Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-16
Which was the Heiress.


picture, framed in by creeping vines and
swinging sprays of clematis-that was
the last glimpse that Henry Dalmayne
caught of Lillas Raymond on the sum-
mer evening when he went away to seek
his fortune.
He had found it already, in a certain
sense-in so far as man may find treas
ure-trOve in the rich abundance of a
woman's loye-for Lillas loved him, and
Lillas' heart was gold mine in itself.
She turned and went back into the
house with the glistening dew of tears
upon her cheek and a mournful QuiYer
on her lip.
How silly am !" she murmured to
herself. cit will be but for year or
two at the furthest, and he has so much
more to endure and battle with than l."
And Lillas repined at the fate assigned
her in the great play-bill of the world.
1t was hard to realize the truth of the
blind poets words, that they also serve
who only stand and wait. ="
If she could have worked to earn
money and help him; if she might also
have been privileged to bear a weapon
in the strife. Alas it is so hard to sit
still and count the seconds which must
elapse ere the crisis of our fate dawns
upon the leaden horizon of life.
So Henry Dalmayne went to London,
and Lillas stayed behind to bear the
separation as best she might.
Engaged, eh? ?" growled old Mr..
Peckham, Henrys matured uncle, whose
skin had turned yellow from the refec-
tion of much gold, and whose heart was
harder than the marble of which his
mansion was built. Nephew, you're a
fooll Engaged-at two and twenty :"
But, Uncle Ralph, she is the sweet
est girl you ever saw !"
Sweetest girl Sweetest fiddlesticks!"
roared out the irate old gentleman
''There, . there, don't talk sentiment to
me- I've no patience with it."
Henry was silent The glitter of the
frescocd ceilings the flash of silver and
cut glass-the exquisite aroma of the
rare red wine, and the velvet flush of
hot-house peaches, became distasteful to
him, all at once Uncle Peckham had
promised to make his fortune for him
but Henry was not at all sure that he
wanted his fortune much, on these
terms. One glance, one smile from
Lillas-were they not worth all these
hollow pageantries
" Here, " said Uncle Ralph, tossing
card across the table. I've got an in
vitation to Lady Bruce's party tonight,
you'll meet some people there that are
worth the knowing !"
Henry Dalmayne hesitatcd it was the
evening he had set apart in each week
for writing to Lillas. She would miss
her letter-but. after all, it would only
be one days delay He could write as
well upon the next night
So Henry Dalmayne went to Lady
Bruce's, under the wing of his uncle, the
wealthy stockholder.
i" Well !" quoth Uncle Peckham, when
the festivities were over, and they were
sitting once more beside the bright fire
that shone and sparkled like deep-hued
rubies beneath the carved arabasques of
the marble mantle in the rich mans
dining room; chow do YOU like Sarah
Esterbrook p
Very well, sir"
every we'll" sarcastically MINI
licked Mr. Peckham. "Do you know
that her father is worth a quarter of
lis he, sir?"
." Is he sir! Henry" roared the old
gentleman; Il believe you're a fool
Why, there are a score of the wealthiest
young men in town who would give half
they possess-aY, the whole of it, if
need be-for the smiles and glances
Miss EsterbrOok vouchsafed to you this
very night"
She was very polite, sir, said Hen
~, with rather OF a puzzled look;
but"
ll D,l;+ot, A,,J ,,ro,- ,,,I,o = ,,,o,,lI ,ro,,
have Mr.. Dalmayne Do you want a
woman to tell you out and out, in so
many words, that she likes you, before
you can take a hint?'
Henry colOred like a girl. 1t was i'm
possible to be quite insensible to the
charms of this fiattery, the more es-
pecially as Uncle Peckham was not or.
dinarily one who " buttered his phrases
as the expression goes.
@ Yes, my boy" went on the stock
broker, tapping the table emphatically
with his finger ends she does like
you! And I'm not the only person who
has noticed it.
"But, uncle, she is so plain :"
= What of that? All women can't be
Venuses, and the prettiest of them have
a grinning skull and crOss-b bones under
their pink and white skins and fair eX-
teriors. Beauty is only skin deep"
Henry thought of pretty Lillas, with a
thrill of tender recollection. Miss Ester
brook, with all her golden charms could
never hope to rival her
Yet, as the weeks went by, his
thoughts and ideas inscnsibly changed.
The yellow lustre of the gold-worship-
ping atmosphere in which he lived
seemed to warp him round the egIface- =,
glitter of society; ideaS gradually mp
rooted the old dogmas and aXloms OF his |
faith. And one evening, car
ried away by the witchery and enchant-
ment Of the hour he proposed to Sarah
and was accepted.
Congratulations poured in upon him
the next day.
you're the luckiest dog going, Dal-
mayne,' cried one.
q only wish | were in your shoes"
echoed a second; and Henry dazzled by
the brilliancy of his prospects, believed
that he was really a most fortunate 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 counting house
desk" cried Ralph, joyously rubbing
together his lean and wrinkled palms.
& A young man of enterprise and reso-
luton can accomplish anything he sets
himself about now a-days, especially If,
like you, Dalmayne, he happens to be
tolerably decent-looking.
A man does not usually degenerate
into a villain all at once; and when
Henry Dalmayne sat down to write to
Lillas his frame of mind was probably
far from enviable. But he got the let
ter written somehow. He wrote that no
answer would be expected and no an
swer came.
Three months after, just as the prep
arations for the much talked of Ester
brook-Dalmayne wedding were culm;-
mating, he CHANGED to meet John Hawley
in the street-John's mother lived on
small place adjoining the Raymonds'
farm. Dalmayne stopped, with real
pleasure on his face.