Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-11-11

; 1dC0. Dlu L lOOk ike Luat M
D Wentworth had given me q sort of el
raptured. ecstatic expression which
had never seen in my own face in tt
glass. I could not help asking
T do l look like that? 1 did not kno
Z I did" - .--
"Not always, perhaps But certainl
you looked SO while I was drawin
: you" he replied. slightly amused.
"Yes. Mabel" the others cried ya
! look just like that whenever you al
happy or p!easedlvery much -''
And you were very happy or ver
Wentworth asked. e1 iliF T
Yes" answered, looking down an
hlushing very much II was so happ
; that | could not help thinking of it."
You are to be congratulated ."-s AD
then, in lower, more earnest tone, b
added. "May you have, througboutyou
life. such thorough happiness forever
My father and ofher had now com'
and seeing them, / introduced Nj
i Wentworth al. d begged him to show th
sketch he had made
ut is splendid likeness" my fathe
said I'VE must have you paint Nab!
for US while you are here, if you viii
Mr. Wentworth, I" he added, courteOus1y
1--WE have always wanted q good pictur
of her
II shall be most happy. Mr.. Howard,
was the reply.
That evening, as mother and I wer'
talking over the incidents of the day
happened to think that had not hear(
all there was to hear about my new
found fortune.
Your Aunt Hepsibah," !" said mamma
hesitatingly, "gives all that money tt
you and your father on the condition
that ypu-that you will marry her pro
tege, young King"
But have never seen him mamma
How can tell whether l shall like hin
or not s' cried. starting up.
| II know. dear, it is hard to decide up
on matter like this in u day, but youl
father and I thought that perhaps, al
you have not seen many gentlemen, and
you have not become interested in any
one yet, 1t might not be improbable that
you would like Mr.. King. Lawyer
Simmons has given your father very
fine testimonials in regard to bis char
acter, and he is !n every way worthy OF
you II he Gan win your love. He is ia
Europe now. but in September he Is
coming home. and will spend few
weeks with US. and you are to decide
thenn
listened, breathless. WASH true that
had not yet become interested ia any
one? Was my heart still perfectly free
Would it have been the same to me if 7
had listened to all this in the morning
knew GOULD not answer yes to ques
tiOns such as these I managed to pre-
serve calm exterior, and for the first
time in my life shut the daar Of my
heart from my ,mother's gaze.
And what becomes of the money if
7 do not choose to marry Mr.. King ?" ]
asked, very quietly now.
ut all goes to him.
"Aud what if he should not like me 81
"Ynu forfeit it Just the same. But
there is no danger nf that, my child :
Who psp see you and know you without
loving you 2' And my mother folded
her arms about me- and hid her face in
my hair Then, after a pause, "YOu
must not consider US in the least, darling
| want you to do just as you feel in re-
gard to it. Of course twenty thousand
dollars is a great deal to YOUR father =
He could pay off his debts and settle
down cantentedly for the rest Of his life
hut he will not require you to sacrifice
yourself Only men, you know, do not
quite understand a wOman's heart. even
after lifetime's study and he thought
you would be delighted With the chance
of good husband ip conjunction with
your good fortune, and he. of course
cannot imagine any possible drawback
to it. But shall not blame you, my
child, If you find it impossible to accept
your aunt's proviso; and if you decide
to give up the money and your husband
| shall understand why you do it, ant
your aunt Hepsibah now that she is
dead, but it does seem rather cruel fo
her to restrict you il this way. 1t lcnk.
a little like revenge She never snrgav'
Jour father for interfering in her early
love affairsp
"Rut why should papa have to give
up his money, even if I do mine?"
said
~ suppose it was to influence you tht
more But now, dear, do not troubl
yourself any more to night just put i
out of your mind entirely You viii
have plenty of time 10 think of it befor
(you decide. GOpd night, my precious
good night" and she kissed me tender
ly many times.
[ retired also, but not to sleep. Ths
day which had begun so bright endet
in night of misery Yet who shall sa,
there were not guardian angels hoverins
near, though I could not see OF feel then
in the darkness? "Qh! it was worse
than cruel" cried "fnr Aunt Hepsl
bah ta revenge herself upon me, when
never injured her in the least degree
And then [ remembered her history
which helped explain her will,
When young girl she had loved AL
fred King. the son Of q poor minister =
He had q reAned, scholarly fnind, bu
no IacuIty for pushing his way in tn
world. Her father and brother 0bjpcte,
to the match, and did everything the,
could to break it off At last her broth
er Charles. my father got hold Of som
scandal which was attributed to hin
(thongh afterwards it proved false, an,
reported It to his father who shut hi
door henceforth to Alfred King. H
also forbade his daughter to have any
thing to do with HIM and after a lon;
while, when she had become perfectly
ind'Iferent TO- every one, she was per
Esnaded to- marry a very wealthy maj
twice her aye She never forgave he
hrather for the part he took in the Who'll
affair. but after her husband died sh
wa left a childiess widow. in large
gloomy house in Chicago. She sent 70
us to come and maize her visit Sh
took quite q fancy to- me, I was then
child Of seven or eight, and my fathe
was very Mueh pleased. About eigh
wears before she died she had ,efte
from Alfred King who was dying wit
consumption ia California, haasing he
to come to HIM, if she had ever love
him. She went immediately, and foun
h;m in poverty, entirely dependent ut
on the exertions OF his only son, a youn
fellow of seventeen. His wife had bee
ad some years. Aunt Hepsibah mad
his last days comfortable and happy
and promised to. adopt his boy and trea
him 10 every way as ber own SON
/ 0h her rsturn from California, fres
from the trying scenes she had just bee
through. with the love of her yout
renewed, she made her will, leaving a
to Alfred Kings son. except the sui
laid apart for me if married him Ne,
, er had we seen this protege Of her. ST
was extremely reticsnt on the subjec
All we knew OF him was that he distir
ggished himself in college as u flu
t lscholar, aud that she had taken hiI
abtoad to finish his education. The
were travelling in Europe when she die