Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-03-13

III l'cooiciS w w N'ipS ii'pSiclblS W tll
charms Of this hattery, the more es
pecially as Uncle Peckham was not OF
dinarily one who "buttered his phras
es," as the expression goes.
eyes, my boy went on the stock
broker, tapping the table emphaticall,
with his finger ends "she does lik,
you! And Pm not the onl y persol
who has noticed it."
"But, uncle, she is 50 plain!"
"What of that? All women can
be Venuses, and the prettiest of them
have a grinning skull and cross. bones
under their pink and white skins ant
fair exteriors, Beauty is only skin
deep"
Henry thought ofpretty Lillas, witt
4 thrill Of tender recollection. Miss
Esterbrook, with all her golden charm;
could never hope to rival her!
Yet, as the weeks went by, his
thoughts and ideas insensibly changed
The yellow lustre of the gold-wor-
shipping atmosphere in which he lived
seemed to wrap him round the surface
glitter Of society; ideas gradually up.
rooted the old dogmas and axioms Of
of his youthful faith. And one even
ing, carried away by the witchery and
enchantment Of the hour he proposed
to Sarah Esterbrook, and was accept,
ed
Congratulations poured in upon him
the next day
"You're the luckiest dog going,
Dalmayne," cried one.
81 only wish | We're in your shoes ~
echoed a second; and Henry dazzled
by the brilliancy of his prospects, be-
leved that he was really most fortu,
nate man.
For, according to popular rumor, he
was going to marry one Of the richest
girls in London! and Uncle Peckham
took to himself all the credit for the
whole affair!
"This is better than plodding on
ones whole life long behind a count
ing-house desk !" cried Ralph, joyous
ly rubbing togetherhis lean and wrink-
led palms. "a young man of enter
prise and resolution can accomplish
anything he sets himself about nova
days, especially if, like you, Dalmayne,
he happens to be tolerably decent
looking"
A man does not usually degenerate
intosa villain all at once and when
Henry Dalmayne sat down to write to
Lillas, his frame Of mind was probably
far from enviabe. But he got the
letter written somehow. He wrote
that no answer would be expected, and
no answer came.
Three months after just as the prep
arations for the much-talked of Ester
brook-Dalmayne wedding were culmi-
mating, he CHANGED to meet John Haw-
ley in the street-John's mother lived
on a small place adjoining the Ray
monds' farm Dalmayne stopped,
with real pleasure on his face.
"John, is it you? Stop, a minute
and tell me the news!"
"There amt much news" quoth
John, rather coldly. In common with
most of the neighbors, he was inclined
to think that Henry Dalmayne had be-
haved very ill. Except that Lillas
Raymond is well, and prettier than
eyerI
"AhT T.
"And Squire Ingoldsbys son is
pretty attentive in that quarter" went
on John; "and old Robert Raymond
died out in India last winter, and left
Lily a clean thirty thousand pounds.
'Did he )? am glad OF that !"
So Lilly was an heiress, after all.
Would it not have been better-but
Dalmayne resolutely checked the half
formed conjecture in his mind He
had put his hand to the plough-it
was too late to look back now. Yet
he wondered if Arthur Ingoldsby
would value, as he had done the price
less treasure Of Lilas' love.
He told himself that he was glad
things had happened as they had; but
he knew, spite Of it all that he would
have felt better if Lilly had pined af-
ter him, just little! All women are
alike, and all men-pshaw there was
no use in troubling his brain further
about the matter
Uncle Peckham met him on the
threshold one morning with troubled
look.
"Have you heard the rumor, Dal-
?"
mo"
"Well, of course it can be nothing
but a rumor? The house of Estabrook
& Esterbrook is too well established
to be shaken by mere fall in French
stocks"
"What do you allude to ?" he asked,
scarce comprehending his uncle's
meaning in the abstraction Of his
mind.
"Why, people are whispering about
that the Estabrooks firm have failed
And before the sun went down on
Change, the whisper became trum
pet voice-the rumor was true. Esta-
brooks & Esterbrook had failed, and
Dalmayne was engaged to a penniless
bride
Henry Dalmayne, though weak
and vacillating man, was no scoundrel.
He married Sarah Esterbrook, and
lives with her now in a Cover street
lodging house, daily growing more
and more weary of his life, while in his
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