The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-02-15


universal legatee.''
GA PERFECT TREASURE"
One day Frank came home with a
look of triumph.
81 have perfect treasure for you,
he said. Sin the way Of nurse. Ger
aid 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 a low sigh. Virginia, Frank s
only sister, had been sitting in the
corner of the drawing-room. She rose
now and slipped out.
s:How could you, Frank = | said,
following 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 that sad tragedy.
81 am sorry," said Frank, "but | did
not know she was in the room. Poor
Virginia -
Eyes! Poor Virginia - l said to
myself. But once the loveliest little
creature ever knew. 1t is something
of a story, but it's an ''ower true
tale,'' and will tell it in the shortest
way can:
Virginia and Frank were orphans,
and old Mrs. Chichester, their grand
mother, had adopted Virginia almost
from infancy. The old lady had very
ambitious hopes of making a splendid
match for her beautiful grandchild.
But Virginia thought different and
when she was II, at the time of my
wedding, she and Langley Temple
were insane enough to fall desperately
in love with each other. Langley was
Franks most intimate friend, and the
pair met continually at our house,
; until grandma Chichester found it out.
After while Langley was ordered to
his ship Che was in the navy; but
Frank waged war with grandma until
; he obtained a viperiSh consent that
: the lovers might correspond. Grandma
took pains not to let Frank know how
Virginia was tormented and tyran'
niZed over until the poor child con-
sented to 90 out into society again
and there she met and made conquest
of the very man whom Grandma had
intended for her beauty-HOrace
!, Kent. Virginia refused him; but
: Grandma said, scornfully. ''That made
9 no difference. She would come to hel
senses soon;' and, to my after amaze
;, ment, the preparation of the trous
|, seau went on, and by-and-by we were
), hidden to the wedding--a quite ele
yxy0IH
: and talked as if she was frozen. Franz
: and | confessed to each other, thai
y night, that the business passed on
:. comprehension, for we had no ide;
= then of foul play.
g Kent and Virginia were to sail TO
: Europe within a fortnight of thei
y marriage. and went to Washington
g and Baltimore to pass tina
= time. Left alone one evening i
= Baltimore, with severe headache
- Virginia remembered to have see
!, some aromatic vinegar in her husband
= dressing-case. Kent was peculiar L
=, his careful way of locking up his be
= lodgings. and she took her own bunc
II of keys to open the box, when. rathe
- to her surprise, she found the key LET
! in the box. Some listless, vague in
- pulse. which she never afterward
q. could account for, prompted her to Iii
At the upper tray, although she Ia
40 found the vinegar already. Unde
81 meath, to her surprise, she found p
~ per, and was about returning the ira
- to it's place without further examin;
~ ton. when her eyes were caught t
80 the words: "My own Virginia, in
dear. too well.knOwn handwriting.
When Kent came home that nigh
he found his beautiful young vii
senseless upon her bed. with two lie
tiers crumpled between her cold flnge
90 one, the last letter Langley had a
n tually written her: the other. the ba
ed forgery in which he asked TO be 1
re leased from his engagement. ke
.at was not at all bad. He loved her ma
at ", and you may be sure that his SO
IT. punishment began when. after t
RI physician had got her out of the deaf
Of like swoon. the. first words that car
no to Virginia's lips. in that strange, p;
at sionless tone which is far worse tn
it'll anger. were. ''Remember! l will new
its forgive you-never!
rts They came back to New York for
is single day: but Virginia saw no O
ere but her grandmother. The old la
nd. upon her deathbed raved of that int
on view, and vainly implored her forgi,
It ness for urging Kent on to his treat
of cry. The newly welded pair sailed
ect the ill-faued ship which took fire
he the coast of Nova Scotia, and who
,di- name still carries terror to many
ere heart. Virginia was one of that hal
ar full of survivors her unhappy b.
band fought for her place in the bo
and remaining behind himself, p'
ished with the ship. The agony
terror, the long night which she spt
nd at the mercy of the waves. proved |
to much strain upon her already ov
to burdened frame, and Frank and | WI
summoned by telegraph to her at q
be- flax, where she lay for days unc'
the scious with brain-fever. And tn,
ng, to add to her misery, when recoveri
she was thrown into nearly fatal
ice lapse by seeing accidentally that |
ar, Tecumseh had gone down in the
YES tack on Mobile HarbOr. with evt