The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1873-01-04

If and travel there unexpected 1 recko
d one fine gentleman won't be quite s
down on her father when his own neie
has got his son, hey, Mary?"
:, Not much of get" said Mar
saucily.
But VIII gave heroine for her imperti
It nence, and they cried quits over tn
: punishment.
t The preparations for Letty's marriage
with the rich possessor of Mounsey Parl
3 were still going ON in languid intermit
3 tent sort of way; the girl protesting, tn,
l mother insisting, the man persevering
and expressing himself confident as tc
: the future. Meanwhile, George Ratclif
, came back to Market Hill, and his pres
ence, while it comforted Lefty, served to
make all things more confused His
firm refusal to be dismissed ON anything
short of her expressed desire, and Mrs.
Dormers as firm refusal to allow of his
the tfsil1a place, ai WHICH jadf ssIf;,,
But no one knew of the exact rights of
there was hitch somewhere; that Lefty
looked miserably i'll, and George Rat
cliff miserably unhappy; and that of the
whole quartette concerned, Mr.. Noun
sey of Mounsey Park, was the only one
who kept any appearance of content or
seemed, as the doctor said, as if he could
eat "A mutton chop without choking. He
never spoke to any one in confidence.
He was not the kind of man to give his
confidence. But he often said as a mat
ter of course, to his neighhors, When
l am married, L Will do so and so; that
must wait till we have come back from
our tour; when 1 have my wife at Noun
sey Park, this and that will be better
arranged" all said in the quietest and
most positive tone imaginable, the tone
of a man, who, as he himself said,
. rode to win.
One day Lefty was standing in the lit |
tie mourning room, to which latterly she |
had retreated rs place of refuge, her |
mother having the fine lady's natural |
disinclination to sit in anything but the /
drawing-room. Here she was hiding in
sad mood enough, thinking over her
position, and wondering how she could
get out of the net that was being daily
drawn more closely around her when
her mother came in.
g Lefty, she said, abruptly; " things
have come to a crisis, and now you must
decide our future"
Mamma! l have decided" answered
Lefty, with her weary air. Why Will
you torture me so cruelly?"
The cruelty has not been on my
side, said her mother, g said so once
before, and say so now again.
1t would be hard to make me believe
that, said Lefty
"Sol then I must tell you the whole
truth. Listen, Lefty; if you had been
obedient, and done as you ought, you
need never have known IT, 1 owe Mr..
dounsey several thousand Of .,rn.s<k
.eed against me. That Is all. . is%Y
simple question of our utter ruin-,yio1l
and mine together, Letty-or Your feo >,
senting to be his wife. Now, leave my
tate IN your nanoS.
"You mean in fact, mamma, that you
have sold me to this man" said Lefty,
With a strained, unnatural calmness;
q and that must pay the price-by my
self
you may:.call it what you like, Let
ty; but why choose such unpleasant
terms The fact is the only thing to be
dealt with unfortunately for us both.
Unfortunately-yes indeed : sighed
Lefty, still with that strained look.
-" But must speak to George. 1 can
do nothing, say nothing. without him.
81 don't see much good in going to
him for advice, said her mother, irri-
tably "It is your affair, not his. J"
" Mammal demonstrated Lefty.
Well, my dear, so it is. The ques-
ton is one alone which you can answer.
VIII you marry Mr.. Mounsey, or must
1 be ruined and rendered penniless for
the remainder of my life? That you
have no love for me, L know"
Here Lefty raised her large grey
eyes with plaintive look, saying, in
deprecatory manner, Mamma, 1 do
love youl You know that 1 dol'
''rBut, continued Mrs. Dormer, in a
martyr spirit, sweetly self-forgetful,
:" if you have no love for me, you sure
ly have some family pride; you would
scarcely like your fathers name you
loved him) to be dragged through the
mire, as it must be-"
"Oh, mamma, mammal cried poor
Lefty, breaking down in sobs and tears,
edo not mention poor papa's name in
the business; there is sacrilege enough
in it without thatr'
" You are hard ON me, Lefty" said |
Mrs. Dormer, tears In her eyes, too, |
"but perhaps have deserved it, and it
will make matters better for you-I am
sorry for you, my poor child" with a |
genuine burst of feeling rare in nefs~
Then the two women, the ice broken, |
clasped in each others arms, sobbed out
their grief in concert, which at least de-
stroyed the coldness that had sprung |
ND between them and made them part |
ners in suffer in suffering; not, as form
erly, antagonists and enemies.
While they were sitting there, both |
feeling the sacredness of the anguish of |
the moment, the servant came to tell
them that Mr.. Mounsey was in the draw
ing-room, the time of his daily visit
having arrived.
Lefty, what am 1 to say to him?"
asked Mrs Dormer, drying her eyes.
yet still weeping; "am 1 to tell him yes
or no ?" He has come for his final an
swer to-day, and dare not put him off
any longer"
''I cannot, mamma, till L have seen
George" sobbed Lefty. eff it is only a
question of thismoney, George may help
us. So long as thought you wanted me
to marry for settlement only 1 did not
mind refusing you; and could not put
George forward; I could only remain
true to him, and hope for the future;
but if it is money, that can be paid of,