Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-08-31
TRUE PRIDE.

raymond Thurston, l believe you are
! insane."'
! AS Annabel spoke, her voice had sharp
culver Of pail. as well as anger. She WAS
very proud of her brother. proud of his
talec1ls, and she considered he was about
| to degrade himself, socially, if not moral
| ly, by the stand he had announced himself
to have taken. Seeing her passionate out
cry had not moved him, she said, plead
| ingly:
"Have you no pride left? You who had
| the Thurston pride once?"
II have just so much pride, Anabel,' he
answered, ''that cannot sit here eating
| the bread of idleness another day
s'You know you are more than welcome
| here''
Il do know it. appreciate your hus-
bands kindness at its full value, Anabel.
I hope the day will come when 1 can prove
it, And Sis, [ am only too thankful that
you have his true love and strong arm now,
| when we have lost SO much. Now, dar-
ling, don't t-y to hold me back from honest
employment"
''But Raymond, you can surely obtain
some gentlemanly position"
81 have been trying faithfully for six
months-you know with what success
There, don't look at me so pitifully, it will
| come right one Of these days.
Il wonder what BERTHE Haines will say
when she sees you perched upon the dri.
ver's seat of an express cart -
| For the first time, the forced composure
of Raymond's face was stirred. A dark
flush crept to his very hair, and he rose
| and walked up and down the room. Glad
with her aristocratic ideas, and the
pride that is Unborn in her family, size will
never recognize you again, Raymond"
ssThen [ must lose the honor of her
I friendship Raymond said, hoarsely
:sDon't say any more, Anabel."
And unable to bear any further remon.
STRANGE, he left the room, and little later
F., the house.
The Thurston pride of which Anabel had
spoken was stinging him sorely, in spite OF
the brave face he had carried to cover it,
| He was a man of twenty eight, and his
life had only the pleasures of wealth, the
opportunities money gives for the develop
ment Of intellect, Tor twenty-seven OF
| these years.
| His parents died when he was boy, and
| Anabel, his only sister, fifteen years his Sc
nior. married before she was twenty, and
| gave her brother a home, whenever he was
| not travelling or in some seminary or col
Iege. While he considered himself a rich
man, Raymond had accepted the hospital
| ity as freely as it was offered, and Anabel' S
Jewel case, her husband S library, and her
children's play-room. bore witness of her
brothers generosity.
| But suddenly, without warning, there
swept over the country one Of the most de.
vastating financial crashes so overwhelm-
ing in this land of speculation, and Ray
mond was recalled from Europe by his bro
| ther-in-law, informing him that his entire
patrimony had been swept away. Invest
ments that had seemed to the young man,
| ignorant in all business details, as secure
! as they were flattering, had fallen to ruin,
| and few hundred dollars only were left of
what had been noble fortune.
At first, Raymond did not realize the ex-
tent of his misfortune. He was still
Young and well educated, in perfect health,
and certainly the world had some niche
! where he could earn an honest living. But
weeks of seeking employment gave him a
keener knowledge of his misfortune.
Friends who had been willing to smoke his
cigars and drink his wines, who were yet
willing to extend every social greeting,
/! shook their heads when asked to confide a
| portion of their business to his keeping.
Brought up to study, to live life of ele
CANT leisure, Raymond Thurston, at TWEEN
1 ty-seven, knew absolutely nothing about
business, nor had he studied any one branch
sufficiently to qualify himself for teacher
He tried faithfully to find employment
spending what little remained of his for
time with the lavish hand that had not vel
learned economy.
Society welcomed him home, after two
wears of wandering; for Anabel Barclay
kept open house for her friends, and Ray
mond was a favorite in her circle. Hel
husband, many years older than herself
had long retired from business with a large
income, and while he gave Raymond cor
dial welcome, had no opportunity to aid
HIM in finding occupation.
And BERTHE Haines, the friend from
whom Raymond parted two years before