The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-12-06
DUKE RUTHERFORD.

gs
They were out on the cliffs, fathoms
above the sea, at play. She q dark
eyed, wondrously beautiful girl of thir-
teen; he tall, stalwart boy, year her
senior. There was wide difference in
their stations in life. You had ONLY to
note the richness of her silk attire. the
threadbare scantiness of his, to feel as.
sured of that. No rich mans son would
have been dressed quite so shabbily as
Duke Rutherford; and yet, in spite of
tho wornont clothes, the boy, in beauty
OF form and feature, might have been a
tit son for nobleman.
The children were gathering MOSES
from the rocks and chatting gayly to-
gether, forgetful of rank or station.
They had met often thus for the last six
years.
Dukes father was the agent of the
estate OF Lucy Delamere's highbred
mother. Their cottage was but a little
dlstance from the Hall, and the children,
IN search of amusement, wandered ont
often to the cliffs and whiled away supny
afternoons in juvenile sports. Duke
gathered for his fair playfellow the
brightest tinted shells, and, in return.
she brought him musty old books Of
romance and chivalry from the great Ii
brary ut tho Hall, which he read and re-
read, until his soul was filed with
dreams and aspirations, vague and
sweet, and unreal as the visions of nm
opium eater.
The Rutherfords had not always been
dependents. Generations back there
were noblamen in the family, but politi-
cal differences 'bad taken title and
wealth from the name. EARLY in life,
Hugh rutherford, Dukes father, had
become agent to Mr.. Delamere; a post
he had retained when Mr.. Delamere
died. leaving widow aud one only
child, girl, ns sole heiress to his vast
wealth and estates. Hugh Rutherford
had married young wife, beautiful and
refined; but after few years their sin
gularly happy life was broken. Mrs.
hutherford died, and her husband had
only his six months old boy to toll for.
NO restraint was put upon the inter
course between Duke Rutherford and
Lucy Delamere by the proud lady moth
or of the young heiress. If she thought
OF the mat er at all, she trusted to the
Unborn pride of her daughter, and to the
cold contempt she had tried SO faith
fully to- Undue her with-contempt of
all that was low born or ill-bred. Mrs.
Delamere would never have thought of
looking for princely heart beneath the
rough jacket of one she considered too
lar beneath her IT, merit even the tribute
of a passing thought
Ihe sea brcozes gave o beautiful
bloom to the cheek OF Lucy, and the
sports she shared with Duke rounded
her limbs and gave grace and vipor to
her step. Mrs. ~Dciamere read her fa-
vorlte novels. entertained her chosen
company ond reigned queen. at the
Hall, aud Lucy enjoyed the wild free
dom of the cliffs.
The young girl was almost reckless in
her daring at times. This afternoon
she was In her most dangerous mood. A
cluster OF flowers, growing in a cleft of
the rock below the surface of the cliffs,
attracted her attention. She sprung
toward them. Duke waved her back.
1t Is perilous, Lucy" he said, hur-
riedly. "Look at the black rocks be-
meath. A single misstep and =
am no coward she laughed. de-
family. eff you are pale am not:
and am going to carry these bright
things home to mammal
Before he could prevent her she had
swung herself over. the precipice, and,
resting one foot on q narrow shelf of
rock, her left hand clinging to frail
shrub that had taken root in the sparse
earth Mt the top, with the other she
grasped the coveted blossoms.
Duke, white and rigid, stood above
her looking down. She shook the
flowers above her head. "Seei Idare
do what boy trembles at seeing donei"
She stopped hastily in the gay, taunt-
ing speech she WIS making. The treach-
erous rock under her feet cruml led and
fell; there was only that little swayipg
shrub to hold her back from eternity.
Duke threw himself upon his face.
reached over, caught her uplifted hands
In hisand drew her up slowly, laboriously
for she was nearly his own weight,
and he realized too we'll how much hung
on the result to be hasty or reckless Of
his strength. He rose to his feet, lift
ing her up with him. For moment,
breathless and overcome by the thought
OF what she had escaped, she leaned
against him then turning away she
seated herself on a rock.
"Oh, Duke" she cried, pale with the
terror of her late danger, "you have
saved my lifel What will mamma say9
What can 1 give you as keepsake, to
show how grateful am Q" and she be-
gun to detach the heavy gold chain she
wore Mt her girdle.
The boys face flushed proudly as he
put it from him.
"Give me the bunch of heliotrope in