The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-03-18
The Pride Of the Corbyrs.

arded these ntoward cir
cumstsnees as SO many yisitations of warn
ing or ~sdmonition- Indeed. 50 freely did
Barbadian society discuss the Wsleot sue
eession to the corbyn property by the light
OF Walcot m-iuck, that Matthias found his
bed o roses invaded by gnats singing worse
than mosquitoes, to say nothing Of the pri-
vate thons planted b~yconscience under the
rose-leaves.
From the morning when DR.. Hawley en-
tered his Office, like a spirit Of evil. TO tell
how his dead child's rest was disturbed, his
own rest had been disturbed By nightmare
memories Of Archibald's death-bed. The
dying man had trusted him. He had ILL.,
deserved that trust. He had not meant to
defraud the heir, If there was one; he had
only been lukewarm in his efforts to find
him. But was there one? He thought not;
and so advertising was only waste of good
money. Besides. it might tempt some knave
to worry him with fictitious claims. How
ever, some day he would send VIII or Steve
to England to make inquiries; and there
was time enough.
And so he tried to salve the conscience
that would not be salved; especially as Dr.
Hawiey now and then gave it an unexpected
prick. and Cuffy and Dinah looked unutter-
able thorns.
The rainy season had almost passed.
steve's leg was nearly well; he could move
about with the help Of crutches; and Scipio
had moro than once driven him, very gent
ly. over to the parsonage. to be especially
petted, both by Miss Wolferstone and Mary
Fulton, the English parsons English daugh-
ter.
1t was Wills turn to be Jealous. He
could not see why a broken leg and a pale
face should be so devilish attractive to a
woman. They didn't attract HIM! invent
to his heart to see Augusta Wolferstonc
place the easiest cane-chair in the verandah
ready for his brother, and adjustthe softest
cushions to his special need. He was ex-
asperated, too. hat business should keep
him so much at the wharf, and an accident
clear h way for Steve to WOO the girl in
his absence.
30 persistent were his giumblings that
Mr.. Walcot, for the sake of peace. went
a to his old Office to tighten Wills labor
and give him an occasional holiday. On one
OF these days. William, who slept chiefly at
the Folly during the wet season, rode from
Bridgetown to the parsonage. calling in to
see his mother on his way. He there learned
Tint Stephen, taking advantage of n fine
day, had gone before him, and was then at
st. Andrews parsonage.
This reused his dominecring temper; and
with scarcely n civil word to his ailing and
queru1ous mother, and a very uncivil cut
with his riding-whip to the creole groom
who held his horse, he set off neck-or.noth-
ing, resolved to try whether he or Steve had
the best of it before the day was out. So
vicious was he in his brotheriy love that he
cut at his horse as if it had been Stephens
self. and dismounted in front of the parson-
age. little improved by seeing Steve on a
couch under the veIandah holding a skein
Of purse-twist for Anguish, whilst Mary
read aloud to both.
His first remark was a sheer at his dis.
abled brothers womanish occupation, his
next a rude retort to Augustus defence of
Stephen. A bad beginning this; and his
consciousness that it was bad only paved
the WHY for further discontinue.
Later in the day. he demanded, rather
than solicited, atets-d-tete conversation with
Miss Wolferstone, and with little delicacy
and less tact urged his suit as one whose
claims were im~perial-urgcd it, too, as
Stevc's elder brother, and heir to the Cor
byn estate.
Whatever claim he might have had on
the young lady's regard helost in that inter-
Wow His rularaco n III ,,lu.XA IL f-l.--
were so palpable, she felt impelled to resent
both.
IL have no desire. sir, to marry the heir
to the Corbyn or any other estate; but l do
choose to marry a gentleman. 1 must there
fore decline the honor of your a~lliance;"
and h swept from the library as she
spoke, without giving him a chance for
another syllable.
Without Il word of adieu to the ladies he
darted from the house, almost too impatient
to wait for the saddling of his horse; certain
ly too much irritated to accept the genial
invitation of Mr.. Fulton to remain the
night, e~venthough the weather had changed,
and the rain was the rain of the tropics.
A sane man would have remembered that
hAt OSic ioNl IA IEtl
swelled mountain runnels to rivers, and
rivers to torrents, and. SO remembering,
have taken the safer high-road by which he
came, however circuitous.
But he, blinded by passion, disappoint-
ment. and jealousy chad he not left his
silken brother behind him p. dashed home
wards the near way, across Church River
and through the wood.
Over the bridge he vent safely enough;
but when he reached the Corbyn r~ivulet. fed
from Haggat's spring, he found his way
stopped by a formidable stream rushing tu-
~multuously on towards Long Pond. In no
mood to hesitate, he madly urged his reluct-
ant animal to attempt the pe-;lous crossing.
He must have either missed the ford. o,
the horse lost its footing. and been carried
down by the force of the water. His body
was found the following day atthe entrance
to Long Pond, blue, swollen. and swathet
in a shroud of the poisonous green scum o.
the pond.