The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-01-13
CoURTING THE HEIRESS.
S6XXTELL, declare - said Miss
w Chirrup, in shrill whisper.

| another
It was Rollin Vests will that the two
were discussing. 1t was very brief and ex-
plicit
~ bequeath my entire estate real and
personal, to my niece, Ruth Morgan"
This with date, signature, and attesta-
ton, was all there was of it,
The Misses Chirrup and Cbirk were too
distantly related to the testators to have
entertained any considerable hope on their
own account. A trifling reminder, in de-
ference to family etiquette, was as much as
either had right to expect. But that
Rollin West should have left his whole
fortune to one of his nieces, to the exclu-
sion of the other, whom everybody had sup
posed to be his favorite, took more than
the Misses Chirrup and Chirk by surprise.
Mr.. West had been for many years
widower. His children had all died in in
fancy, and couple of orphaned nieces
cousins to each other, and reared under his
roof, constituted his household. That his
large fortune would be left to them equally,
was point people took for granted but
should any discrimination be made with
them, nobody would have hesitated to say
it would be in favor of Millie Granger, her
uncle's pet, whose blithesome smiles be
had been wont to call the sunlight of his
life.
Miles loving heart was too full of sor-
row at her uncle's death, and of gratitude
for his kindness in bygone years, to leave
room for any feeling of reproach at his last
unaccountable act, which the Misses CHR
rup and Chirk SO earnestly protested
against.
An elderly maiden aunt came to live
with the two young ladies, and the house
hold remained unbroken. Except the
changes caused by the vacancy in their
home, the lives of Ruth and Millie con-
tinued as before.
1t was not until the cousins had resumed
their places in society that Millie began to
notice the difference made by her altered
prospects. 1t was Ruth now, and not her.
self, that was the centre of attraction.
To be rid of the common herd of fops,
and to bc no longer pestered by their silly
flatter, Millie felt it was a thing to be
thankful for. But when Orville Ryors
turned his back upon her, and Joined the
ranks of her cousins admirers, she must
have been other than woman not to feel
it,
Mr.. Ryors was the pet beau of Billing
dale. Handsome in person, accomplished
in manners, and of fascinating address, he
was not one whose attentions were likely
to prove distasteful in any quarter, and
when they were directed toward Millie
Granger in manner sufficiently marked
to excite no small degree Of envy, we need
n not be surprised if instead repelling, she
just little encouraged them.
1t would have required a closer analysis
than Millie had ever made of her feelings
to show her how little she really cared for
Mr.. Rogers, and how much she cared for
Arthur Warren, whom she had known and
liked since they had played and, sometimes
quarreled together in childhood. But
Arthur's self-examination had gone deeper
He devoutedly loved Millie, and kneS it.
If he had never said SO outright it was
from motives of delicacy, prompted by the
difference of their positions. She was a
prospective heiress he was without for
tune, and void of expectations, save those
whose realization depended ON himself
Having never spoken out it may be that
Arthur Warren had no right to feel ag-
grisved by the attentions paid by Mr.. Ryors
to Millie. He should have remembered
that the young gentlemen who have moth
ing to say for themselves are not privileged
to stand in the way of others who have.
But Arthur was not reasonable. He was
not even candid. He quarrelled with Millie
on the score Of 0rville Ryofs, without a
word of explanation as to what concern it
was Of his If she married that gentleman
the next day. ri
Now MilIie was girl Of spirit. She not
only refused to decline Mr.. Ryors' atten-
tions at the unwarrantable dictation Of
Arthur, but received them with rather
more encouragement than before.
People began to say it would be match
soon, and it might have been, had not
Miles uncle died. For Mr.. Ryors, as we
have said, was very attractive person, and
Millie had not sufficiently scrutinized her
heart to be aware that her chief interest In
him sprang from the pleasure Of having
hiumphed where so many others bud failed,
and disposition to assert her own will.
When Arthur Warren left his native
village without 40 much AZ calling To bid