The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-03-20

DEAR SIR-Though personally un-
known to you, am under great obi
cations for your kindness to my sister
and niece ut time of need Without
wearying you with my personal affairs,
/ will merely explain that the lady to
whom you attended forhemorrhage one
night last year, was my sister She mar
ried against my wishes q man whograd-
ually squandered the little fortune she
possessed. All intercourse between us
had ceased, and | knew neither of her
husbands death nor the destitution
which followed, until the dread of leav-
ing her daughter without any protector
overcame her pride and resentment, and
she wrote to me. 1 reached her only u
few hours before her death and ii is only
within a week that / have learned
through my niece that 1t was to your
charity she was indebted for her last
earthly comforts. A card which was
found upon the floor, after you left, fur
nishes us with your address, and /
hasten to remit to you the amount of
the pecuniary Indebtedness, as well as
to express my gratitude for the services
you rendered to the members of my
family.
Respectfully yours,
JOHN j. RHODES.
Rather romantic ending TO that
little episode" unused Hal. Well,
am glad that lovely girl found home,
and some one to care for her after her
mother died. wonder If | shall ever
see her again. The uncle is evidently
well off, since he has discharged his
pecuniary Indebtedness as he calls it,
so promptly. Judging from the note it
wounded his pride, and 1 wish L had not
been so careless as to drop that card
What the deuce am / to do with the
money
He would not have asked that ques-
tion two years later, when the news of a
great fire in his native city came across
the cable, and he learned that the riches
he had enjoyed SO thoughtlessly had
vanished on the swift wings Of flame.
He returned at once, selfreliant and
hopeful, the change of his circumstances
developing all the latent energy of his
character. The necessity of gaining a
livelihood which he had formerly look
ed upon as an outlet of a certain philan-
thropic ambition, was just the stimulus
he needed, though even in his prosperi-
ty he had never been an idler with no
earnest or endeavor. But, knowing as
he did from experience the butterfly life
of club and ball room, he realized that 1t
would be incompatible with the practi-
cal work that lay before him, and he
felt that it would be easier to sever old
social ties at once and seek his fortune
among strangers.
He went to a western city but even
there to his surprise he found some old
friends in an agreeable family he had
met while travelling abroad. They were
gay people, who entertained handsome
ly, but he persistently declined all theif
invitations, until he was overpersuaded
to attend the debut of one of the younger
daughters.
| He did not repent the concession when
he found himself in the midst of the
brilliant scene, but yielded gracefully to
| its exhiliration. The fair debutdnt
showed him much favor, but in the
midst of her lively chatter his eyes wan
dered to the door through which tall,
| graceful girl was just entering
She was indeed lovely; form, coloring,
movement, were all exquisitely perfect
The shining rippIes of golden hair, the
dewy violet eyes, the rose leaf COM
plexion, the arch, smiling mouth, the
supple, rounded figure, revealed each
other as being the chief charm of her
fair presence. Halls genuine admira-
tion was very evident, as he asked alb
ruptly
"Who is that lady 7"
g If you were not such a recluse you
would not ask, - replied his companion.
"That is Laura Gresham, the belle of
the season. Is she not lovelyYn
" Yes, Very" answered Hal; " she has
that rare beauty that reminds one of IA
flower, delicate and perfect, yet living
l think have seen her before"
'tThat is hardly possible, for she has
been in q convent school all her life
until this winter. Let me introduce
you"
Hal assented eagerly, but was sur
i prised to see sudden blush sufluse Miss
Gresham's face. when his name was
mentioned, and he fancied her manner
nervous and distraught. She had no
dance left to give him, but they chatted
a few moments on ordinary topics, and
a chance allusion ELECTED from her the
question: