Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-09-18

[corrRIGHT sECuREp.l
The Heir Of the Mills
Che Atturneu's See.
ALFRED B. TOZER,
AUTHOR or "BoUND HAND AND Foor,"
"WHo WAS TO BLAME" ETC, Etc.
ALFRED B. TOZER,
CHAPTER III.
TIE TWO LETTERS.

lhf I"o hr-l Eisos
Half way across the village green, on
his way from the post Office. Eugene Wall
ingford saw his sister Bertha. waiting to
see the letters he carried in his hand. 1t
WAS the forenoon of the second day after
the mill-owner's death.
Eugene had two letters, held closely to-
gcthcr, when he first saw his sister stand
ing by the gatr, but when he stood by her
side. among the neat rows of flower beds
which lined the walk, and held his hand
ont to her, il contained only one. Handing
her this. he stopped only long enough to
sec That she had not noticed the deception,
and went up stairs to his own room.
Once there, he dropped his careless man.
ner and paced up and down excitedly
Had that letter been the only mail that
morning, instead Of walking the floor with
that troubled face, he wouIl have been
reading It aloud down stairs with his sister
reading too, over his shonldcr. and both
making dozens Of plans for the future
which 1t opened to them
Perhaps he thought of this, for he took
the second letter from his pocket. read it
clrefully for the third time, and then
destroyed it.
"Ihe girl shtll not know until it is set
tied. he thou int, 81 did wrong in giving
Bertha that letter. She sill wonlor if don't
accept the Offer ut once, and Will WORRY
over the matter, While my tongue is tied.
| cant deceive her, and so [ can say
nothing at all
"When he went down sttirs. it was to
find Bertha glowing over the letter he had
given her. and ling it aloud to IL young
lady who seemed equally well pleased
with its contents.
After II few words Of greeting to the
young girl, whoM h" addressed as Fanny,
Eugene iurrosrly sought his sisters side,
resolved to face tn matter at once.
"Im so glad. Eugene Bertha said as
she finished reading the missivc. "It
couldn't have happened better. Just think,
Fanny, of our Eugene. being Superinten-
dent of the BlakGSl2c Mills, and having the
superintendent house to live in and ever
so many people un,lcr him. We shan't
know him III about two wrcks, he viii! put
on 50 many airs Please Mr.. Supcrin-
tenicnt," she added. .howing low with much
humility, won't you give Il poor girl
a jo!,?'
Seeing that neither Eugene nor Fanny
had fallen into her merry mooi, Bertha
became grave ag tin.
"Aint You glad. Eugene" she said inl-
patiently and you. Fanny, why don't you
say something = OF course you will go,
Eugene
{" cant say
Two pair Of bright Eyes looked at the
the young man i'll nstonishment when he
said that the daIk eyes Of his sister, and
the blue ones of the girl who WAS to be his
wife
While they both waited for some ex-
Illnation, Eugene walked up and down the
little sitting room and tried to make Il very
ordinary matter out Of his lnlccsion by his
manner.
"What do you mean, Eugene?"
1t WAS Bertha who asked the question,
hut it would have been hard to have told
which Of the two girls awaited his answer
the most anNiously,
. will tell you presenuy-pcrhaps to-
night" he sud, moodily, never stopping i'll
his restless pacing of the room.
"What makes you act so, Eugene?"
Bertha asked. 81 heard you walking lust
in that way over our hrtds minute ago,
and now you are at it again. never saw
you do that before. st dawn here, like a
good brother, and tell Fanny and l why
you are II 10, b. abo 1t accepting thIh fcr.
" rctily can do that, girls, said Ell-
gene. 81 have been true to you, haVen't
|, Bertha, ever since our parents died ana
left us working in the mill here togctherr
| never have deceived you-neither yon
nor Fauny-and don't want to begin now.
| want you to trust me ust this once,
and he went ont of the house With some
garden tools under his arm, and making
great show II having business rheve.
1T seems so strange said Bertha, after
he had gone. He didn't want to settle
here and marry on the pay he was getting.
and now, when the mills have shut down
for no one knows how long, he wants time
to think about accepting place where he
can be his own master, and get three thou
sand dollars Il year. | can't bear to see
him act SO, when the offer lies there, in
black and white. One would think that
because the name is the same, this brother
of mine expects to get a share of Mr. Wall
ingfyrd's money"
1T is strange about the name" sud
Fanny Clayson, seeing An opportunity 10
attract Bertha's attention, and thus save
her lover from a hlsty criticism. Are
you certain that the families are in no way
conuectcd?'
They nj rht have been a long time
ago replied Bcrthn," but the relationship
is very distant now. if amy exists at all. :"
" Didn't your father come here with Mr..
Robert WallinGford?
"No; he came Two years Later think
he hunted the matter up one winter, but |
guess it came to nothing, although he
would never have claimed kinship with his
employer. even if he had discovered some
thing important. He was u very proud
man, you remember"
81 don't rcrollect much about him.
was quite small when he dicl-fourtcen, |
think
And I was fifteen and Eu ;ene twenty.
| wonder hat makes Eugcne act So,' she
added, stepping To the window overlooking
the garden. :" He took out the garden
tools rs though his life depended on cut
ting weeds, and there they are lying on
one of my flower beds. and he is going up
and down the walk, Just as he went in here
just now. ! never S.tw him act SO before"
Never mind Eugene, now, said Fanny,
bent ON attracting Bertha s attention from
her brother. " He will do well enough.
Tell me about your father Didn't he get
along pretty smoothly with Mr. Robert
Wallinyford---in the mills mcan?'
He was Il man who would go on any