Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-02-20

beneath the blow that had so suddenl,
grief to theirs?
And now Lottie flew to her own haven
the arms of her mother, and there wept the
first tears her burning eyes had shed.
Shocked, and for some time incredulous
Mrs. Warde, with infinite patience and
tenderness, sustained her child during
those hours in which her anguish was al
most more than she could bear.
Never again would Lottie accuse this
dear friend and comforter of being want
ing in sympathy. Who else would have
borne so kindly with her wild bursts of i'm
patient sorrow-her restless pacings to and
fro-her passionate complainings? Who
else so skillfully would have taken advan-
tage of her better feelings to bring her to
her knees, and teach her to bow her head
to the Divine will ?
elbow good you are to me, darling moth
y" she sobbed, when Mrs. Warde had
prevailed upon her to lie down, and was
bathing her aching head; land, indeed, [
don't deserve it. I have been so selfish, so
ungrateful, that if you knew all my hard
and bitter thoughts you would surely
cease to love me at all ~
Mrs. Warde's only reply was to stoop
and kiss her and that kiss uprooted the
last fibre of selfshness in her child's heart.
Never again did Lottie let vanity stand in
the place Of duty and in the midst of her
trouble she could be humbly thankful that
this dear mother was still all her own.
All that night she wept and bewailed
herself, but when morning dawned and she
saw how weary and exhausted Mrs. Warde
was looking, Lottie put her good inten-
lions in practice and restrained her grief.
While her mother rested, she moved
quietly about, dressing the little ones,
whom her altered looks and swollen eyes
awed into unWonted soberness; nor was 1T
till every task had been accomplished that
could spare Mrs. Warde fatigue, that she
seated herself at her mothers feet and
wept herself into the sleep of exhaustion.
But stronger arms were sustaining her
when, with a start, she awoke. 1t was not
the mild face of her mother that bent over
her and smiled at her it was Charlie Nor
ison himself, and for moment she believ
ed herself to be in a happy dream.
''Can it be you ?" she asked Wistfully.-
''Speak to me, for l know not what to
think, nor what to believe"
"You may believe that Charles Morrison
has committed no act that disgraces him, y
said her rejoicing mother, who stood by
"Need we tell you ?"
Lottie pressed her hands to her head,
and looked from one to the other, till the
tender smile on Charles lips conhrme the
tidings.
81 seem to be too much bewilder ed to be
as glad as I should be-" she exclaimed
cam really awake ? has here been no
robbery after all =? That dreadful newspa-
pAr-why did believe the paragraph l
heard Sir John read from it.?"
''Sit down here, you poor, pale child, -
said Charlie, ''and let me help you out of
your mystifcation. I think it began the
night before last, when sought you at
Sir Johns to say good by before | went on
a hurried journey, and to tell you the two
fold object of it,
II had heard, dear. that the man who
was the cause Of all your fathers misfor-
tunes was at Birmingham and Messrs.
Smithson freely gave me permission to 60
there and see whether my remonstrances,
and, if those failed, my threats to expose
his nefarious proceedings, would induce
him to do justice to your fathers widow
and orphans"
'And you succeeded -
beyond my expectations. I have just
had the pleasure of putting into your
mothers hands sum tina will enable her
to educate her children with comfort"
Lottie was obliged to interrupt him that
she might throw her arms around Mrs.
War de's neck, and congratulate her rap
turously. Then Charlie himself had to be
thanked in loving, fearful whispers and
then so many pleasant little plans were
discussed for the widows future that some
time elapsed before they required to the
explanation.
ssWhen [ had completed my own bust
ness, Messrs. Smithson desired me to go to
Sheffield and make some inquiries there for
them. The drift of these scarcely under
stood when 1 started, but I soon discover
ed that they had reference to certain sus-
PIGEONS they were entertaining"
''But not of yoat, Charlie %
''No, love; they have never had any rea-
son to doubt my integrity, and they have
Just proved their confidence init, by prom
ising me an increase of salary. But an
other of their clerks, led into temptation
by love of gayety-."
II see it all now," sighed Lottie. ''Poor
Austin ~
Charlie resumed: my father, for whom,
as an old friend, Messrs. Smithson sent, to
assist them in breaking the news to his pa
rents, can scarcely bear to speak of the
scenes he witnessed. Mrs. CraWley is very
i'll, Lottie. The truth WAS concealed from
her as long as possible. 1t was not until
lIuo 1eot lS1u SIG lettIlG Glldt ~ Wdo w uoelI
the tale of her sons guilt that MI. Craw-
ley was summoned to the city; and it ap
pears that no one had suspected how, while
Austin was believed to be quietly sleeping,
he had packed a portmanteau and stolen
out of the house in the dead of night, to
embark for America"
And so Lottie's joy in her betrothed's
innocence was tempered by the knowledge
that if his parents mad been happily spared
such deep sorrow, others were enduring it.
She spent her Christmas Eve at Clap
ham, but not in the dove-colored silk
She was clad soberly in the dark merino,
and heard, with dropping head and atroub-
led conscience, Mrs. Morrison tell her how