The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-01-17
E'APERFEcT TREASURE

One day Frank came home with look
OF triumph.
II have perfect treasure for you," he
said, sin the way of a 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 allow sigh. Virginia, FRANKS
| only sister, had been sitting in a corner
| OF the drawing-room She rose now and
slipped out.
ihow could you, FrankT' Isaid, fol-
lowing her with sad eyes. II 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, ana all
that sad tragedy"
II am sorry," said Frank, ''but I did
not know she was in the room. Poor
VirginiaW
"Yes! Poor Virginial" l said to my
self. But once the lovelIest littls crea-
ture / ever knew. 1t is something Of a
story, but 'tis an ''o'er true tale," and /
| wall tell it in the shortest way that
can:
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
ber beautiful grandchild. But Virginia
thought different; and when she
was seventeen, at the time of my we'd
ding, sIe and Ian sley Temple were in-
sane enough to fail desperately IN love
with each other. Langley was Franks
most intimate friend, ana the pair met
continually at our house, until Grandma
r., n
Langley was ordered 10 his ship che was
IN the navy;) but Frank wa ed war
with Grandma until he obtained viper
ish consent that the lovers might cor
respond. Grandma took pains not to let
Frank know now Virginia was torment
ed and tyrannlZed over until the poor
child consented TO go out into society
again; and there she met and made con-
quest OF the very man whom Grandma
mad intended tor her beauty-HOrace
Kent. Virginia refused him; Dut Grand
ma said scOInlully, "rhaL made no dii-
ference. She would come to her senses
soon;" and, to my utter amazement, the
preparation OF the trousseau went on,
and Dy-and-by we were bidden to the
wedding-a quite elegant affair, where
Y irginIa walked anu talked as il she
was frozen. Frank and l confessed to
each otner, thai night, that the business
passed our comprehension, for we had
no idea then OF toul play.
Kent and Virginia were to sail for
Europe within fortnight OF their mar
riage, and went to Washington and Bal
tim0re TO pass that time. Left alone
one evening in Baltimore, with severe
headache, Virginia remembered TO have
seen some aromatic, vinegar In her hue-
bands dressing case. Kent was pecul-
lar in his careful way OIL locking up his
belongings, and she Took her own bunch
OF Keys to open the box, when, rather t0
her surprise, she found the key left in
the box. Some listless, vague impulse,
which she never afterwards could ac-
count for, prompted her TO lit the upper
tray, although sue had found the Vine
gar already. Underneath, 10 her sur
prise, she found paper, ana was ABOUT
returning the tray 70 its place without
further examination, when her eyes
were caught by the words: "My own
Virginia." in u dear, too welI-knOWn
handwriting.
When Kant came back that night, he
found his beautiful young wife sense
less upon her bed, with two letters
.crumpled between her cold tingers-one,
the last letter Langley had actually
written her; the other, the base forgery
in which he asked TO be released from
his engagement. Kent was not at all
bad He loved her madly, ana you may
be sure that his sore punishment began
when, after the physician had got ner
ont Of the deatn-llke swoon, the first
words that came W Vlrglnia's lips, iu
that strange, passi0nless tone whlcn is
far worse Than anger, were, "Remem-
he | Will never forgive you-neVerV
They came back to New York for
single day; but Virginia saw no one but
her grandmother. The old lady upon
her ueath-Ded rayed OF that interview,
and vainly implored her forgiveness tor
urging Kent on to his treachery. The
newly-h edded pair sailed in the ill-iated
ship which took fire off the coast OF Nova
Scotia, and whose name still carries
terror to many a heart. Virginia was
one Of the handful of survivors; her un-
happy husband fought for her place in |
the boat, and remaining behind himself,
persisted with the ship. Tue agony OF
terror, the long night which sne spent at
the mercy OF the waves, proved too much |
strain upon her already oYerburdened |
frame, and Frank ana l were summoned |
by telegraph to her az Halifax, where |
she lay Tor days unconscious with a |
brain-tever. And then, to add TO her |
when recovering she was
thrown into nearly iatal relapse by |
seeing accidentally that the Tecumsch
had gone down in the attack ON Mobile |
harbor, with every soul on board. The
Iecumsch was Langley's ship.
Virginia came 10 live with us about |
two years before the commencement OF |
my story. She seemed to ieel a sorrow
ful remerse about her husband, which |
was not grief. and yet it cast q shadow
over her life. "Iie was treacherous and |
alse," she said to me one day, sand he |
broke my heart; but what right have l
10 Judge himP Harrie, told him l
W woilld never forgive him, and he di ed
thinking himself unforgiven." or Lang
ley she never spoke.
Well, the "perfect treasure" made her |
appearance. She was rather young |
woman, with a pleasant, low voice, aud |
very good manners Tor one OF her sta |
tion. / was charmed. Certainly this |
girl seemed determined to please me;
she did her work in q faultless, neat
way; she amused and played with the |
twins; and baby had more quiet nights
han 1 had known him 10 have Tor |