Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-09-14

| !
, dishes with her own white hands. And,
: as if to try his constancy, Miss Jane aided
, and abetted this scheme for her nephew
fortune, and spoke but little of Ellen, never
} inviting her now to the house, SO that Gil
bert was forced to seek her more and more
lovely and winsome from the contrastwith
the idol he had proved to be clay. 1t was
six months after the arrival of Mrs. Cor
ham in her, step-daughter's house when
Gilbert, returning from drive with Ella,
met his aunt in the hall, and clasping her
in a close embrace, whispered very softly:
ELLA is mine! Wish me joyl'
"From my heart" she whispered back.
Radiant with joy and hope, Gilbert, af-
ter changing his driving-dress, hurried to
the sitting room, to tell Aunt Jane Sail
about it," He had absolutely forgotten
their guest, and it gave him an unpleas-
antEhock, when he found her, seated in
low chair, busted about some wool work,
that showed to great advantage her tiny
white hands, glittering with jeweled rings.
She rose to greet him, and then, to his
embarrassed surprise, she clasped her jew
eled hands, and, bursting into tears sobbed.
''Oh, Gilbert, do not look at me SO cold
ly. 1 cannot bear it. I know I deserve
nothing from you but contempt, but if you
knew how sorely my mother urged me, how
importunate your grandfather was, you
would forgive me. I was insane with their
prosecutions, and thought in my misery
that 1 could still see you, and perhaps
some day-when 1 was free again I-I-'
And here even her effrontery gave out,
and she only sobbed convulsively. Taken
by surprise, every gentlemanly instinct
urged Gilbert to comfort this woman so
recklessly offering him what it was once
his fondest hope to possess. But his whole
soul shrank from her, his manly, true heart
was only outraged by her unWomanly ad-
vances.
Gravely he stood, looking down upon her
as she shrank into the chair, sobbing and
covering her face and yet furtively watch
ing him.
"Gilbert, speak one tender word to me-"
she implored "say you do not utterly de-
spise me''
But he did. He sought for words to con-
vey his meaning kindly, and they would
not come. Blushing like boy. in his con-
fusion and pain, he said, gently:
81 am very sorry, Mrs. Gorham''--
s'It used to be Myra,' she sobbed re-
proachfully.
"True, but those were days that can
never be recalled" es..
'You are cruel.'' ....
II do not wish to be 50, but must be
| frank with you. The past is dead! New
er can we revive that love that was once
SO very trifing to YOU"
'sNo, no; you wrong me. Alas for me
it is my misfortune that cannot conquer
my love-"
"But mine died when it was insulted and
sighted"
Here Gilbert drew deep sigh of relief
at the appearance of Aunt Jane, entering
the room behind Myra's chair. Mrs. Cor
ham did not hear her light step, and
sobbed:
"Your love cannot be dead, Gilbert. 1t
will live again. Pity and forgive me.''
II both pity and forgive you," said Gil
bert. very gently.
sBut"-
"But," said Aunt Jane, in her hardest
tone, and with her face set in rigid lines, (,
''you forget, Mrs. Gorham, the law does
not permit man to marry his grandmoth-
err
With cry of rage, Mrs. Gorham sprung
| to her feet, but something in the cold,
grave faces checked the torrent of wrath
upon her lips, and she left the room.
The next day she terminated her visit,
and loftily declined an invitation, sent
three months later, to be present at the
wedding of Gilbert Gorham and his gentle
bride-Ella.