Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-04-08
LOSS OR GAIN.
BY ANNA SHIELDS.

OF hotel a. fashionable watering
place. He was in a corner hidden
by dropping vines, and his face ex-
pressed deep and apparently painful
thought. The refrain of his sad mus
ing was:
sOnly ono person in the whole
world to love me, and | shall lose
even that love now y
| On the other side of the summer
house, divided from the side the old
| gentleman occupied by rustic par
tition, two ladies, young and fair,
rustled in, and taking out some fancy
work, settled down for chat.
One was tall, and dressed 10 pref.
ty costume, that was at once youth
full and matronly the other was
petite, blonde, and not more than
eighteen. Mrs CORTLAND spoke frs :
Embroidery Alice r. she said. "a
handkerchief corner. For your
trousseau {?
YES" and the sweet voice falter
ed, while burning blush crimsoned
tho fair young cheek. rs it not
pretty 2"
every. | want to talk about your
prospects, child. Your Aunt Marcia
tells me you are making splendid
match"
"Dii she? | think 40, Blanche.
Malcolm is so noble and good, and a
true Christian T.
"Bat your aunt tells me he is the
favorite nephew of the great oil
merchant, Hiram Bates, whose wealth
is something enormous. You have
only to help him play his cards well,
and he will probably be heir to a
magnificent fortune. But what ails
you? You look as If | was telling
you piece Of news,
81 think Aunt Marcia has been mis-
informed, that is ALL"
"Then he is not Hiram Bates
nephew"
81 never heard him speak Of a rich
uncle, and am quite sure he has no
hopes of inheritIng money. He has
a good salary, and my little fortune
will buy and furnish a small house. so
| VIC Can iuahc u tt'Hii Itdblf3 hHu
hope happy home"
Did he never speak to y0u Of his
uncle p
Not q rich uncl.. H. has e me
Of lame unc1., his M hers brother
who has been very Kind 70 him,
given him his education and a start
in business. He Away talks Of him
with the deepest love and pity"
pity"
HE suffers tortures from the { if cts
Of fall, that haa famed him for life,
and often causes him weeks of agon-
izing pain. Malcolm tells n Q with
tears in his eyes Of his fear Of losing
this deareas friend and kind uncle
and | think he hopes | may be useful
sometimes in nursing"
| IL wonder if it is the same T.
| Tell me, Blanche, some of the best
places to go for our furniture and
carpets. 1t VII be new work for me
to buy household goods, and Aunt
Sophy is not well enough to help lac
much"
"Oh! will go with you. But |
declare if | were you | would wait
and see if your Aunt Marcia is right.
Your fortune will never buy or furn-
ish such house az future milion>
aire should live in.
"My fortune" said Alice Hunter,
with ring in her clear voice, will
| furnish house suitable for a clerk
with two thousand a year salary,
which is what my husband will have.
If Malcolm has a rich uncle, he is not
the man to live in expectation Of
money to come to him over the grave.
Ii his uncle Hiram is, as you say,
very rich Malcolm would hate money
won by the death of the nearest rela-
tive and dearest friend he has. But
| | don't believe in the money, for he
never spoke of it to me-"
Then the talk drifted into discus
sion of bridal inery, Of furniture,
and stories of the young wife's con-
tent in her own married life.
But the old man leaning upon the
cane was thinking:
"Can il be true ? Does Malcolm
think 50 little OF my money, that will
be his that he has never mentioned
it TO his promised wife ? Can it be
that | shall gain loving, tender
niece, instead of losing my nephew,
when Malcolm marries p
The more be thought of it the more
| incredible it was to him. Di,trust.
| tho o1r,0st irari4..hIa o.,roo ,F ,,raot
wealth. had Kept him aloot from most
of his fellow men for years His sis
ter's orphan child was the sole oxcep-
ton to this universal suspicion. Mai
colin had loved him when he was n
; mere boy, too young TO understand
money value. There had surely
been no calculation ia bis young brain
when he had nestled his curly hea
upon his unce's arm and pa 90 his
rosy lips to be kissed Yet, though
the uncle bad never held out prom
se Of making the lad his boir, as he
grew older the love had never waver.
ed. When the dreadful accident that
had famed him for life fell upon the
old gentleman, Malcolm had nursed
him back to comparative health, ten
derby and devotedly.
Loving bis netncw so deeply. H
! ram Bates had felt keen pain at the
news of his betrothal He had never
seen Alice Hunter, but he know she
. had been brought up in a circle Of
fashion, and was the orphan niece Of
ore of society's gayest votaries, Mrs.
Marcia Hayden. He ascertalned by
inquiry that the young girl bad
; inherited ten thousand dollars from
her father, and that her winters were
spent with her Aunt Marcia, her
summers with a maiden sister of hel
father. She was quite belle, though
only in society one season, pretty