San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-04-20


of her admirer, and that again her ideal
lifted itself to an unapproachable height
above him. He did not know, he never
knew, that after that speech his star set
from the heaven of Agnes Carroll's Wis.
ion. unfortunate Percy! He was
handsome, we'll connected and well-to-
do in the world; but he had never
known what it was to go .supperless to
bed-he had never grown thin and hol-
low-eyed with hard study and unremit-
ting toil-and so, as Agnes bitterly re-
peated to herself, she could not love
him.
Perhaps it would be well for her to
hunt up some beggar, and bestow her
hand and fortune on him! Any thing
to get rid of her senseless folly about
Harry Morton, who had probably never
thought of her once since their paths
had diverged so widely; and Agnes
strove to put her troublesome thoughts
to flight by taking her work to the sick
mans room and sitting down by the
window, and sewed and read by turns,
or talked to the nurse who was there,
until the shades of night came on and
the dinner-bell summoned her down
stairs. That night the doctor pro-
nounced his patient out of danger, and
Agnes went no more to the sick-room;
but resumed her old round of duties and
in her busy life nearly forgot him, until
her uncle introduced the subject.
"My DEAR" he said, 81 have been
talking to the stranger invalid, and find
that he is quite a gentleman. He has
studied law, and I don't know but that
I shall take him into the office. Be-
sides, he is from Ashville.'
Ashville!" repeated Agnes, with
sudden interest. 81 should like to
know about some of my friends in Ash
vile. l wish you would ask him down
to dinner, UNCLE. if he has any thing to
wear. Such wretched looking object
as he was! l am anxious to see how
much a good bed and care and food
have done for him. 1t was certainly a
strange plight for a gentleman. Has he
told you his story?" ed .... aa..
"No; he only said that he came from
Ashville, and was in search OF employ
ment. He was robbed on the way, and
says that he should doubtless have died
had we not found him as we did. | be-
lieve l will ask him to dinner"
Accordingly, when Agnes came to the
parlor before dinner, she found the
stranger there; her uncle was with him,
and as Agnes entered he said,
"My dear, permit me to present Mr..
-. Upon my word" he calculated,
81 never asked your name!"
"It is Harry Morton. 1t may be that
your niece remembers me.''
Agnes looked into his face, and laid
her cold hand in his. She did not re-
member him, for the long beard and I'M
kempt locks were gone; but, oh, how
changed! Thin and pale he had always
been, but he was ghostly nova mere
shadow of the olden man.
Agnes had never, in her widest i'm
aginations, dreamed that her first love
would be cast helpless and broken down
at her feet; she always had pictured him
as a rising power in the world, as es-
teemed and honored for his goodness
and talent; and now he stood before
her failure, his life-work yet untouch-
ed. She drew her hand away; and,
coldly kind, she sat down to entertain
him.
She went to dinner in q sort of q
dream, and listened to the story he told
in dazed way. 1t was certainly pitt
full tale; and Mr.. Carroll promised to
help him; and he did so by taking him
into his Office as managing clerk, and
letting him sit at his table, and converse
in his parlor.
And Mr.. Morton was gentlemanly, and
kept his place, never presuming on his
old acquaintance with Agnes-rever
seeking to build the old friendship be-
tween them.
Percy Bell and Fanny came to see
Agnes often, and Agnes returned their
visits. She was quite as friendly to
Percy Bell now as before the entrance
of Harry Morton upon the scene; and
that gentleman's hopes were again in
the ascendant, and he certainly made
an agreeable contrast to the ghostly,
hollow-eyed clerk, whom Agnes barely