The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-06-15

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back your promise to dine with me, and
only hold you pledged for another early
day."
4 painful flush mounted the brow oi
Hubert Gray as he replied. little
haughtily: "Capt. Maham, you must
really excuse me to-day; I cannot think
of intruding upon your family an unex'
pected guest. I will do myself the honor
of calling another time"
Captain Maham," said Harry, drop
ping Col. Gray's hand, and speaking
soto voce, in bewildered voice; then,
suddenly lifting his frank and smiling
blue eyes, he exclaimed: "Surely, surely,
you have not forgotten me, Hubert Gray
You cannot have forgotten Harry Ma
ham, of Berkley Hall-dear old Berkley
you so generously saved for us. Do not
deny it, Hubert; we found it all out,
guessed it at first, or rather Marion did,
and then Jessie, with her woman's wit,
piled Messrs. - most diligently and
shrewdly with questions, until she salts
fed herself that owing to your generosity
we are still the owners of Berkley Hall.
After that no month has passed that my
little wife has not sent, but vainly, to
various addresses of enquiry for Colonel
Gray's whereabouts; and, now, as good
luck will have it, you have turned up at
our very door in this far-of and strange
land, whittier we have come to make q
fortune, which we are to go back to Berk-
ley to spend. And will you refuse to go
home with me? But I will take no de-
nial; you must come, nolens vole''s." So
saying, he passed his arm through Col.
Gray's, and giving directions to the clerk
about his business, left the store, drag
ging the astonished and now unresisting
Hubert Gray with him.
Col. Gray had recognized Harry Ma
ham as soon as he saw him, but with
Harry's familiar face arose the memory
of the letter he had received from him,
with the rude and cold dismissal of his
suit for Marion's hand; and with the
bitter recollections of that letter arose
afresh the bitter thoughts of the past
for Hubert Gray was but man.
When he accidentally and soon after
his own marriage with Ada st. Clare saw
the advertisement of Berkley Hall for
sale, the generosity and heroism inherent
in his character awakened in his breast
the kindiest sympathy for the family
who he knew were devoted to the old
place. He recalled his own pleasant
recollections of the Christmas he had
spent with Walter; and even Marion's
well-conceived anguish (although he then
believed her the bride of another) awak-
ened his tenderest compassion; and HUI
bert Gray determined to rise superior to
all personal pique or bitterness, and after
making enquiries, instructed the firm of
Messrs. -, in the city, to purchase
Berkley Hall, making legal return Of it
to Harry Maham on the occasion of his
marriage, which took place the autumn
after the death of Mrs. Maham and the
sale of the estate. Col. Gray had charged
his business agents that the strictest Sc
cresy should be observed concerning the
purchaser of the Hall, and that the
Mahams especially should never be in
formed to whom they were indebted for
their ancestral home. But with loves
quick and sure intuition, Marion had
guessed the name of their noble benefac-
tor, and having limited it to Jessie, she,
las Harry expressed it, with her wo-
mans wit, had quizzed Col. Gray's agents
so shrewdly that the whole family be-
came satisfied that Hubert Gray was the
generous donor of Berkley Hall.
One year after his mothers death, his
youthful and gentle bride was laid beside
her beloved adopted mother and the Con-
federate soldier, Walter Maham, in the
beautiful cemetery of -, and Hubert
now truly alone on earth, and feeling a
restless weariness of life, renouncing all
business avocations, gave up his paper
and travelled from city to city and from
scene to scene in a dreary and hopeless
disgust of life. After passing several
years in such hopeless and dull depres-
sion, he was suddenly awakened to the
great responsibilities of man in his rela-
tions to God and eternity. He felt the
solemn trust of a living soul-frst his
own soul and then the souls of others,
and with his usual impulsive earnestness,
he determined to consecrate to Gods
glory the gifts he had conferred upon
him. Hubert Gray had dreamed the
soldiers dream of honor and of fame,
and at his feet had been laid the soldiers
laurel crown; but tears, the tears of
loved ones, the tears of his countrymen,
dimmed its lustre, and from material
glory he turned away in sorrow. From
the battlefield he had entered upon the
arena of public life, and had fought ever
on the side of truth and justice; but there
were traitors in the camp; the men with
whom he clasped hands under the garb
of truth, concealed evil hearts, evil words,
evil deeds-they were men who clung to
the flesh pots of Egypt, and worshipped
the golden calf-and Hubert Gray, in
weary indignation, exclaimed, "What is
honesty, truth and justice, and where are
they to be found?"