The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-04-03

w natE' she sald.
"Why, you see, he was all right,
teaching the class, when he saw II G
suddenly, and TUNED as white as a
ghost! He asked me my name, aud, as
soon as he heard it, dropped down like
dead manp'
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 hungrily for one
return of consciousness.
Towards midnight, heinvalid moved
slightly, and in 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. "He here-diamOndstuds-
and you-rich-starving--cnrse him |
curse him!"
The passionate utterance of tie last
words exhausted him, and he lay pant
ing, while Doretta tried to coax him to
take a stimulant left by the doctor. But
he moved his head from the spoon
muttering, "Rynear! Rynear! my
ruin-my curse!" and again the dis
tOrted face warned Doretta of third
stroke. Before the day dawned she was
fatherless.
1t was not strange, with that death
scene fresh in her mind, that she shrank
from Sidney's well-meant effort at con-
ISOLATION; but as the weary days wore
on this gave way before his kindly SER
vices. How could he have wronged
her father, when he must have been a
mere child, twelve years before, when
the Schorns had left New York!
Time, with its many changes, brought
comfort to Doretta, who obtained a sit
uatiOn as gOverness in private family,
and went abroad with her pupil and
her parents. Sidney Rynear left the
country village to enter his fathers
counting house in New York, vowed
eternal constancy to Doretta, and for
got her in six months.
Five years later, in a private room in
one of the New York hotels, two gem
tlemen, one middle aged lawyer, one
man still young and exceptionally
handsome, were talking together.
"The whole matter rests with you,"
the older man was saying. 81 will
give you the facts, but you understand
| accepted them in confidence, and
will never repeat them after tonight
81 understand" said his companion,
gravely.
"Your father left my Office three
weeks ago, in perfect health; one hour
ater was summoned to his death bed,
and found him suffering from fatal in
juries from a building that had fallen
as he was passing"
81 know"
"He had made his will years ago,
leaving you his heir, with the excep-
ClOn OF lew leSacles.'
81 have seen the will"
"Ah, yes. Well, in his dying mo-
ments he desired to have new will
drawn, but finding death approach too
fast he made his confession to me, and
/ Iswore to repeat it to you"
"COnfession !" burst from the young
mans lips, while his face grew white.
81 repeat his own words. Years ago,
when he was in manufacturing busl-
ness in Harlem, your father employed
a foreman named Schorn, German
with but an imperfect knowledge of
English, but with genius for me,
chanics. This man had been for years
studying out and perfecting valuable
discovery In the branch manufacture
your father carried on, and it was to
test the value of his machine that he
entered your fathers house. Ignorant of
the language, and the laws Of this coun-
try, he confided his schemes to your
father, who undertook to have his in
vention patented and introduced. This
he did, only in so doing he substituted
the name of Sidney Rynear for that of
Herman Schorn, and obtained full pos
session and control of the patent, upon
which he built an enormous fortune
which you inherit.
"The German, Schorn, in vain tried
to gain his rights; he was poor, an alien,
a scholar, and he was crushed down
and driven away by the superior wealth
and influence of his employer. Your
father saw his d,ath in a paper some
years ago, but his charge to you Is to
seek out his heirs, and divide with
them the fortune out of which their
father was defrauded. Now | have
told you all. If you wish to treat this
story as a death bed chimera, you may
do so. / will not betray you. If you
desire to obey your fathers last request
| will aid you materially, for | can tell
you where to find Doretta Schorn."
"My father's last will is q sacred leg
aoy," Sidney Ryncar said, in low,
hoarse voice. 81 will obey it strictly,
but the secret-the confessl6n?"
"Remains a secret"
One more revolution of times ever
revolving wheel, and six months after
this conversation, ask my reader to
look with me into very pretty sitting
room In house on the outskirts of
Paris. 1t Ia a luxurioas home, but the
dress of fair haired girl sitting near
one of the open windows, is only 3
white cambric tastefully made, while
her abundant fair hair is,without orna-
ment to its own glossy beauty.
a l.. l.. A.. - llsa