The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-08-22
IL -AARG,
NJ Miss Laura.

Whea twelve Yeas old my mothers
death made me an orphan, Door and
fricndless. Miss Laura De Neae found
me one day, crying bitterly, took com
passion on me and brought me to her
home. Miss Laura's mother was an in
valid and The care Of the house devolvcd
upon Miss Knox the housekecper
| had been thee year when the Rev
Mr.. WalderOn. the rector o. ST. Paui's, be-
came q frequent visitor, and Of last Mis-
Laura's accepted lover He was not
handsome, but vet man of splendid
presence; and, because OF his love Tor nv
mistress, and tor his commanding figure
and noble bearing, | came to look up to
him with reverence, almost with worship
Four years slipped by. One day
Miss Knox told me that Miss Lauras
cousin, Philip LANSING, had returned from
abroad. She also informed me that he
and Miss Laura had once bean lovers ;
that he wanted her 10 run of, but she re
fused He WAS heir to million, and
bound body and scu to his uncle. Miss
Laura WIS too poor to please the o q man
and having a spirit Of her own she re-
fused to marry the nephew.
The weeks passed on. began to no.
tice change in Miss Laura She had
not been wont to sit brooding over her
thoughts, but she did now. | noticed
that her cousin often called in the early
morning, and that she spent much time
with him; that when he had gone, she
was pale, preoccupied in fact, entirely
unlike herself. | also saw that she went
Oftener to her money desk, and something
weighed upon her spirits; that now and
then che went out in a sort of disguise !:
but dared tot even conjecture, thou Oh
my mind was full of terrible misglvinys.
One night sat up waiting for her till
the clock struck eleven. | knew the rec
tor had gone sometime before, and was
wondering what had become of Miss
Laura, when the door flew open and she
came in.
Her face was startlingly pale, and her
eyes, unnaturallv large, seemed to scin-
tillate with quick fiery flashes. For a
moment | was frightened, but at sight of
me her countenance changed. She nod
ded and smiled in her own pretty fash.
ion; then, going straight to the mirror,
she suddenly gloomed again, and began,
In an absorbed way, To pull the pins out
of her hair.
won't you let me do that for you. Miss
Lauras" | asked.
Not now-l'm in hurry my hair is
so heavy it hurts me--my head has
ached al the evening You may do it up
for the nieht--there. now. my dressing
gown. child-the asv-chair that is com.
Portable. don't often keep you up so
late. Il ME. How cold your hanis are -
1t was not that my hands were cold =
it wss that her head was hot, it throbbe |
hea lilly at the temples, and it almost
seemed as if the thick warm masses of
golden brcwn palpitated as they fell
over my arm, in rich, unrestrained lux
uriance.
AT length the long coil was combed
AID carefully fastened just above the
nape of the shapely neck
"Tnat will do she sand, almost i'm
patiently, for still fingered. Il can get
along myself now
Theu TSheari one quick, passionate
sob, but her face WAS hidden from me,
for she had thrown both arms over her
head, and the drapery concealed her
features
l left her reluctantly, feeling that
trouble had come-troubie between nv
beautiful mistress and the rector of St
Psurs Was it on account of her hand
some cousinf Vaiuly I tried to sleep.
The gastly fancy that she was sobbing on
the other side OF the wall haunted me.
Wat it she sri loved Philip Lansingf
The grave. proud face of Mr.. Wslderon
seemed TO tighten in disdain as caught
myself acting the part of Miss Laura in