The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-09

I cd and even carried away by what sh
| could do, and forthwith engaged her seI
/. vices for the season. Dorothea played he
tirst engagement Immediately, and fror
that tins there was no doubt OF her sue
cess, At the end Of q month she Femittet
the first installment Of her debt to Aaron
and in q years time, 80 rapidly did Oh
/, coin money, the entire sum he had pait
Colonel Floyd for her freedom was repaid
Whatever her faults OF heart might be
she was q genuine artist. She was not un
duly elated. She was In no degree car
riGd by the homage she excited, by tn
sincere outbnnst Of admiration which FOL
lowed her wherever she appeared, ShI
was devoted 10 her art, absorbed In II, tot
entirely given up 10 It to be stirred by any
small personal vanity. She was undoubt
eddy a great artist. Perhaps she was al
the greater and completer because she wa
so singularly alone. There were no con
fiOting ties, All her emotions and pas
sions were concentrated upon the dra
matte forms which poopled her idea
world.
She had 30 fully made up her mind IA
success that when It came To her at Ia
very climax she was unruiled. She nc.
copied her social successes as calmly az
her artistic ones. And these were also
hers. She had infinite tact and an indom.
table will. She made up her mind that
she would be received In society on equal
terms with the associates Of her former
master and mistress. There was gentle
blood in her veins, and she would not do
discredit to any circle. BY a curious freak
Of fortune II happened that in the course
OF time she was present at the samegrand
reception with Colonel and Mrs. Floyd
themselves. DorOthea was q central and
conspicuous figure. The circumstances OF
her position, her dress, her added culture,
had greatly altered her. Still her former
mistress was struck by the strange reseIn.
blance between tho beautiful actress and
the girl she had once owned. She men.
toned 1t to her husband, who agreed with
her. "There Is nothing stranger than these
resemblanCes. l should fancy this was
Dorothea herself. il / did know she was
dead"
How readily VIC affirm our knowledge!
Two or three years ago, after the last dol
lar OF her Indebtedness TO Aaron had been
discharged, Dorothea had perpetrated a
fraud upon her acquaintance at the S
She had caused this paragraph TO be In.
serted in the paper published in the
county town nearest the Floyd plantation:
"DiOl, on Monday, June ], 1885,, DorOthea, wife Of
William Rarne4, aud formerly 4 slave 10 the family Of
Colonel IeSaEe Floyd, Of 81. CrOlx parish"
She wanted them to think Of her az
dead. She was dead to them. She had
an especial dread OF meeting Aaron again,
Their paths in life were so widely separated
now, any friendship between them would
be utterly unnatural. And yet, having In.
Cured the obligation TO him that she had,
should they meet at all, it could not be as
mere strangers. Now they need never
meet at all. He would never look her up.
She had doubly barred the door against
him by %proclaiming herself married and
dead. Should their paths ever cross in
the future, she would simply deny herself.
She and Mrs. Floyd actually exchanged
greetings on the occasion TO which | have
referred. Mrs. Floyd studied her curious.
ly. She was fascinated with the supyes.
tions OF the likeness she had discovered,
This brilliant, popular artist, so like the
whiIom slave girl! Then she talked to
Dorothea in her soft, purring way. Doro-
thea answered her sercnely.
This was shortly before Dorothea's mar.
riage. During the interval Of her fame.
making the war flame had swept over the
land She had had many loyers-none Of
them, however, called Barnes-but she
reserved her choice for what ut the time
appeared to be the most brilliant match
among them. This vas Il dashing cavalry
gentleman, who was the idol OF tho hour,
and who besciged Dorothca with the same
ardor and determination which he hal
shown in aSsailing other deienscs. Doro.
thea allowed herself to be touched, 10 be
won-yes, allowed herself. 1t seemed as
though she might this time. This bril-.
liant marriage would fifty crown her other
successes. Therefore, when General Al.
!eyn asked her to marry him, she accepted
him.
She had no misgivings nj al as to the
deception she had practiccd upon him.
She composed a little story OF her parent.
age and early life, which she related with
charming simplicity. She represented
herself as being the child Of French and
English parents, who had ~diedduring her
early childhood, and that she had no re.
latives in this country. General AIleyn
was glad to be assured that she had no
Objectionable Bohemian connections. As
for herself, she stood ON her W merits,
She was u queen in her " right
Alter her marriage she left the stage.
her husband was ambitious and enter
prising. lie abandoned the army. It be-
came his ain to distinguish himself now
in civil lie. In this his wife seconded
him heart and soul. She was his wife;
his glory was her glory.
One day her husband showed her a let.
ter which he had received from u political
ally in the South, recommending 10 his
notice a COlored man who had established
a newspaper in NatchcE, and who was
coming North 10 look up subscribers.
General Alleyn tossed his wife q copy OF
the paper. The editors name was given:
Aaron Floyd. All! Dorothea recognized
the quaint Christian name, with its sur.
name-originally assumed by Aaron's
father as a token Of admiration for the
Floyd family-at once. She glanced over
the paper. III don't think much Of it." she
said "wishy-washy."
'%'lsit?" Queried the husband, whose
confidence in his Observation-Disclosures was
u%nbounded.
The words were scarcely out Of her
mouth, when Aaron presented himself, or
rather was shown in by a strange servant
without giving due warning. General
Alleyn went forward cordially; Mrs. al.
leyn gathered together her sIlken skirts
and swept away. She had only happened
by accident to BIO in the room where her
husband received his business visitors.
Aaron paused in his ,salutation 10 General
Alleyn to gaze translxed at the beautiful
res5eating vision. It was, it WAS, it WAS.
= Dorothea!
"My vile" explained General Alleyn,
good.naturedly.
Aaron sat down stupefed. He did not
doubt for a moment that he had seen Dor.
Othea. He mastered tho situation ia a
flash. Slowly all these years, indeed, he
had learned 70 read her Tier GOODNESS, her
worldliness, her ambition. He believed
IL - -