOb-cap and gray wOOlen
'l,a.. nicking Oakum behind grating. The
ool, ncrson in the place who expressed his
6g9 brlief in her responsibility was Mr..
+ traces the surgeon. But then Mr.. Graves
# vo. an odd man not accounted quite sound
m mi, theological views, and vaguely sus-
,,rtcl of an amount of liberalism--it was
81 l,r,l bv another name in Miss Cripp's back
,orlor which, if Mcntham could have veTi-
sJ rs snspicions, would have Mr.. Graves
ook elsewhere for patients than among its
4 ,,f. and orthodox homesteads. So that his
advocacy did the newcomer little or no good,
and was even regarded as one suspicious cir
runsance the more. For, you see, he was
not an old inhabiant like Squire Tapp or
Z Mr. Inmcy, the two sappointings bachelors
Il who had held the female world of Mentham
IN divided allegiance for all these years but
i omparaiiyely newcomer, and not well
,nown even now, though he had been some
4 unr years in the plsce, and had had every
q family more or less through his hands in the
E time And when it was remarked that Mr..
B Gmyc, and Mrs. Franks soon became eX-
& peiiugly intimate, and that the reserved,
81 mr,Nyoccd surgeon spent good deal Of
F M. .mrc time at the pretty little woman $,
II N,ulbm assumed IN attitude of indignant
Il pprobaiinn; and If there had been another
VI H. G.. S within hailing distance, John
Y Graves would have had but barren time of
o here
Indeed. there was lalk of some public kind
.g4. uY,1 gI,n trrnNplVr
81 ri,i In his mind as to the propriety of allow
n. thr newcomer 10 stay with the rest on
x sacrament Sunday but he took counsel of
hc rural dean, and so was fain to content
81 himself by a scOrching sermon, which, sup
posing that Mrs. Frank was all she was held
ohe would scathe her pretty sharply She
N bore The test, however, without any public
sli-brfayal; and the Menthumites wondered,
" when they came out, whether it was innO-
tncr or hardened indifference that carried
q hr Through.
Il wa, a'sill summers evening when Mrs.
u Frank and John Graves were walking by the
II frcr-ide. A hundred yards or so below sal
n llr Cripps, snugly cnscOnSed within hel
& arhDr half an old boat set up on end and
+ sound on such an evening travels far with the
Fl stream
II cannot, John, | would do anything
yoU told me- as you know but tins is toe
Arl said tlle wOman's soft voice, in a pit
eoi~ kind of entreaty.
You must, Aline. What is the use Of mt
if you will not let me guide you!' was hi'
rpy made stcrnly.
We'll, I'm sure said Miss Cnpps will
. her sharp nose in the air, "they have not los
4 h,ir time, ut all events John and 'Alinc
+ indeed; and she not here six weeks, th'
MINK
But such terrible step, said Mrs Frank
'll is for your own good, answered hel
n companion. ''If you refuse, you know wha
can do, Aline, and in your interests mark
in your interests, Child-what ! will do.
He spoke strongly, harshly, and so ia
seemed to have OvcrbOrne Mrs Frank, TO
Sic did not answer him for some moments
Then Size said-'When is he coming, John 2
And Miss Cripps fancied there were tears ii
the soft voice.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow Oh, John! dear John
"AIinc, you must he brave All depend
90 your lirmness and courage.
Aid have so little of either, and you an
Ac 50 much, she said, sighingly.
why do you couple us together ?" sal
Mr. Graves, angrily. "You know have II
pudiatcd him Tomorrow is the last time
will ever see him, and the last time you sha
EVER see him too"
"Ah, John! it is all very well for you
lr 50 stern; you are not a wOman-yOu cal
not tell what feel y said Mrs Frank
- am not woman, as you say, child, br
csn understand what you must feel at you
association, remote as il now is with such n
Dnrrdcemed villain as he is /! answered job
''mycs, with that hard and vicious kind
rooncss which betrays so much in man.
NO, no! not that-more weak than wicl
I'd, she pleaded.
Il don't think Lucy Manners thinks so,
said Mr. Graves, the surgeon, grimly.
And then Miss Cripps heard the unmistak
able sound of sobbing, with a confused kin
OF whispering, as if he were trying to con
fort her, as the two Ietraced their steps an
went toward Fairview.
"l thought there was something bad abol
her from the first, said Mrs Cripps, trump
unily and now I've found her out As II
That Mr. Graves, he's past praying for, and
always thought so. only hope the poor-la
guardians will hear of it, and put anoth
man in his place, the serpent! And to thin
OF her being such minX-oh, the bad br
zen creature.
The next morning Miss Cripps was stirriI
hrrines, and watching carefully, The OF
1lms that ran between Mentham and Heat'
mIlway station went past her house, bTingil
Hl, mailbags among other things, and som
Times passengers who became dodgers al
.omeiines boxes of millinery for her own u
In trade. To-day it brought the bags, as us
al, and two boxes of the sweetest trumpe
lefon could produce but of the three &C
h,ncn travelling outside never lodger
hrr houTh Che felt convinced that wrupu