Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-01-25
ga PERFECT IREASURE.o

One day Frank came home with look
Of triumph.
"I have a perfect treasure for you, +"
he said, "in the way of q nurse. Gerald
Temple is going to take his family to
Europe, and, when he heard what you
wanted. offered to let us have their nurse,
whom they will not want"
/ heard low sigh. Virginia, Franks
only sister, had been sitting in corner
Of the drawing-room. She rose now and
slpped out.
"How could you, Frank 2" said, fol-
lowing her with sad eyes. 81 have
never heard your sister speak of the
Temples since she has lived with us; the
very mention Of their name brings back
the memory of Gerald's brother, and all
shat sad tragedy" .~
81 am sorry" said Frank, "but did
not know she was in the room. Poor
Virginia."
"Yesl Poor Virginia I" I said to
myself. But once the loveliest little
creature 1 ever knew. 1t is something
Of q story, but it is an "ower true
tale, and l will tell it in the shortest
way can: rEs
Virginia and Frank were orphans. and
old Mrs. Chichester, their grandmother.
had adopted Virginia almost from in.
fancy. The old lady had very ambitious
hopes of making splendid match for
ner beautiful grandchild. But Vir-
ginia thought different and when she
was II, at the time of my wedding, she
enc Langley Temple were insane enough
fall desperately in love. with each
oeher. Langley was Franks most init
mate friend, and the pair met contin-
ually at our house, until Grandma Chi
chester found it out. After a while
Langley was ordered to his ship (he was
II the navy; but Frank waged war with
/ grandma until he obtained viperish
consent that the lovers might correspond.
trandma took pains not to let Frank
know how Virginia was tormented and
tyrannized over until the poor child con
sented to go out into society again and
there she met and made conquest of the
: -yery. man whom grandma had intended
for Rer beauty-Horace Kent. Virginia
refused him but grandma said. scorn-
fully, '.Tha made no difference. She
would come to her senses soon," and. To
my utter amazsn.ent, the preparation of
the trousseou went on, and by-apd- -by
we were hidden to the weddings quite
elegant affair, where Virginia walked
and talked as IL she was frozen. Frank
and / confessed to each other. that
night, that the business passed our com
Prehsnsion, for We had no idea then of
fonl play.
Kent and Virginia were to sail for
Europe within fortnight of their mar
rage, and went to Wa hington and Bal
tmore. to pass that time. Lift alone
one evening in Baltimore, with severe
headache, Virginia remembered to have
seen some aromatic vinegar in her bus-
bands dressing case. Kent was peculiar
IN his careful way of locking up his
longings, and she took her own bunch of
keys to open the box, when. rather To
her surprise, she found the kew left in
the box. Some istless, vague impulse.
which she never afterward could account
for, prompted her to lift the upper tray.
although she had found the vinegar al
ready. Underneath, to her surprise.
sne .ound paper, and was about return
ing Tue tray 70 It's place without further
examination, when her eyes were caught
by the words "My own Virginia.
In dear, too wellknown handwrit no.
Wnen Kent came hack that night, he
found his beautiful young wife senseless
upon her ped, with two letters crumpled
between her cold fingers-one, the last
letter Langley had actually written her !:
'n1 osuer, the base forgery in which he
asked 70 be released from his engage
mens. hent was not at all bad. He
loved her nadly, and You may be sure
that his sore punishment began when.
after the physician bad got her out Of