Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1877-04-28

and the presence Of the mans wife who
had ruined him, in his house, was no
peculiar comfort. One night a strange
longing for his son came over him; he
was in so much trouble that he could not
put away his anxieties even to soothe
Lydia, and leaving her and Ada to find
what comfort they could in each other,
he went to seek Mary Hutton.
She still lived in quiet street of small
houses in the lower part of the town,
and when she answered his request to
speak to her, he was not astopished at
Antony's love. But it angered him new
ertheless; and though it was always hard
for Stephen 20 be cross to a beautiful
woman, he said, sharply:
"Where is my son, Lass 81
I'm New York, sir"
What is he do;nt there2'
Making home for me and my father,
SIR"
"Write and bid him come to his own
father. You may tell him I'm a ruined
mana ruined man, lass. You'll make
nought by marrying Antony Thirske
now, Mary"
al am very sorry for you, Mr.. Thirske.
You may believe me or not and l will
write and tell Anthony what you say"
But before Anthony could return
things had come to a crisis with Stephen
Thirske. He had won his case-and been
ruined in the winning of it. He was
complete bankrupt, and mill and house
went under the sherif7s hammer. There
may be places where three failures and
a fire make a mans fortune" but it is
not in Yorkshire. Even the personal
property of the unfortunate bankrupt
was sold, and the ruined family were
thankful to accept in the meantime the
shelter of the governess's little home.
Now, however, that Stephen had met
the worst and faced it, all his pluck re-
turned. He easily got q position in a
friends factory, and began to slowly
gather around him again the comforts'of
much humber home. Amuch happier
one, though; for these terrible changes
had at length reversed the natural order
of things. When Stephen was utterly
bowed down, suddenly Lydia Thirske
rose up, and took her true and natural
position as comforter and helpmate. 1t
almost consoled the weary husband for
all his losses to have found at last his
true wife.
Antony also had written loving and
hopeful letters; and it was likely that he
would be able to come for Mary the next
summer. They were all sorry now to
think of parting from her, for she had
been so helpful and cheerful in these
dark days, that it was hard to imagine
the cottage without her.
Adversely has many learned disciples,
and Ada had not been to its school with
out benefit. 1t was impossible for her
not to reproach herself with her fathers
ruin, and though no one else had done it,
the voice of society universally con-
demned her. She remembered. too, that
however irevengeful and hateful Aske
had been, she herself had done her best
to call forth those qualities--he had at
first tried to be very patient and kind to
her.
One morning as she was sitting sewing
to some such bitter Thoughts as these,
she lifted paper and read this para
graph:
"On Monday last, Aske, of Aske hall,
while hunting with the Towton hounds,
was thrown, and, it is feared, fatally in
jured."
She sat still thinking a few minutes,
and then, without word to any one but
Mary Hutton, left the house. Two
hours afterwards she wss in Aske Hall,
helping to soothe the rawlings of its delir.
ious master. Calmly but resolutely she
took her place, and in the long, dreary
weeks of watching and darkness that fol.
lowed learnt many a wholesome lesson.
Her great fear now was that the in.
jury to the brain was permanent, and
! that her husband wsuld never know her