The enquirer southerner., 1874-08-21
TRULY NOBLE.

house, where children 5 voices chat
tere! from dawn to dusk, and
under the gateway of which laden
wagons so often rumbled, filed with
weighty -four sacks.
The eaildren had spoken all day
in eazieSsShispers, and the wagons
had not come near the mill. out of
respect for Godfrey Stone, the
miller, who lay dead upstairs; the
strong, hearty man, who seemingly
might have lived for years; aud yet,
by one false step on ladder which
he mounted many times each day,
had met his end. - -
There was no mother 10 whom
the two startled children run, iii.
their first horror and grief Mrs
Stone had died at Eta, the baby's
birth; but for al! that the little ones
were hiding their faces and moan .
ing out their laments for poor
father" on woman's breast. r,.
Gnnor Morris was but seventeen,
a fair, slight, golden>haired girl;
no relation Of the dead man, no kin
to the little weepers, yet, withal, q
true mourner. -... ...
Godfrey Stone had been good to
her, she would have told you, the
while she smoothed the hair of his
orphan children-had taken her, a
little, destitute orphan, and tended
and cared for her these thirteen
years. He never knew when he
lifted the child off her dying moths
er's bed that she was of good, ay,
noble birth, and that in after years
titled relatives would write to him,
and offer money for the home he
had granted to the desolate babe.
He scorned the offers, and pressed
the child closer to his side. Ncyer>
theless, he did not refuse for her
advantages of education, such as
he, country miller, could not find
for the little girl; and Ganor went
to school such as became her sta
ton, but always spent her holidays
at the Mill house.
She grew up graceful-nay,
!!o,sU y; and by~aad-Sy y the Ifenor6 :
bic Mrs. This aud my Lady That,
felt a twinge of remorse about
'pocr Algernon's child their
young connection, and would write
and ask her to their grand London
houses; but Gaenor, who by this
time knew a little of her own
history, would never 60 to them.
They had been cruel to her mother,
young governess, whom ''poor
Algernon' had somewhat foolishly
married, lived with happily, though
anxiously, in cottage at Marion
for two years, and then left forever
in this world, carried off by fever.
Algernon's wife and child were
totally ignored by his family; they
hardly took any notice of the
mothers death, and it was accident
which disclosed the fact at last, that
the child was living on the charity
of country miller.
Negotiations then began, which
ended in Gaenor's being educated,
and the small sum of G100 a year
being settled on her, with the grudg-
ing permission still to reside with
her humble friends,
And now came new light into
the girls life. Charles Cardonell,
the young artist, who for the last
two autumns had taken up his abode
in the village inn at Marion, asked
her to be his wife. GeofErey Stone
shook his head at first there should
be no repetition of her parents
story, he said to himself: : every
thing should be straightforward.
So letters were written and in
quiries made, and the Cardonell
family graciously signifed consent
in Charles choice, and then
Geoffrey signed, and gave his word
too.
"You won't go empty handed.
my girl" he had said to G@nor:
"for, besides your own bit of money
you are my eldest daughter, too
and will share alike with little
Geoffrey and Eta; but | wish they
had left you to me bit
Matters had only just been ar
ranged, when that terrible day cam'
which changed everything, ant
turned Marion Mill>house from tn
busiest, gayest home in England
into a silent, sorrow stricken dwell
ing. Ganor felt almost as stupif
ed as the children; the death, tn
funeral, the sudden sense ofrespon
sibility, seemed to weigh her down
this shock of all was light by com
parison, though told in awe strucl
whispers to her by the old lawyer
: Godfrey Stone, though he kne'
it not, had left his children almos
penniless. Some speculation
though secure, had failed, and tn
day after his death the tiding ha
reached Marion.
Ganor smiled.
/" [ am glad he never knew" st
said.
1 1 The lawyer thought her unfee
! ing.
"Ah your hundred is safe,
he said; "of course that could NJ
be touched; and your approachir
T marriage With Mr.. Cardonell wi
provide for you; but the children
Aud tho mill Should he kent {