The Worthington advance., 1876-11-23

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,:t''( NOVEMBER y; EN- '':[!:l7 %, :. 1876.
brilliant and her cheeks took on a rose
tint when she heard it, and all-the lit.
tie actress room got to he glorif1ed by
his presence. - J.. .,;:%.s5 e., ::G@..i::1
. In all Clare:s artless life she had
never been 80 happy as row, when
Colonel Leslie spent his evenings in
her room, sitting beside her, and
sometimes taking her mite of hand
and stroking the lame wrist softly. :
One must be all alone in the world,
a struggling, unloved girl, to know
how dear such one may become, and
as drowning man clutches at straws,
so Clare clung to him and worshipped
him as she would a star and he-well
he looked at fragile Clare, with her
race passionate, yet pure, and thought
to himself he had wronged women
greatly; when he had used. to think
there were no goed, women; among &C
tresses and those thrown out upon the
world for support.
There was such q mixture of baby,
child and old woman in Clare patient
face and patient ways, that she was an
enigma to him always, and it pleased
him greatly to be kind to her. He was
very wealthy and proud, and had come
Ct a race whose God was worldly po-
sition, and though his tenderness to.
ward Clare might amount to love, he
would never dare to marry an actress.
Clare's foot got better, and she
could get about little and get out,
but her arm still hung useless. What
could she do for living! She could
not go on the stage with her arm in a
sling. She could not sew with one
hand. When she applied for stu.
alton as teacher, she received the an.
swer: "We hire no broken-down &C.
tresses here.'
She went about like enc under a ban.
and what she had earned her living at
by hard, honest labor stood out against
her like crime. When Clare's health
had been good, she had always been
such happy courageous, aggressive lit
tie mortal but now pain and weakness
made her timid and shrinking, and all
her hopes and happiness began to be
centered on Colonel Leslie's smile.
1t had got to be October, and Clare
was just where she had been weeks be-
fore her health no better, the money
she saved nearly gone but very happy
to-day, for had not Colonel Leslie been
gone three weeks on a visit to some
friends, and was coming home to.
night?
All day Clare had been on the qui
vive, restless, wandering about in her
feeble fashion. She had taken the
best part of her dinner into the ar
lists room, and set it down slyly on
his table while he was out. She had
divided most of her supper with the
children, for why shonld
she care to eat to.day? Children and
timid people and grabbed people, and
all nervous and sick and sorry folks
loved Glare, who had sympathetic
corner in her keart for everybody's
woes.
I think God must have looked down
with a pitiful, tender smile upon
Clare's girlish preparations, upon Clare
musing over her ribbon.box, over her
braiding and unbraiding her brown
hair, and tying knots of ribbons in it
oh the dire extravaganza of Clare
this summer in pink ribbons such a
longing in her to be bright and pretty
she had never felt before.
''He will be here tonight" and her
heart began to beat and her feet to tap
a joyful little threnody upon the pine
floor.
The evening darkened and darkened
"a close, sultry night--the hall-door
swung, and Clare's heart was in her
old maid Granton, with
her heavy bundle and heavier sighs.
1t swung again. Clare's face grew
hot and her eyes brilliant. Not Col.
onel Leslie, but post.boy with let
ter. Glare knew the concise, aristo.
cratic hand.
81 have always kept my promises be.
fore, Glare, but this one did not think
was best, so cannot come tonight, as
tomorrow is my wedding.da$. You
may think with some reason, as l. have
visited you so often that ought to
marry you. But my family are op.
posed to my marrying an actress
Clare's nerveless fingers dropped the
letter; some bank bills fell from its
folds; she counted them over mechan-
ically; enough to last her alive for two
months more, with close economy.
Clare closed her eyes. Far off she
seemed TO hear the merry clang of
wedding bells; down the street the old
violin.player was prolonging the notes,
p1aintive and sad.
"A rosebud in full blooming.
80 lovely, smiling, fresh and gay;
And now throw it far away"
All, surely!
A few weeks later, one soft, October
afternoon, there was solemn hush in
the little actresses room.
Peaceful Glare was lying back upon
the pillows breathing family, her brok.
en- arm outside the coverlet, her soft
eyes open, watching.
"Fretted herself to death, poor lamb.
for fear of being a cripple and left a
burden" said the drunkard 5 wife who
had come in.
The laundress stood in the door,
wfping the suds from her elbows the
hungry.eyed artist stood at the foot Of
the bed.
The window was open, and the old