The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-06-12
dkeSttslEilg
The Rival Sisters.
CHAPTER |.

M, CranstoD, q very aCcomrtSin a N
DlaS Eenf a female school near B iIa
wolp GnIet town In New Jersey Inll
nIsss Sad been selected BY h S;.,d p.AH y
I IA mother Of one Of the Rival s sUaS, T. =
S sSr nome, On account Of her advent ~, u
pis,ton IN he character Of widow wa 4
t pIsu, sacsn,lv lost her husband, and sht
brSurht With her daughter, zen ,S ysS rit%
sse, named Hester who was pia'eu WIN
Iiss CranSton IS pupil .,,.,,o oh,,d
Heater Blake was remarkable Cnllu
WIs ot cranstou found her q curious
study. ..,..,.d all NAV 90 vel
LII berh thourhtthe old LADY, put Il
sHd tlie oninous shake Of tht
~ evnreSsed more than words.
Mn Biake had fifteen hundred dollars
year which she stated was derived IRON
n IN The South; but where i wa!
aItnsted. and in what place she had lived
beIore She made her advent 10 Blanton
w@a matter OF conjecture. NO amount
Of pumping had been successful IN eX'
tractirg such information from eltheE
mother or daughter.
For few years the stranger nVed a.
most alone, for her trlendless adven'
among them had not inspired her neigh
bors With much confidence 10 her antece'
dents: but as time went on, she won upon
The good opinion Of those around her, and
,tS t;ma NV story Opens, Mrs, Blake
was received as a guest by tho best taml'
lies in the village.
People did not trust her, but they ad'
mlred and pitied her; for they said "she
IA toodly to look OF, and she has evidently
been sufferer In the battle Of life" All
lfthey had known how, and under what
circumstances that battle had been waged,
lam inclined to think that the reputed
widow would have found few friends or
defenders In that strait.laced neighbor.
hood.
The cottage occupied by Mrs. Blake
stood about mile from the townr1t was o
comfortable house, with a veranda In
lront, over which Towering vines were
trained, and the large yard that surround
ed It was shaded by elm.trees. ="
She was now dreamily regarding her
daughter who stood in front Of a mirror
comblng out mass Of black glistening
hair.
The figure Of the girl was modelled Of.
ter that Of her mother: there was the
same perfection Of outline; the same sinu.
Gus, elastic movement; but the faces were
not alike.
She suddenly turned, and facing her
mother, said
1.-THE dull monOtony Of this place Is be.
coming uncomfortable to me- 1wish to see
something Of the world must see 1t,
mother" Ig
With q Sigh, Mrs. Blake said:
"Sit down on that low chair, and try to
be quiet while | speak Of things that
had almost determined to never reveal 10
YOU"
Hester sat down, and prepared to listen
10 what she had so long desired to know.
Mrs. Blake at length spoke: e.
"You ask me how 1t happened that I
was cast of by the man | adored s--why
he was permitted to wrong me so bitterly
as to bring to his home another wife
while yet lived and sutferedH
Unjust 60 back to my early life, and
tell you of myself before l became the
wife Of Armand Landry. My father was
q disslpated, reckless man, who owned a
small place near LIE Bocage, as the Ian.
dry plantation was called. Twas his only
child | was educated ia convent
school in France, till l was nearly eigh.
teen years old. Then my aunt took me
home, having already arranged mar.
rage for me. Twas not consulted, but l
did not rebel against it, for Claude Beltot
was young and good looking, and | pre-.
terred remaining in France as his wife, to
returning to the dizziness Of plantation
lite. - I
My father gave Inc twenty thousand
flames as my dover, and Beltot expected
to get much more from him. / think that
prospect induced him to marry me, Tor l
soon found that he was as indifferent to
me as was to him.
Indifference soon merged into con.
tempt on my side, and something like
aversion on his. We had evidently made
sWretched mistake, and we were glad to
separate by mutual consent, / returned
10 Louisiana, and Beltot went to Algeria.
when came back to my early home
Hound my father living as recklessly as
ever.
Among the young men who came to
bis house was Armand Landry. He was
Two Years younger than l, for he had not
completed his twentieth year when ] first
met him. &c soon fOrsook the gaming
table to linger near me, and LIVELY
was mad enough to give him the heart
my husband had never tried to win. I
loved him to that degree that I thought
Ille would be worthless unless it was
shared with him. ~
Armand seemed devoted to me but nd
never asked me to marry him. He knew,
mat his proud old father would look with
scoFn on the daughter of such MAI, as
my father was -"
MY father swore that Armand shohld
yet be my husband, and for that purnose
4e obtained divorce for me from Beitot,
was 50 infatuated that l cared little by
Mlat means Armand was to be ensnared,
provided became his wife. | entered
I1Io ht; plans, shameful as they were, and
S S9Ted myself to beuuited TO a man who
aaa been lured again to our house, and
wlen incapable Of acting for himself was
pronounced my husband by missionary
VINO mad been so short time in The colln.
W mat be knew nothing of the wrong
ae was helping to carry into effect, He
wy wy Drought to the house q few moments
I IsN ~ Ihe ceremony was performed, and
'eit Immediately atierward. n II y
"A time had been chosen when The Ella.
" Landry was absent from home, / be.
9eVed that Armand loved me as ttuly;as 7
did him, ' 90
1T was several weeks before he recnv.
cred all the natural energy Of his mind,
andl began at once to fear that he wonl1
permanently injured by the drug | mad
permitted to be administered to him. Bul
ne time came when he fully understood
me position In which he was placed, anC
Nen-such scenes as passed between Us
cannot describe. He tiercely resentedth
part had taken In nntrannincy him infa,