, 1876-12-30
ONE FANTIfrN1 DAMAGES,

AsAS~s"t u91kf 4oAl pEAhbH6 "EEG AAkHEIGAl
| rntlnd bed, on which lay nun bearing In his
face the unm!staknblc signs Of the summons
| which nom tan rcfuae to answer. 4 weeping
g'r k'lc't by the bedside, her face bent over the
herrolcss hand which lay upon the coycrict,
and which s!ie held as though by that con-
vnlsirc clasp s!o could hold her father still to
life. at a table, covered with papcrs and writ
inK-!nutera'F, sat the dying mans solicitor, cu-
gagged IN tho preparation of ifa will. "WiIat
names s|lall insert as tr1lstccs1 You should
liayc two ut lcast.n
The dying man paused ere lto replied with ar,
effort:
"Gcoifrcy Howard, Major Onc-IIundsed md
Eleventh, now III India. llnye no other
fricnl.n
tin TINT case may I venture to offer my
humble scrysccB, subject to tic Usual proyiso.
should Lc delighted to he useful to Miss Hope;
! nnd II your fricml Is abroad, there may be
difficulties"
"1ruc, Hlytl,orrc, tl.ank you. Make your
self trustee, then, with Maj. Howard. Legacy
$500 for your trouble"
NAY, my dear sir, quito unnecessary.
! rcal1y-''
But again tho ready pen Travelled over the
paper, aud q quarter of an hour latcr Mr.. Sly
thorpe announced tllat the document was ready
Ap4 NhENAlkOlst uJHt Ill ~" luEEuMQlCul mono.
tosle rcad nvcs ita provisions.
ayes, TINT will do. Give me the pcn,' lie
said: aud With shaking hand ntTlxctl Ills sgna.
ture. "Tliank t'oI, that's safe ~ he gasped.
- Mary, lny child, you mil HcolErey-y0u md
OcoiIrey! WHAT Was aayins1 God bless you,
my darling! God bicss-''
Thesc were thu Inst words bernard Hope aver
spokr.
4 ycar had passed nway since Bernard IIopc's
eatE., and Mary still remained MI tnlato of the
house of Mrs. Murgatroyd. tho good woman
whom VIC have seen III attendance at lIcr fathers
last Illness, and who, to her occasional uccupa-
ttoii ns nurse, adsled the moro permanent one OF
letting lodgings. Aiary's sweet facu and gentle
inAMncr lad quito Won thp heart pf her good
injured landlady, who was uceasing In her en-
dcav0ra to sOothu her grief and minister to her
comforts. But slIe had another truuhle--uonc
the less hard to bear t1lat 1t was one III whicl,
shG coulu lave few cunfdantcs. afAf. Howard,
OF whom n!c,ltion ilas alrcaly bcc.l made, was
not unly her fathers most valued friend, but
llad tnscsiHlbly grown very dear to hrrscf, and
when, six months before Bernard Hopes death,
he was summoned with hts regiment to India lIc
left Mary his promised bride. T'wiee he had
written within the first few weeks of his aepar.
t!irc, siAcc which tins thcro hai been terrinlc
silence, Mud in the same week which left Mary
tnthcrless, second blow foil upon her. Tho
In smart sl<ir1nlal', the number Of dead at,l
wounded bcing considerable. Maj. Gcoirrey
Howard was reported amonE the fallen, aud
Mary had to mourn ut o,lce her lover and her
father.
rhe death Of MAI. Howard left Mr.. slythorpo
Rolc trustee Of Mr.. Hopes WILL. THIS to Mary
was matter Of tho most perfect Indifference.
snspccting evil Of no one, she was as willing
or six thousnnd pounds, SHOULD Fest in III. Sly
ttlorrc'B hands IL til tlsc VI nny other person.
But III late the attorney Ind begun to pcrscc,lto
her with attentions which, under existing cir
cu.lstanccs, would have been distastefut IRON
any othcr, but wsro doubly SO from a person
whom she could not help regarding with an In
sttnctive dislike, And ii trath III. slythorpu
was not precisely thc person, to win 4 young
with blinking, lash!ess eyes, and general angu.
lnrity, not to sny knobbincss, Of feature. ho
might haye been expected to rise superior to
my, weakncss as to personal nppcarance, but
Bssell we by no 'ncans the case. 'Str. slythorpe
one morning Knocked at Mrs. Murgntroyd's
loor. That good lady was at thu moment en-
gugcl IN dusting Miss Hopes room, aud catch-
ing g!ghl Of l,s approacla exclaimed:
I do declare. siytItolpo, ia,iced7 idSslytiiorpos
lin u
It would bo hopeless to cndearor to express
Of! PAPER tho Intensity of meaning Mrs. MarEa-
smiled ut tho good lady's yshcmcpcc,
s'My dear Mrs. Alurgatroyl, YOU really
shouldn't be SO severe. Mr.. Blythorpo Is Il III
tlc PECULIAR but have no doubt he means kind
bsas y; aa yy;'I yHqI S"0" 0 Is tho 1rs''' Of poor
= know le Is, my dear, and wish lie wasn't.
know l!o s1oulda't DO Trustee to toneat OF
At this potl.t tic conversation was Interrupt
cd BY the cntrance of tho gentleman III question:
n,!l alTs Afurga,rOyd, nasaing h,l with final
An!tI o[ & abhorrence, quilted INC apartment
y, Ny. slyt'nEpe, Tor once In his llfe, appeared
Ill ut Gasc. Lie Wns got up with his accustomed
care, aui ting suggestion Ut arcnted soap which
accompanied lin WIS cycn stronger than usunl:
but Ills usual sclfsatia1lcd atr WIS wanting. lie
evidently hal something OH Ills nind-sons
My dear aiiss Hope" 10 began, after the
first greetings had been exchanged q erieye TO
be tlIc bearcr Of very unplcasamt intelligence"
Mary looked up Will. qulet, indifference,
through, my newst goud or bud, could layo for
l!rr lnorn tlnn thu !lost plssiHg Interest. 6ly-
thorpe continued:
the best; but m!sfortunes will happen, you
Know, even with tho utmost euro allh caution.
mn sure thought the Investment Yns ~ sufe
US the bank; but theru's no trusting anything
Whit is tho misfortune, MIR. slythorpc, for
you Invent told met Nothing very serious, I
"0nly too serious, my 4car Ma" lie tried to
s.itutcd ''S,lss uopu h--'' nothing less, four,
tune"
Mary turned worry pale. but gave no other
satl, with M effort.
"Your money WIS, aa you know, In. the 3 per
ccnts, where It produced q miserable 4l60
year. III tho hope OF doing better for yon, 1sutd
out and invested It In a nuw mining company, Il
tho Whcal Afartna, which promised to pay u
minimum. dividend 0f 10 pur cent, uni 50 would |
l,uye Just trcb'c4 your income. And this HORN
ing an gricycd to Ind from tho 7in,es that tho |
bolteI, aud tho shareholders will lose eycry
penny of their moncy.''
ais all gone1 Nothing leftl''
"Not . slxpcncc, aud yon remain liable for
calls to tho amount Of about as much more"
Poor Mary's fortttude quito gave way. 30
dear, .what shall dol haven't u friend In the
world.n
." No, no, don't aay that. Miss Mnry," said
slythorpe, In gentle patronIziug. manner; ~
isi't a. bad as that comes TO. I haven't dis
euIscd my own feelings towardsy yol, and though
YOU'VE lost your money, you know that neadn't
make any difference between you and me. My
affection alnt ot tho merceuasy sort; in tnet, us
| got you into the ncss though with tho bcst
OF intentions, mind you'll, ft's only fair silould
vcIt iii nf II u !