The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-03-19
PUBLISHED EVERY
TIL URSDAY EVENING.
My Stepdaughter.
BY ELLA WILLIAMS.

81 suppose you have broken the
matter to Eleanor ?h / said to "my
widower" only three weeks before We
were to be married.
al could not do 1t after all. We
may as well surprise her, and it will
be all over at once" said B1r. Eustace,
stroking that handsome beard, which
had been one of his great attractions
to me.
"I verify believe you are afraid o.
your own daughter, Your long delay
makes me unhappy, yes, miserable y
Il am sorry, but rather like yOui
scolding, Lizzie. have always been
who would not move an eyelash ifthe
heavens fell"
sis Eleanor one of that sort ?"
eyes, the oldest girl In the world,
wish she had little more nonsense
about her."
"I have enough for two"
"I give thanks for it. You are
mot too bright or good,
For humRnsnatures daily iood.'"
"The compliment may be well
meant, but it sounds doubtful. IshalI
never trouble you with perfection. Do
you think our marriage will make
Eleanor unhappy ?"
'No-yes-1 don't know" said Mr..
Eustace, on the rack with my perverse
questions.
"How will Hugh like it?"
ooh, he swesrs by Eleanor he will
take his cue from her."
"Then 1 shall make two wretChed
by going into your home"
"What Is the use of talking about
it? We love each other, and tbat's
enough" said "my widOwer" crisply,
in what suspected would be his mar
ried tone. Mr.. Eustace stayed as late
as young lover, and hoped most
heartily that his daughter did not sit
up for him.
scolded him no more on that even
ing, but when he was gone I crept
very silently 10 bed with q little sis
ter, and did more hard thinking upon
the case of Eleanor Eustace than
1 had ever spent on her father.
had a vision of the tall, pale, dig
nified girl II had seen her once in
ehurchl suddenly dunn bounded by
the sight of an actual stepmotner.
It was not too late to Ienounce him
for her sake, but could do il? was
the eldest of five sisters, nearly all
grown up, and beginning palpsbly to
crowd me ont of the home nest. Mr..
Eustace was the captive Of my bow
and spear, the first and only one. We
were family of hearty, not TO say
boisterous manners, terribly prone to
call spade spade. / was already
twenty-eight; il would be fearful or
deal to be the old maid of our sister
hood. And, after all, Mr.. Eustace
would be sure to go further, and Ele-
amor might fare worse.
But at least 1 might have the grace
to warn her of her fate. 1 rose up in
the small hours and lit q candle, in
fear and trembling, for ] think this
must have been the first deed done in
secret in our house. I put pen TO pa
per without waiting a moment, lest
my courage, like Bob Acres, should
ali ooze out of my fingers ends:
"DEAR ELEANOR EUsTACE: Your
father is going to marry me three
weeks from to-day. He will not tell
you, and I feel that must. J. believe
IL will be almost as hard for me to en-
ter your home as q second wife as Ii
will be for you to receive me.
'Ever your friend,
"LIZZIE MORTON"
Iposted this deed of darkness before
daylight, and on the second day the
answer was handed in to the break
fast-table with other ietters:
"MY DEAR Miss NORTON: Your
kind note Of the 18th is received.
"Yours sincerely,
"ELEANoR EUSTACR."
That was all. Ihad sent her q bit
of my heart and she returned q stone.
In my anger 1 tore the dainty little
note into shreds, and cast them into
the fireplace. My little sister picked
out the pieces ard tried putting them
together like q disseeted map. She
made out the name "EustRce" and
announced it triumphartly.
';Did he want you to elope with him
before your wedding clothes were
done ?n asked Haviland Morton, our
naval cousin, who stayed with us be-
tween voyages. . ''1suppOse you would
sooner give him up than do thatm
al should hope So" said mother Sc
verely, with an eye to the younger
girls. "Secret marriages never turn
out WELL"
81 am not so certain, saving your
presence, auntie, }" said RavilRnd. "It
seems to me all that girls marry for
in these latter days is the fuss and
new dresses. It would be delightful
thought to take to sea with me that
my love and I belonged wholly to
each other, and nobody knew 1t. I
would not have so much as pair OF
white gloves to distract our attention
from the beauty and glory of the main
fact"
We all made up face at Haviland's
absurdity, and went to try on my
new dresses.
1 said no more to Mr.. Eustace of his
daughter, thinking all the more; and
the wedding-day came like all days,
If you wait long enough. We were
married at noon and Mr. Elstace
drove me in his carriage the ten miles
that lay between my old home and
the new. As we approached the lat
ter, he grew absent and restless. l
knew by fellow feeling that he was
thinking Of his daughter, but would
do nothing to relieve him; he deserv-
ed half an hour of misery.
Eleanor came to meet us as her
father opened the door, girl who
might have sat for Tennyson's Isabel
the world hath not another
OF fsuch finished, chasteRed purity.
My first feeling, as I stepped across
the threshold where another woman
had ruled before me, was very meek
one. If that woman had resembled
her daughter, how could her husband
find ANYTHING to admire IN me?
"My darling Eleanor" said Mr..
Eustace, and paused. 1t is amazing
how affectionAte people become when
in distress.
"My dearest girl, this is s."
"Mrs. Eustace, l believe" said Flea
nor, holding out her hand to me with
q faint sweet smile. ''Sball you like
to go to your room first ?"
/ followed her upstairs, leaving q
very daZed-looking husband in the
hall below. In all the appointment
of the room / saw the delicacy Of
Eleanor's taste. "You have been too
good" 1 said, taking up vase of tea
roses TO hide my embarrassment.
'Not at all. You will be my guest,
| you know, until you can gulde the
house for yourself"
''l will be anything, If you will not
look so terribly resigned. You may
scold nae every day for marrying your
father, if only you will like me a lit
I tie at last"
was in quite little flush of emo
tion, but the ineffable calmness Of her
manner, as If she had reduced every
thing to its lowest terms and left not
q superlative in the world, steadied
me in moment.
'cI think shall like you very well, T"
she remarked as she left me. When
Mr.. Eustace came upstairs, he was
very happy.
"Don't you see, Lizzie" he said
chow much better it was to let the
thing come to pass naturally than for
me to have q scene with Eleanor
beforehand i? She had probably heard
of the marriage from outside people"
"I suppose so," said, allowing Mr..
Eustace to plume himself on his delu-
sion, since it amused me and did not
burt him.
Eleanor not only submitted to me,