Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-06-18
Weiqhed in the Balance.

And you really lAncy youiscl' III NV
with this fair-haired little shop glrl p
Mr., Meredith, tall, noble featured
man of forty, looked rather sadly at bis
enthusiastic young nephew.
Fancy, uncle! That is hardly al
| appropriate word to use. l am quite
certain of the fact
L suppose you will consider me q
very bad Judge of the human character
| if tell you 1 like her little cousins de-
mure face the best. Believe me, Harry,
there is more real stamina in Ruth DurI
than in her pretty cousin Rachel
There. sir answered Harry, reso
lutelv. lis where l must beg leave tC
differ with you
well. my boy, you must choose ioI
Yourself. Remember, it is no question
Of a partner for waltz, or pair ol
bright eyes whose glitter is to amuse
YOU for one or two evenings. The wo'
man whom YOU now select for your wife
must necessarily exert more or less
potent influence over your whole life,'
L know it. sir, and Harry's nrirthiul
face became for the moment almost
grave.
THAT she makes her own living be-
hind the counter of fancy store-that
they both dds no drawback IN my
eyes. independence and self-reliance
are to me cardinal virtues, and even
though she will be raised into an at
mosphere of comparative wealth, a few
lessons beforehand in the impartial
school Of worldly experience will be ol
incalculable use TO her.
Harry Meredith sat- long that night
| before the snug, bright fire in his coy
little bachelor apartment, musmg over
his uncle's words.
He had met the two cousins, Rache
and Ruth Durr, at a qriet little birthday
| gathering at the house ola friend ant
had instantan eously felt drawn towar(
the elder ene--elder by eighteen months
She was a beautiful blonde, while The
other was rather OF brunette type.
During the three months which ha'
| followed upon his first introduction
Harry Meredith had contrived 10 see th'
cousins several times a week, and, con
sequently, fell deeper in love with tn
golden haired lassie, even while he wa
| quite conscious OF Ruth's deeper char
| acter ond stronger intellect.
| Sometimes he was almost tempted t.
waver in his allegiance toward the cid
| er. and then he took himself with yer.
unnecessary stcrnness 10 task for hi
Inconsistency.
Tonight, however, he passed tn
whole Of the last few weeks in revie'
before his memory, and decided that in
action was the very worst policy IN tn
world.
This suspense must be put to o.
end calculated our hero, halt aloud
and then he smiled mlschlevously t
himself, as bright idea came into hi
head.
'I'll dolt,' lie thought, biting his liT
sOf course, it's merely for the fun of tn
thing. l have not the shadow Of dout
| that she is all she seems, but still
lie was silent for a few moments, an
then arose TO prepare for slumber'
They are polite to me as the iavorli
child of luxury. Now l will take meas
uces to learn whether that courtesy
7 genuinely from the heart, or merel
= born of empty form and adulation
wealth.
d So our hero, laying his head on h
pillow, dreamed of private masquera'
parties all night long.
Rachel Durr and her cousin Ruth we
sbop girls in Saver & st. Clair's gre
fancy store.
'Oh. DEAR sighed Rachel, one NOR
mo as she took off her bonnet in Il
little dressing room at the back OF Il
store and shook down her golden sho'
er Of curls, how tired am Of this he
1t rid drudgery! How l wish Harry Mer
~ dith would propose ifhe is going to-!
Ruth laughed as she smoothed dow
her satin brown hair and tied the bow
crimson ribbon at her throat.
And what do you think of m, r
chel-I who have no such brilliant hop
J, of matrimony to light up the monotol
of my daily toils'
Il don't see hsw you bear it so
tiently. l should die with vexation al
,. ennui if l did not hope for somethil
BETTER
'Hush!' said Ruth there is Nj
Wickies, the forewoman. calling u.s.
a. How hate the old vixen! Racf
calculated, slowly following Ruth in
the store.
Really, Miss Rachel Durr' you mi
r' manage to be a little more punctua
said Mrs. Wickies, pursing upher mou
primly. You are full fye minutes
hind time, and it was just so yesterda
z. z. Rachel pouted and went TO work
beling a box of newlysarrived ribboI
- She and Mrs. Wickies had never agre