The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1879-03-06

Indeed, / am SOTTy To hear IT,. lie
drew little nearer listening attentive
! ~, and helping her ROW and again by
word Of encouragement.
Her story was a simple one. She
WAS tO be married next month to her
cousin, Mr.. HaWkesbuTy. She had
dreaded it all her life, but il WAS her
fate. And then taking courage
from the respectful and almost pater-
nal delncanOr Of her listener,
she made the frank confession that she
disliked her cousin just because she
WAS forced 10 marry him; and tO this
she added such 4 childlikc cntrcIty not
To be thought 'tOO bad" that il must
nave required more than ordinary self
control for FitZallan not TO say
something that would have allowed
the scene to become a tender one; but
this he seemed determined to avoid,
and SO in her simple way was the sad
ly peTplcXed girl that was pouring out
her hearts trouble To him.
"Will you speak for me to Mr.. Sell
wyn,' she said, las you are an old
friend of his | cannot reason as men
do, but l want you to try if there is
any wax of release for me. Pray for
give me if ! am wrong in asking your
interference, but | am very Wretched'
here came Il burst of tears that must
have tined the listener sOrely-"but
myself have so often spoken to Mr..
Sclwyn, and II is no use. He always
saws my fathers will must be carried
out; and oh! how ! wish / could DO
it."
1T must be done, if possible" FitZal-
len sad. "BUt it would not be your
fathers will TO mar the happiness of
your life or TO put you in bondage.
"Oh! if Mr.. Selwyn would only speak
like that" said the girl sadly.
"Well, / shall have 4 talk with him,
said FitZallan, "and do my best for
your happiness, though l would be Sor-
Ty 10 injure IIawkcSbury's prospects.
Let us 90 back now; there is Il new
piece beginning. That is one of Ru-
bimstein's, is 1t not? l need not say
you have done me favor by granting
me your confidence"
With that he drew aside the heavy
curtains, and they returned to the
dazzling light and bewilderiGg music
and movement of the ballroom.
After that night AIadge waited in
anxiety to hear the reSultOf FitZallan'S
parley with her guardian. Three days
passed and q note cgme from him, only
a few WaTdS, saving that he had sue
ceeded at least so far as TO win a prom
Use that the matter should he consider
ed. But Madge saw little good coming
of Mr.. Selwyn's considering" what
seemed to be decided irreyOcably long
ago.
At last il WIS the eve of her birth
day: Tomorrow would be The dreaded
day, and that very morning Mr.. Sell
Wyn had said to her graycly bat ten
derly:
My Child il has beea tha work of
many years for me 10 See To the fulfill
mrnt of your fathers last wish. lie
WAS my best and dearest friend, and
his life w:ls Il sad one. At least his
dying will must be done. Bat prom
! iSe yuu hJppineSS-I do, indeed
But beyOnd that day Madge WAS un-
able Ia bear her hearts burden. Il
must tell him everything, she thought.
In the afternoon twilight, some time
after Mr.. Sclwyn had returned home,
she found him asleep in his armchair
in the dark dining-rOum. But little
daylight came III between the red cur
tains and il was only the glow of the
! fire that showed her his white
hair and long beard She knelt be-
side him, as she often did for a talk
| when he was in that chair, and she
woke him lay stealing her hand into
his,
"Who is it.Gerty? No, Madge-
my little Madge who is to be 50 patri-
archal Tomorrow
/ asT1ar,.n Nafynryrrn -" Sla lsap.1rD NOT CriHr-
| ing him time to Joke any more, lest
she might not be able to disclose all
her troubles, Il want to tell YOU some
thing, and you won't be angry, no
matter what it is =
He took her face between his hands,
and the fire flashed up and showed
him how earnest it was.
81 am quite sure" he said, nothing
can make me anything but as deeply
/ ii love with my second daughter as a
poor old fellow like me can he, Why,
child, | am under cloud all day be-
| cause tO-mOrrOw-aS soon as tO-mOr-
row. can be-Papa Selwyn 10 more,
and Madge viii be thinking about no
body but her cousin"
NO. indeed cried Madge, impetu-
Ously; 'yOu will be Papa Selwyn al
ways-dways; and | don't care for my
cousin a bit"
But her guardian shook his head
! gravely.
My dear, you will marry your
1 cousin"
The freight had died down low. and
/ Madge had courage enough to bluTt
out with an effort the few words:
Il can't marry Jack, because | ought
/ to love my husband, and | can never
care enough for him. Or, if must be
| engaged to him tO-mOrrOw'-here
there was a great sOb-~MT. FitZallan
is very good and kind, and | don't
want To hurt him-but-he must 90
away
Her head sank upon his knees with
the great effort of that request.
MY poor child,' he said, i know
YOUR secret. Bravely said, my little
Madge, my bOnny girl, You have had
| the truth out, and done nObly. You
are worthy of the man that is tn have
YOU. and that is saving Il good deal.
/ Then raising her head gently, he badt
her listen, for he was going To tell i
secret i'll return for hers. When shC
heard it she waited with wide, won.
dering ewes while he told IL 4 second
time, for she could not believe IN hel
JOY. As yOu know, Madge," he be-
/ gan, most people i'm this world have
more cousins than one" And then hs
went on to explain to her that Herbert
FItZallan Ay;ls u very distant cousin
and that it vas to him her father
wished her to be married. FitZl'lan'.
father hai been the companion of hi,
iabOrs, and Herbert himself had beer
loved by the dying man as son. fol
Herbert was twenty When little Madgt
. was an orphaned baby of 1. You aSI
what about Jack, then = said the OF,
. man. That WAS my clever trick up
= on Madge. | never said You were /,
marry Jack. / told you of You
. fathers wish. | brought Jack here
the only cousin you knew; and
, praised his good qualitieS-which ar
ine enough, l can tell you, and apprt
ciated'by young lady not far froI
here. Iknew that wayward heart O
: yours, and l knew that a wOma
: should not marry without rival Low,
! and a great store of il, too. 80 | LEI
: my darling open to the idea that JAG
: was to be the lucky fellow; and sll