Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-05-08

if she could have retained one
scholar she could have spared the
others.
Only one hour had passed
when a carriage drove quickly
to the door of the little cottage,
and Doretta, hnrrying out, saw
three men carrying her father
up the garden path, while follow
ing, with a frightened face, came
Sidney Rynear and the doctor.
81 went for the doctor as fast
as / could, Sydney whispered,
taking Doretta's little cold hand
in his warm clasp, sand we met
the carriage at the gate. | am
no end of sorry, Retta, but i
in fact--he-it was seeing me
/ am afraid"
"What?" she said.
"Why, you see he was all
right, teaching the class, when
he saw me suddenly, and turned
as white as a ghost! He asked
me my name and as soon as he
heard it, dropped down like
dead man!D - @...a
All this was spoken hurriedly,
and Doretta was too busy for
hours to weigh the hasty words.
"a second stroke" the doctor
said, and Doretta watched hun
grily for one return of con
sciousness.
Towards midnight the invalid
moved slightly, and in a moment
Doretta was bending over him,
meeting the glance of his large
haggard eyes fixed upon her
face.
"Rynear!" her father said, in
thick utterance. "IIe here--dia-
mond studs-and you-rich--
starving-curse liiml / curse
him."
s The passionate utterance of
the last words exhausted him,
and he lay painting, while Do
retta tried to coax him to take a
stimulant left by the doctor.
But he moved his head from the
spoon muttering, "Rynear! Ry-
near! my ruin-my curse@ and
again the distorted face warned
'Doretta of a third attack. Be-
fore the day dawned she was
fatherless.
1t was not strange, with the
death scene still fresh in her
mind, that she shrank from Sgd
ney's well-meant effort at conso-
|
lation; but as the weary days
wore on this gave way before
his kindly services. How could
he have wronged her father, and
! a mere child, twelve years
before, when the Sehorns had
left New York!
Time, with its many changes,
brought comfort to Doretta, who
obtained a situation as governess
in a private family, and went a.
broad with her pupil and her par
ents. Sidney Ryncar left. the
country village to enter his fa-
theirs counting house in New
York, vowed eternal constancy
to Doretta, and forgot her in six
months.
Five years later, in a private
room in one of the New York
hotels, two gentlemen, one a
middle-aged lawyer, one a man
still young and exceptionally
handsome, were talking together.
''I'he whole matter rests with
you," the older man was saying.
81 will give you the facts, but
you understand j accepted them
as a confidence, and will never
repeat them after tonight"
81 understand" said his COM
panion gravely.
"Your father left. my Office
three weeks ago, in perfect
health; one hour laterI was sum
moned to his death bed, and
found him suffering foln fatal
injuries from a building that had
fallen as he was passing. =
"I know"
"Ife had made his will years
ago, leaving yon his heir, with
the exception of a few legacies.
81 have seen the will"
/ "Ah, yes. Well, in his dying
moments he desired to have a
Inew will drawn, but finding death
approaching too fast he made
a IL <,<,,,faccirr, 40 ,,,n apH 4 cxrora