Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1877-09-25
MIscELLAHE Gus.
A LITTLE ROMANCE.

lore the cueerIuI ure IN tue uraWinS>rooH,
Mrs. Glenn sat opposite, with no very
gracious expression in her face.
Nonsense ~ said Mrs. Glenn ''she had
just as much money as you when you both
started in the world, hadn't she 2"
"Well, yes; bat you see, my dear, Fanny
has been SO unlucky. She married at eighteen,
and that ne err do we'll husband of hers con-
trived to spend it all before he died"
'sWhose fault was it that she married such
a poor bargain ?" sharply questioned Mrs.
Glenn. "Not yours, Pm sure"
"Well, we cant always foresee the future"
mildly remarked her husband. "Here she
is now, a widow, and destitute, with that lit
tie child on her hands, and no means of pro-
viding for it 2"
"No means ?" echoed the lady. "But that
is means. Didn't | cut out that advertise
ment for honsekeeper in the country, and
send it to her? Aud didn't she send it back
with an insolent message, that she didn't
choose any menal position Menial, indeed
After that wash my hands of both of 'em."
''But, my love. Fanny never was strong"
"Never was fiddlesticks !" retorted Mrs.
Glenn, growing red in the face.
And" desperately added Mr.. Glenn, II
thought as our spare chamber wasn't occu-
pied at present, you would invite Fanny and
her child to stay here as sort of headquar-
ters while she tried to earn something as
teacher"
ga teacher 7" sneered Mrs. Glenn. so.
yes that would suit Fanny Vivian exactly
to go smirkiug and smiling into peoples
houses"
"Clara, hush " interrupted her husband.
''You forget, it would seem, that Fanny
Vivian is lady"
LADY or no lady, I'll not have her in this
house !" cried Mrs. Glenn sngrily. "And
|. if she thinks -"
But at this moment the somewhat stormy
dialogue was interrupted by the opening of
the door which lead into au adjoining room,
and ia ], sweet>faced young woman in
widows weeds entered leading curley>
headed little child by the hand.
''Geofrey." said she, in trenulous accents
'1-was waiting in the other room, and
heard !. couldn't helpit. Aud, while l
thank you for your kindness, | want Clara
distinc ty to understand that l have no IA
vors to ask of her !"
Mrs Gerp brided and drew herself up.
81 never heard a case yet of listeners hear
ing any good about themselves !" said she,
with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "But
certainy have said nothing that 1 didn't
meauw
Fanny Vivian he'd out her cold hand to
her brother.
Goodbye, Godfrey" said she, simply.
awe used to be al in to each other, but
since your wife has come between US you have
never been quite the same"
And so the young widow left her brothers
no me, eadiug little Linda by the hand.
Ten years have passed away since the
morning when Fanny Vivian so resolutely
separated her future from that of her brother,
and Geofrey Glenn lay i'll in a stuffy little
lodging in the least promising portion of the
lovely city of Florence.
Fate had not treated him we'll since he
sided with his wife in that memorable family
quarrel.
His business had fallen away, his health
had failed, and now, at forty -one, he lay dy-
ing in the foreign country.
Ycu would scarcely have known Clara
Glenn, as she stood by the window search>
ing through and through her shabby purse
for solitary coin, but in vain.
She was pale, wearied and worn.
In place of the substantial silks in which
she used to rustic about she wore thread
bare brown poplin, spotted here and there
with medicine stains.
Alas poor Clara
As she shut tho purse with o sigh shc
glanced towards her husband.
He lay apparently asleep on the bed, and,
with noiseless footstep, she crept DOWN
stairs to where Eligia, the portess, was nod
ding at her post.
''Eligia, she said, wistfully, fare there
any English families living in Florence now"
"There was II Signor Cleveland, the Eu>
glish MILFORD at the Villa Castellsni, on the
Arno," she said, after moments delibera-
ton. "He was an Englishmsn, and people
said he married an Epglish wife,"
Is it far out of the city 2"
':Not far )" Eligia answered: ga mile or
so. The signora would know it by the superb
marble statues on either side oc the gate
The sigror MILFORD rains money down as if it
were WATER
Mrs. Glenn stood hesitstiug moment.
She had neveS deliberately asked for char
ity before, but the time had come in which
she had no alternative left.
Her husband was perishing before her
eyes and Geoffrey's long illness had con-
sumed all their slender resources.
For herself she could almost have covered
down in some alley and starved, but she could
not see the sick man suffer.
81 cannot beg of strangers and aliens,
she thought, with thrill of aversion at the
idea "but think could ask for help from
some one who was born in my own country
And thus reasoning with herself. Mrs.
Glenn toiled along the burning poad IN the
direction of the Villa Csstalaui, having frss
Efi1ia tn NTH her