South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1877-10-19
A Little Romance.

for her, Clara
Mr.. Glenn stood warming his coattails
before the cheerful fire i'm the drawing
room. Mrs. Glenn sat opposite, with no
very gracious-expression in her face.
Nonsense" said Mrs. Glenn "she
had just as much money "a you when
you bo.h started in the world. had mt
she?'
We'll, yes: but you see, my dear,
Fanny has been SO unlucky She mar
ried at eighteen, and that ne'er- do-weIl
husband OF hers contrived to spend it
all before he died.
Whose fault was it that she married
such poor bargain SHARPLY question
ed Mrs. Glenn. "Not yours, I'm sure"
"Well, we can't always foresee the
future" mildly remarked her husband.
Here she is now, n widow, and desti-
tute, with that little child on her hands.
and no means Of providing for it?''
mo means?" echoed the lady. "But
that is means. Didn't 1 cut out that
advertisement for n housekeeper in the
country, and send it to her? And didn't
she send it back with an insolent mes
sage, that she didn't choose any mental
position Mental. indeed! After that
wash my hands of both of EN-"
But. my love, Fanny never was
strong"
"Never was fiddlesticks !" retorted
Mrs. Glenn, growing red in the face.
And" desperately added Mr.. Glenn,
IL thought as our spare chamber wasn't
occupied at present, you would invite
Fanny and her child to stay here as a
sort Of headquarters while she tried to
earn something "a teacher"
GA teacher!" sneered Mrs. Glenn.
80, yes that would suit Fanny Vivian
exactly-to go smirking and smiling
into peoples houses"
"Clara, hush!' interrupted her hus-
band. "You forget. it would seem, that
Fanny Vivian is ladyv'
Lady or no lady, I'll not have her in
this house J" cried Mrs Glenn angrily.
And if she thinks-"
But at this moment the somewhat
stormy dialogue was interrupted by the
opening of the door which lead into an
adjoining room, and a tall, sweet.faced
young woman in widows weeds entered
leading curley headed little child by
the hand.
''Geoffrey," she said, in tremulous ac-
cents. Twas waiting in the other
room, and heard all. | couldn't help it.
And while thank you for your kind
ness. | want Clara distinctly to un-
derstand that l have no favors to ask O:
her -
Mrs. Glenn brided and drew herself up
81 never heard a case yet OF listeners
hearing any good about themselves ~
said she, with somewhat embarrassed
smile. But certainly have said moth
ing that didn't mean -
Fanny Vivian held out her cold hand
to her brother.
Goodbye, Godfrey" said she simp-
ly. ave used to be all in all to each
other, but since your wife has come be-
tween US you have never been quite the
same"
And so the young widow left her
brothers home, leading little Linda by
the hand.
Ten years have passed away since the
morning when Fanny Vivian so reso-
lutely separated her future from that of
her brother. and Godfrey Glenn lay i'll
in stuf,y 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 memora.
BILE family quarrel.
His business had fallen away, his
health had failed, and now, at forty-one,
he lay dying in foreign country.
You would scarcely have known Cla.
ra Glenn, rs she stood by the window
searching through and through her shah.
by purse for solitary coin, but in vain.
She was pale. wearied AMI worn.
| In place of the substantial silks i'm
which she used to rustic about she wore
a threadbare brown poplin, spotted hore
and there with medicine stains.
Alas poor Clara
AS she shut the purse with n sigh she
| glanced towards her husband.
lie lay apparently asleep on the bed
and, with noiseless footstep, she crept
down stairs to where Elgia, the porLess,
was nodding at her post.
"Eligia," she said. wistfully, "are
there any English families living i'm
/ Florence now?"
"Ihere was III Signor Cleveland, the
! English Milford at tue Villa Castellani,
on the Arno." she said after a moments
/ deliberation. "He was All Englshman.
and people said he married an English
/ wife,"
Is it far out Of the cty?"
Not FAR :" Eligia answered: "a mile
or so. The signora would know it by
/ the superb marble statues on either side
OF the gate. The signor MILFORD rains
money down as if il we're water"
Mrs. Glenn stood hesitating a mo-
/ ment.
She had never deliberately asked for
I charity before, bat the time had come
in which she had no alternative left.
Her husband was perishirg before
/ her eyes and GeoiTrey's long illness had
I consumed all their slender resources.
For herself sue could almost have
covered down in some alley and starved