Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-11-15

Winter had sped on, as if on icy
wings spring had unburdened herself
of greenest grasses and whitest bios
SONS, and now the fervid, glorious
midsummer days had come, when the
sky was one wide blue arch, and the
west winds blew coolly in the even
ings.
Everybody said it was the most de-
lightful summer they had ever expe-
rienced. Everybody had hied them
off to mountain side or seashore-Mr.
Lisle and Annie and Lena had been
and were summering in the White
Mountains and everybody - except
VIII Renton, seemed happy as lark.
And Viii was very unhappy-this
bright, breezy July morning, man-fash-
ion with his feet on his desk, and his
Office chair tilted to an angle of forty
FIVE degrees, with his pen stuck in the
curls behind his right ear, and his lead
pencil between his teeth.
He was very unhappy, and the reason
was-he was head and heels in love.
And not with Annie Lisle, either
When he thought of her, and what
were obvious Mr.. Lisle's wishes, VIII
was quite vexed with himself. But
when he thought of Lena's precious
face, every thought aed but perfect
thankfulness that his fate had given
him such blessing.
OF course, Viii would have liked the
twenty five thousand dollars; to be
sure when he first met Annie Lisle he
was elated at the thought of the double
treasure he might win. Then grad
ually, slowly, and surely, Lena Lisle's
sweet self crept into his inmost soul,
and he learned to know that instead of
wooing the heiress, the beauty, he had
been won by the poor cripple.
We must confess that, at times, VIII
had wondered if he would be ashamed
of the crutch she welded so gracefully;
and he would mentally compare her ir-
regular limp with Annie's free, gliding
step; and then he would hate himself
for the vile thought, and swear to him
self to guard his unfortunate darling
with his own perfect limbs, and work
for her till he could give her just such
a home as he had expected to take
from her cousin Annie. So under the
sweet sunnifying influence of Lena s
love, as yet unspoken, save by the
voiceless eloquence in her conscious
eyes, Viii Renton was developing the
best, the noblest traits of his charac-
ter, and he would smile at times to
think it possible he ever could have
thought of money winning him a wife.
He told Mr. Lisle the very day he
brought his uieces home. He listened,
in a silence that Viii resented little
as being dogged, and then commented
on it.
What on earth can you do with a
lame wife? She'll be burden'to you
as long as you live"
Wills cheeks flushed at the thrust.
mo, sir" he retorted, quickly.
Lena will never be burden to me.
We love each other too well"
"Oh, it's all cut and dried, then?"
His eyes began to twinkle again.
Its agreed between us, Mr.. Lisle.
if you are willing"
You'd better have taken Annie.
She's just the wife you want, Wilbur,
gay, dashing, and rich, mind you"
Il know it, sir, and | regard Miss
Annie as a prize for some lucky fel-
low; but l assure you I'd rather have
my wife little lame Lena, a thousand
times"
"Crutch and all, and be poor as a
church mouse ?"
Mr.. Lisle spoke very dryly, and vii
bit his lip to retain any unbecoming
language.
When Mr.. Lisle passed Wills desk
that afternoon, on his way home, he
nodded at Will.
Run down tonight. / suspose it's
to be, no matter what / say"