Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-05-15
SAVED BY STRATEGY.
ny REEEccA FORBES sTuRGIs.

stupendous fraud, a trick, Or WHAT"
And Doctor Pomeroy stared, almost yacantly
at the close-written sheet held in his hand liz
read
"Doctor Pomcroy, will not apologize for the
unparalleled service am about to ask of yol,
suffice to say that l have heard your history
heard of your struggles to maintain Yourself ant
All invalid mother and realize how hard tasl
it is for one so Young in the profession ani
without friends in the great wilderness OF
honses called city. Also, permit me to add,
have been informed of the crne blow you re-
ceiyed from the hand of one you loved, whc
was unworthy OF you; and yet am not acqnan
| ted with yor. nor you with me- Indeed we have
| never looked upon one another's. face. Never
theless / am abont to request You to do me q
great favor. Will you come to South Street
Church tomorrow evening at eight O'Clock
| Come privately, unattended and never revea
| that which takes place there. Will you give me
| a stranger, lawful claim to your name, and
| yet seek not to know whom You marry 7 If yon
| will do 70 / will make to you fifty thous-
| aud dollars, payable to your order at ulie CITY
Bank, as soon rs the ceremony lis over. Trust
| ing that the money will be temptation to you
] shall anxiously await you at the appointed
| time"
| That was all. There was no signature--notli-
| ing to give any clue to the writer's address or
| abode. Indeed it was no terse and no unfemi-
nine in ,ts details that he tempted to be-
| lieve some of his male friends were playing a
| joke on him,
| II will not go-I will not be fooled - he said
| to himself.
| He flung the missive down, then lie picked it
up folded it carefully, and thrust it in his pocl-
| He remembered that he had patient TO visit.
and went out but everywhere the contents of that
Il, ap,. Ha fI,o,,
went to see his mother, She was suffering even
| more than usual, and number OF dunning bills
had been left for his earliest consderation-bills
which he had not the most remote idea how he
was to meet. lie threw them down and buried
his face in his hands.
"Poyerty is a curse, mother !" he groaned.
81 do not know which way to turn y
She tried to cheer him, but in vain. Every
where he turned hopeless chaos seemed to Gil
"All, if that letter were only real - he
thought. " Fifty Thousand dollars would make
me rich J"
And so he fretted and worried until the ap.
pointed hour came-one moment vowng he
would not 60 near the place, the next tempted to
see the :" farce" out.
Eight o'clock found him stealing in. He saw
two ladies', closely yelled, and a gentleman,
standing in the upper part of the building, while
| the minister sat i'll II chair. There WAS but one
gas. jet lighted, and he could jnst distinguish the
forms. Az soon AZ he entered. tile gentleman
spoke to one OF the ladies. and then she ad-
vanced to meet him.
Are you Doctor Pomeroy 2 she asked, in
low tone
" | am"
She led him mp to where the gentleman stood,
ard lie extended his hand.
% How do you do. Pomeroy Z" he sal ; and
Pomeroy recognized in him the President of the
City Bank, +" am here by the request of this
young lady, pointing to the one who had now
moved or spoken, % to inform YOU that il you
n her prppnaitip | Vop mi to nos,
to your order the sum of fifty thousand dol
lars r
pomeroy tried to speak but hia voice was
choked. 1t was no fraud, it was reality-he
was to bid farewell to poverty
He stood motionless for moment then ad-
vanced and offered his arm to the silent lady.
She took it without a quvef and went to where
the minister awaited them
The ceremony was quicltly performed. Doc
| tor Pomeroy registered his name, and then look
ed with considerable curiosity at the plain sig
natnre /" Ellen Iatour," which his bride wrote
down. The minister hastily filled out a certIii-
cate, which he had brought with him by request,
and which the maid and the banker signed as
witnesses. The bride took it, kissed it, and then
thrust 1t in her bosom. One moment more, and
the two glided away swiftly from sight.
Doctor Pomeroy then wiped the perspiration
from his brow, and asked:
"Who s she?'
al do not know" said the minister. IL was
requested, by letter, and paid to perform the
ceremony and keep it secret. 1t ID perfectly
lawful"
"And l, said the banker, " did not see the
ladys face. She deposited the money with me,
and requested my attendance here, to assure
you that her promise should be fulfilled"
The three men separated the gas was turned
out the curtain fell on the first act.
The next day Pomeroy, tried to realize what
he had done He had sold hH name to an un-
known woman, but lie thought that could not in
| lure him.
"She must have been i'll deadly peril" he
meditated, 81 to pay such an exorbitant price for
a simple name ~
He took an office further up town, and moved
| his mother to nicer home Patients came
| pouring in a different class employed the rich
| Doctor Pomeroy THAI those who had employed
| the poor one.
| Five years passed away, and he had gained
reputation, and added considerably to his bank
| account. He had been an indetatigabe worker,
| and now he felt that he needed rest for awhile.
1--WE will take trip to Europe. mother, he
said. "It will do you more good than you can
| imagine.
great many gentle hearts felt pang to see
| the good doctor" leave, although their endea-
| vors to catch him had been i'll vain. He felt no
| preference for any of the opposite sex he had
| recovered from his disappointment and he never
| ceased to remember that he was married man.
| or TO think kindly Of the unknown woman who
had 30 radically changed his life.
They travelled leisurely through the tour they
| had marked ont before they started, and one
1
About the middle of the night the doctor
was awakened by some one tapping at the door,
and calling for him to come out.
He did SO. lie found the landlord, who told
| him, in broken English that one of his country
| men had just failed down stairs i'll lit and see
ing his name registered AS an NJ. D., they called
HIM up.
He went into an elegantly furnished room,
where a man, some fifty years of age, was lying
| in dying candition.
A young lady sat near the bed tanning him.
The doctor hastily examined the patient and
found that it was impossible for him to live, but
the day passed, and still another, before he drew
his last breath. He never recovered his con-
| FciousnesH
The lady told Doctor Pomeroy that he was
her father. His name was Eugene Sydenham,
native of England, and she would like to have
him buried whore he died. They werc travelling
for the benefit of his health, she went on to eS-
plain, and he was widower. Her only remain.
ing relative was sister, who was being ednca-
ted in the Convent of the Sacred Heart, in Par
is.
After Mr. sydenham was buried, Miss syden-
ham went under the care OF the doctor and his
mother to Paris She insisted upon them
| IoIa 1ybpra ala had