The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1879-02-26

q
Ebeea man meetings beforehe spoke
and in some ofthem he had thought
4 Hester Stssston's face BETRAYED hel
Ft6SeiUf him, in spite o. enc ccit
manner that was habitual to her.
Scarcely a man to measure hisow
merits by the length of his purse
Alfred Grave could not quite forget
that he was owner Of a fine estate in
the country, several houses in town
and five thousand year, while Hes.
ter Stretton was his sisters govern,
ess She had come TO Mrs Evans
from female seminary, with letters
Of ofintroduction; had proved herself
trustworthy with the children; and
no one had any desire to pry into
her private affairs during the whole
of the first two years,
Mrs. Evans considered her O treas.
ure, and the children were much at.
tached to her and progressed rapidly.
Then Alfred came back from abroad
and his sister, offering him the hos
pitality Of her house at Guildfold,
suddenly made several discoveries
First, she found out that although
the family had thought and spoken
of her brother as an old bachelor, af.
ter all, at forty he looked younger
than some men under thirty. Next,
that Hester Stretton, though she was
reserved, was wonderfully fair, and
could converse with Alfred long after
the topics were quite beyond the
elder lady's comprehension.
The old, old story progressed, day
fafter day, and she could find no good
reason for sending Hester away, and
surely Alfred was not to be turned
from her house. Mrs. Evans was
constantly devising schemesfor shut
lfins Hester sladnri FL
Sending 4
Ecnployins saf time .is odleworE.
But II Alfsed you'd lounge in the
school.room and insist upon hearing
/ This nepheNs and nieces recite long
poems. whilehe hemade pencil sketches
Of Hesler's profle;;if he would join
her just us he started on the long er-
rands, and was seized with desire
to read in the very room where the
needlework was in progress, what
could a'prudent sister do more?
1t was some comfort that the 'in.
fatuation," as Mrs Evans mentally
termed it, was all on one side; that
the pale face never flushed at his
coming, or the soft, dark orbs wooed
him to her side. But Mrs. Evans
could not believe it possible for AL.
fred to offer his hand and fortune to
any woman and be rejoiced. So she
fretted secretly, while Alfred wooed
patiently, till on the summer morn
ing when he found Hester in the
garden, for wonder, free from the
attendance Off juvenile Evans, and
made his declaration in explicit
terms.
And without one flush on her
white cheeks-if possible, even paler
than usual, Miss Stretton had told
him there was u secret in her life that
kept her outside the ranks Of happy
married women. Still he pleaded,
still she owned it was no crime or
fault Of her own that separated them;
and again he urged his suit only to
meet the repetition Of her declara-
ton.
"In other words, you refuse me"
he said, with angry. emphasis.
The color flushed then over Hes
ter's face, for there was keen pain as
well as resentment in Alfred's tone.
For the first time she touched his
arm, lifting her soft, dark orbs to his
own. There was thrill in her voice
as she said, steadily, but in low tones,
because | love you, Alfred. If |
had no affection for you | would put
my hand in yours and share your
wealth, for my life Of drudgery is a
weary burden to me. But love you
and so | bid you go from me and seek
to forget me in a happier SMILE"
Something in her tone and face
awed herlover from any demonStra-
tion of pleasure at her frank confes,
sion, He prisoned the little white
hand she had placed upon his arm