The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1879-04-17
AN april FOOL" STORY.
BY MRS. S. VAN BENSCRoTEN.

Eva Phillips sat III her fathers library,
with her dainty feet, incased in the
tiniest slippers, and covered with bows
and buckles, perched on the fender, while
she gazed with far-awny look into the
fire. Her eyes were red and swollen, and
her face gave one the impression that she
had just buried her last relative, or had
quarreled with her latest lover.
The little hands were clasped tightly
together, and one could see by the very
eloseness of their grip that she lad made
up her mind to do something desperate
''Ill not care straw any more! I've
made up my mind he is not worth crying
lbout. So, there's an end Of it, He shall
lot have the satisfaction of knowing I
ever cared about it. I wouldn't care much
+ it wasn't for May and the other girls.
they'll laugh at me, for I always have
Dragged So about Harry's devotion.
4 door was softly opened, and her
father stood looking at her for some time
With sad, sober look.
At last he spoke her name gently, and
Eva turned and rushed to his arms say
.ng, why, papa, didn't know you had
come home! How tired you look. Moth
er and / have been SO worried about
you !"
poor little puss," said Mr. Phillips,
won viii have more TO bear than T shall
10 think OF that scamp, Harry Miller,
jeserLiag You under such circumstances.
| never would have believed him capable
If such avariciousnessl" And Mr.. Phil
ips sat down, and, taking Eva on his
knee, caressingly stroked her hair, and
sighed YEARLY.
Never mind about,me papa; shall get
Dver his desertion shortly. [ don't be-
ieve | care as much about him as [ do
bout what Cousin Mary will say. She
.lways liked Harry, You know; and Las
)ften told me ''she could get him away
rom me, if | wasn't a greater heiress
han She.
I wish ] had let ber have him long
ime ago, and had fallen in love with
George Starr instead OF such treachor-
1us fellow as Harry is. Ibelieve | should
f May hadn't called him ''prosy and
stiff, and raved SO about Harry. It
serves me right, for being 50 proud of
Harry's preference for me, in the face of
Mays beauty and expected wealth, Bat
I've made up my mind not to care, and
sm glad we released him from the en-
gagement.'
Mr.. Philips ground his teeth with rage
at Harry Miller's perhdy, and felt ike
rushing out and scalping the Young yaga-
bond.
He thought Ega's tears fell on account
Of her disappointment and unrequited
love.
He didn't understand woman's nature
enough to see how her pride could be
the cause of her grief, and that after she
had crushed that, no love would be lost
upon young Miller. But he sent the note,
at Eva's request. giving Harry his free
dom, longing to say what he thought of
the young scamp, and wishing him all
the i'll luck possible.
Mr.. Phillips had been wealthy busi-
ness man all his life, his business inter
ests having been handed down from two
or three generations.
At his father's death, Eva had received
q large proportion of hel granfather's
wealth.
But Mr.. Phillips had erred in iuds-
ment, when he sold off the greatest part
of her estate, and invested it in mines
and other great paying bonds.
As the times grew harder and harder
he had drawn more and more upon Eva's
resources, hoping eventually 10 recover
himself and reimburse Eva two-fold.
But as times failed to return an eighth
OF what had been promised, aud proved
on their opening. The railroad stocks
went down So far thas instead of declar
ing large dividend, as they had done
when Mr.. Phillips first invested, they
were drug on the market.
Now nothing was left but their home
and small country house little dis.
tance up the Hudson River, and to which
Mr.. Phillips had determined to go as
soon as their home in New York was
rented.