The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-07-02
was never more serious in my


life."
81 can't believe it of you"
!" Ii you give up the money you will
give me up, too"
"Then dearest friends must part /;
you are not the one 1 took you for"
Z" I'm your best friend, however"
Ell couldn't follow your advice and
satisfy my conscience"
"Then you love your conscience bet
ter than me-"
81 could not love you, DEAR so well,
Loved not honor more"
"Let me persuade you to keep it.
"You cannot the woman doesn't live
who could"
"Let me come and talk to you"
"You may come and talk till the
heavens fall"
"Shan our interview take place at
your aunt's ?"
"With Liz at the key-hole and Belle
at the closet slide? No; hire at the
Office. The messages are too inirequent
to signify only you and I have kept the
wires from rusting."
"But all that is at an end. To-
morrow, then, at the Office. Amt I a
disinterested mortal to travel to Jones
Station Just to persuade you to keep a
| fortune ?"
excuse me if 1 call it a fools er-
rand"
Philanthropists are always called
names. IA reUOir."
Pearl waited at the office next day in
| a fever of expectation. What would this
| friend be like, whom she was about to
deny herself, this friend whom she had
| once lOnged and now dreaded to see
persuasive, and difficult to resist, with
| soft dove eyes? Every step upon the
stairs sent quickened pulsation through
her being yet she was already absorbed
in her reverie when the office door swung
open and admitted a dark-browed wo-
man. In an instant the color famed and
fiickered in PEARLS cheeks, her eyes di-
lated, her hands trembled, bat the dark
brOwed lady calmly wrote message and
made way for the gentleman who had
entered behind her-a somewhat short
and thlckly built man, with large gray
eyes and curling blonde hair and mus
tache, whom Pearl instantly recognized
as Squire Cables nephew. Again the
warm flush stained cheek and forehead.
Had he come to upbraid her? Had he
come to demand his own, to appeal to
her sense of justice? What if Lucy
LOrillard should meet him then? Why
! not steal a march upon Lucy and put it
utterly beyond her power to be per-
suaded? Not that she doubted herself.
| Why not, before he could demand it or
reproaeh her?
Excuse me" she faltered, elf take
this time to speak to you about matter
| that troubles me. You are Squire Ga
ble's nephew, l merely wish to say, as
L may not meet you elsewhere, that do
not mean to accept the fortune left me
in his will. l shall restore it to the
rightful owner as soon as the lawyers
can arrange it."
'YOur motives are cOmmendabIe but
| do not disquiet yourself" returned the
! 'SquiTe's nephew. "AnOther and later
| will has been unearthed, which renders
| your somewhat QuixOtic design unneces-
sary, as the requests are now reversed !;
have the fortune and you the $500.
Pardon but have a message to write. I"
Which he scratched hastily off, and gave
to Pearl, who presently dropped in a
heap into the nearest chair and burst
into tears at the discovery that Lucy
Lorillard was a man
The telegram read
Let me persuade you to accept not only
squire tables money, but his graceless
nephew. LUCY LORIIIARD
set was perfectly inexcusable, I allow"
Lorillard averred, later but what car a
man do when a pretty girl wishes him q
happy New Year I took pains to sat-
isfy my eyes many time and oft, and
found that she was more than fancy
painted Der. And as for the rest have
my maternal grandfather, one John
Lucy-peace to his ashes Ito thank for
the legacy of his name, which I always
despised till 1 found out that Pearl Sill
verify loved nobody else so we'll as Lucy
Lorillard."
And SO. you see, Pearl was persuaded
after all