The Ottawa free trader., 1874-01-24
Sarah, do you know where Mr. Phenix

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IS can find where he lives by looking in the di
G rectory | shall leave here this evening, an(
S ! advise you to pack your trunks at once
Annie went to her room, but it was only t.
put on her bonnet and shawl. She knew
that directory stood on her brothers table
u and she soon acquainted herself with tn,
l. place of Mr.. Phenix's residence What sht
was to do there Annie could scarcely have
told; she only felt that she needed such guild
ancc as her father would have given, ano
, that she had often heard him name Mr. Phe
nix as man whom he thoroughly trusted.
Annie found the house-found Mr.. Phenix
y for, as we have said, it was yet early, and h,
was not so active at sixty five as he had been
when John Bell had known him. We will
not dwell upon the interview which followed
between the honest old merchant and the
young girl inquiring what was the ,jo5,
way-the straight though narrow path which
few, it must be confessed now follow. Mr.
Phenix remembered his visitor as a child
and to her appeal "Please to tell me, lust as
my father would have done, what I oilgbt 10
do" he answered gravely: That will de-
pend, my dear young lady, on what your oh
lject is-whether to keep all you can legally
for yourself"
"Oh, no. no." interrupted poor Annie
with almost passionate emphasis, "I only
want to be honest, and, if can, to save other
people from suffering by Robert"
] Then there is no doubt that the house,
which is not yours by bOna fife sale, but only
by conveyance intended to put it out of the
reach of his creditors, to whom it had been
exhibited as part of their security, ought
to be given up with your brothers. other
property, and that your claim on his assets
should be put on par with the claims of
other creditors"
And how should l do this-I an so 10.
norant>" =
You must choose some person to act for
! you, ana give nm power of attorney"
! "And would you-AIr Phenix, for nv
fathers sake-would you act for me-"
, II will for your own sake; but now tell me
where YOU are going, and on what Won are to
! live until this business is arranged:"
Il don't know exactly. Sarah told me
could 60 to her fathers with her TIL things
settled down, but then she thought that
that"
That YOU would sell the house and furnl
Iure, and he n rich heiresS; but now that
your riches are about 10 take to themselves
wings what can you do?"
| think | could be n gOverness, perhaps.
Ior teacher of little children in school, or
| could embroider, or color Photographs"
Poor Annie's heart grew faint, the radi.
ante all faded from her eyes and the color
from her face, as she enumerated thus her
little accomplishments. They seemed so
very little, and such a long, dull tract of
lonely toiSome life seemed to stretch out be-
fore her while lowering above it cleaned
and gllstened in mocking brightness the life
of love and JOY which would have been hers
as Randolph BryanS wifc-a life never now
10 be hers, for his father will never consent
to his wedding one who brings with her ne
ther riches nor good name:'
Poor child you are faint-rest Yourself
and will call Mrs Phenix."
But Annie would not be DELAYED; action
she felt, was the best medicine for her grief
The arrangements were soon completed that
were necessary to make Mr. PheneX her
agent-Aer trunks were packed-and then
came the important question, Where shall
| coy'' Sarah had departed in a rage with
what she termed the absurdity of Annie's
proceedings, accusing her of unsisterly in
seDsibility, and assuring her that neither
Robert nor she would Interfere with her
hereafter since she had found another ad- |
visor. Annie was not wholly destitute, for |
there still remained in her purse nearly three |
hundred dollars of the last money which |
Robert had paid her, as a dividend on her
might have lived with tUlerable comfort for
some months at E, but in New York she
would be more likely to obtain such employ.
men, as she could honestly engage to per
form. But where could she hope to find
home at once cheap and respectable-she
who had never entered O boarding house in |
her life: Her painful thoughts were inter
rupted by Mrs. Phcnix, whose kind heart
had been stirred by her husbands narration
Df his morning interview with Annie Come
to Us, my child, for the present, you want
quiet; things will shape themselves by.ard-
by-we will help you to look for employ.
ment; 'and 50 these good Samaritans poured
)il and wine into the wounds they knew Of
here was one they knew not Of which was
Training the life blood from the young heart.
Annie had accepted separation from Ran.
lOiph Bryan; as Il consequence less of her
poverty than Of the disgrace which had fallen
)u her name, she had accepted it with mute
despair. MY father values an honorable
name more than millions Of gold" were
words that rang in her ears even in her
lrcams
Randolph Bryan had fastened home. on
wings supplied by love and hope His father
would be angry, doubtless, at his marrying a
Northern girl, but he could not refuse him
what he would see was so necessary to,his
happiness, and he would love Annie as soon
as he saw her. She was just what his father
most admired in womuL. As usual, hope
had told a tfattcring tale. Mr.. Bryan utterly
refused to listen to his son. Randolph grew '
angry said willlul words, and SO threw a
darker shadow around Annie's image in, his
fathers mind. Thus, one morning in. the
second week after Randolph's return, found {
the father and son sitting in almost silent
over their late and luxurious
breakfast The mailbag was brought in,
and, opening 1t, Mr.. Bryan tossed contemptu-
Dusly TO his son letter bearing the New
York postmark. Randolph tore 1t open, and
sat in utter bewilderment over the few lines
in which Annie, with a quietudc which
seemed coldness,, released him from every
claim he had given her upon him. Poor
child how she had striven TO suppress the
cry of her heart as she wrote; there was just
he one crushing tact-he was nothing 10 her
now; what need oi criesy she could die
silently. Randolph, too, was stunned. He,
90, saw only the fact-lhey were parted
wherefore? He looked to his father and saw 9