The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1874-09-26

| her father, and their NUMBER was le'
gion, no word had ever been returned.
She wrote to Fox for her fathers adj.
dress and months afterward received
the following badly spelled and worse
worded letter
New ORLEANS, mo date.)
! ''Onord miss; Yure letter onlcy just
got me. Yu want yure fatherses direck-
shuns but it cant be dun, he ses don't
Civ it to no won and concekent don't,
respeks to yu onord miss and hops yu
! air vel. j. Fox
In her disappointment at his refusal
| she wrote for him to come and see her
or she would 60 to him, and now Fox
was here, had been with her for several
hours, but VIC have seen, from her tears,
that she was no nearer the father she
| loved.
Miss Malabone did her best to COM
fort her, and finally, at Virginia. re-
quest, wen1 down to Mr.. Fox. lie was
not particularly pleasant looking per-
sonage, and could not be easily forgot
ten. His speech is not what one would
expect from his letters; it was the lido
matte talk Of the Southwcst-un-
cultivated but nothing more.
"What does Col. Mason want me to
do with his daughter!" she asked, after
the few commonplace remarks that had
to be made. ':Shc will graduate in
few months; what will she do then?''
ole says she'd better stay right here.
ma am, he don't want her near him, and
allows you could board her and look
after her if he'd pay you lib'r'ly for all
| ct ceteras.'
''Then he does not intend ever to
take her to live with him?''
':rhat's just the point, ma am; he
don't want to see her.
did you tell her this?''
':Pooty much; not quite SO sharp like,
but gcncr'lly held out them idees."
''Then Col. Mason wants me to keep
her until she chooses a home Of her
own?''
"'Chooscs'! Such as how?'
"Supposing she should marry, by and
by?"
''If she was joined to man as you
could honestly chum with, her father
would pan out liber'lly, and be mighty
glad to see her settled down.
There was more talk to this effect
and it was made plain to Miss Malabonc
| that the girls father was really educat-
ing her from sense Of duty, but had
no intention Of ever seeing her or car
ing for her personally. The picture
she drew Of him was IF a man over
whelmingly selfish; so selfish that he
nurtured his sorrows and disappoint-
ments, and occupied so much time in
plying himself, he had neither sym.
pathy nor love for any other being.
Fox had another interview with Vir-
ginia, but this time in the presence Of
the preceptress. He reiterated his re-
mark that her father would never let
her come to him, and tried to make her
understand that Brightwood was to be
her home.
When he had gone, the school rou-
tine was resumed, all-both teachers
and pupils-happy that their favoritc
was to stay with them. But it was
soon noticed that Miss Malabone' even
ings came much more frequently than
had been the habit of old, and Bright.
wood came to look upon these enter
tainments as gala occasions. Of course
the young men Of the village were con-
slant attendants, but Miss Malabone
was careful to show those of the fast
set that her ''eyenings' were not for
their benefit. She had a duty to the
children's parents, she observed to a
friend, and must not admit any young
men to her parlors whom she could not
wholly endorse.
In all these gatherings one girl was
pre-eminently the most beautiful, the
most accomplished, and the most &C.
cessible. Miss Malabone was trying to
fill mother S place to Virginia Mason,
and was determined she should have an
opportunity Of seeing the world, or at
least that much Of it that was to be
seen at Brightwood. Special efforts
were made to gain the interest of the
best people for her, and to have her
place in society assured. Of course her
story was we'll known, and consequently
society received her with open arms.
often wonder how the Lady Tippinses
Of society can continue to gush as they
do, but it is fact that they can call
up any amount Of latent enthusiasm
whenever anything in the line of senti.
ment is whispered in their ears. They
''dote on sentiment long after the
time that they should be telling their
beads.
And Miss Malabone was destined to
be successful much sooner than she
hoped. She was gratifed when, a
year later, Morton Lowe. only son Of
Judge Lowe, came to her with his
story Of love, which was reciprocated
by Virginia, and asked her to commu.
nicatc with Colonel Mason upon the
subject.
She wrote to Fox, and that gentle
man answered that he had orders tc
settle fifty thousand dollars on Vir.
ginia whenever she made marriage
which Miss Malabone approved, and
consequently there was no need, az
there would be no good, in writing te
him.
But Virginia could not let the matte,
drop thus. Her own happiness but
made her fathers life seem more miser
able. She could not think of giving he1
life into the hands of another without
at least one word from her father. He
was in her thoughts morning and even
ing, and at last her lover set out to fine
him.
; 1t was vague search to start off up
on. The only clew he had was Fox's
; st. Louis address, but when he called
at IL Post place, he was confronted
with the information that the family
who lived there refused point blank t
tell where Mr.. Fox was to be found. OF
to give any information regarding him
None Of the neigh bors had ever seer