Litchfield enquirer., 1876-11-16
From Harper Monthly.l TOO CLEVER BY HALF!,


 The dark color of linda Torren's skin proclaimed her origin distinctly enough to expert eyes. She had HindoO blood in her veins. Her father was an officer Ill the British service, who was killed at the stormipg of Delhi. Her mother was a Hindoo woman Of some rank. Colonel Torrens had been cast off by his father when he married the Indian girl. So he died without having been reconciled to tho old man. Then the latter became penitent, but he detested his dead sons Hindoo wife so much that he never could bring himself to send for her or to make any overtures to her, and 1t was only when, after the lapse of some mournful years she too died that he sent for the child-his grand ddaughter-and had her brought to England. Mr. Torrens was 9 rich man. He had house in town and an estate in the country, and had no near relative except the dark-skinned glrl who came to him from India. At the first sight of the girl the grand father shuddered. He had been in India himself in his early days, and he had all the old-fashjoned Anglo Indians proud and ignorant contempt for the native ra- ces of H1ndostan. But she was supple, plastic girl, with all the dexterous grace and conquering softness of her mother joined to much of her fathers bold frank, and resolute spirit; and she had come to England determined to subdue her grand fathers prejudices and dislikes. She dld so effectually subdue them that before very long the old man had made up his mind to declare her the sole heiress of all his property. @+ 7--'''''
 Mir. Torrens had, as has been aIraady mentioned. no near relative other than this girl. But there was family of some what distant relatives who had contrived for long time previous to render him at tached to them, ''not as the bridegroom l is attached to the b, iden--to quote a eel ebrated and felicitous saying of Mir. Glad stone's-''but as the captive is attached to the car of the conquerer." This was the family of the Faleonhridges-the Rev erend James Elliott Falconbridge, who was nobody; Mrs, Faleonhridge, his wife, clever, sharp, interruptions woman, who was really the family; one son (Mrs. Fall conbridge's step-son). and two daughters. It had long been the habit of the Falcon bridges to visit Mir. Torrens when he was in town and when he was in the country; to be with him at Christmas; and at the opening of Parliament; and during the best part of tlle season; and again Tn the autumn; and, indeed, on all possible oc- casions-anpiversaries and what not. Mrs. Falconbridge had done her best to com pei her daughters to twine their young affections round the old man. heart, and what was much more distinctly to. her purpose, to get his affections twined round the heart of some. one, any one,T of the family At one time things seemed to be going SO we'll that Mrs. Falconbridee had good hopes of seeing in her own house. hold the prospective heiress of MT. Tor rens's money and estates. But the com ing of ''the little black girl as Mrs. Fal- cambridge called her, gave terrible btlo}F to these hopes; and Mrs. Falconbridge made up her mind to hate linda, and being woman whorgenerally accomplish ed any thing she made up her mind to do, she soon succeeded in hating her very strongly.
 MT. Falconbridge was older than his wife, and had been married before. Hence the step-son. Now this step-son. Allan Falconbridge, was by this time apparent andfwenty years old, and was a. hand some, lazy, listless fellow, whose chief ca- paclty ir life seemed to turn in the direc-
 
 been in the army, but apparently did not consider himself cut out for it any more than the popular Captain Jinks, and therefore sold out very soon, and returned to his fathers house, which very unwill- ingly received him. Illnatured people | ascribed his failure in life thus far to the long years of early subjugation he had had under his energetic step mother; but Mrs. Falconbridge always attributed 1t to the extra quantity of original sin with which the luckless youth had been en. | dowed at his birth.
 Allan Falconbridge very seldom came to the house of Mir. Torrens, who, indeed, disliked him nearly as much as his step | mother did, and was stimulated in the l dislike pretty energetically by that lady | herself. When he did come-and, to dc him justice. he was even more reluctant to come than MT. Torrens was to ask him he appeared as youth under cloud, I on whom every body looked coldly, and for whose especial behoof and benefit sharp indirect admonitions were barbed, and sermons were condensed into reprov. ing, stony sentences.
 l The young Hindoo girl-if the daugh' ter of an English officer can fairly be call ed Hindoo-was pleased at first with the society of the Falconbridge girls, who were directed by their mother to pay spe cial court to her, and to humor all hel ways and whims. The parish of the Rev James Falconbridge had the honor o1 holding the country seat of Mir. Torrens and when linda first came to England Mir. Torrens was in the country. So 'she had plenty of opportunities of enjoying the society of the Falconbridge girls, ,whe were big, bouncing young Englishwomen straight of limb, full of bust, fair of hail "a remarkable contrast to the slender dark, supple linda. who might have eff fectively sustained the part, of the sup posed victim in the famous Indian basket trick One day that, by a. rare chances none O the Falconbridges happened to be in MT Toirens's house, Kinda got on her pon, and galloped over alone to look afte them. When she came to the gstefof th' modest parsonage house she looked rount for some way of disposing of her pony and was about to alight and fasten hin herself to the palings, whena tall. hand some young man. dressed very 'seedily and who had been idly smoking a smeer schaum on the little lawn. came to tn
 gate, opened it. led Hindas pony in, as sisted her to dismount, and then threy
 the bridle over his arm s5sa5f @''s.s I'd
 linda was uncertain whether he was I groom OF visitor. She had not heard o
 the Falconbridge step-son. .os5T z...s .-
 ''Are the ladies-the Misses Falcon
 bridge-at home?' she asked, and sh
 turned her piercing black eyes curiousl
 on the young man. -ssssg f. .a3 II ''No. the girls are out just now," he an
 swered, in deep, sweet. lazy tone; ''bu they will be in very soon. Perhaps yo , will wait a few moments for them? Mis- Torrens, I presume?" ,F hns y4,yf,...-, |. '"Yes, I am Miss Torrens 3
 'You don't know me, Miss Torrens?
 am called Allan Falconbridge. r aIt t-s7-
 'Indeed! 2 relation of, Mir. lFalcor
 bridge?' ...,, .o.e,.., ..... g.-,. .,..5.s. s kind, Miss Torrens. Yes, am Mir. Fla [ conbridaeis son. ."1af af 3o wssfggan & 4 "Mr. Falconbridge's son2 They neye
 told me of you" sr-.t.7s-
 ! IT Iz 2 IT -kt. :.