The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-11-22


home rich" .a... .,,. ,y+o....
Courtehay smiled as he took letter
| from his pocket. q 319i i7S. t@2l
7 'It's-almost as bad as going to Nova
Zembla; in fact, is quite as far in an OPP
posite direction further possibly. But
there's good chance to make money, as
the firm who have written d, this this; Letter
South Africa, at Port Elizabeth quite
civilized place TIC, look after their ins
terests there-dealers and importers of
ostrich feathers-a big salary and Com
mission sl9d q yrR dIiW s19imJm q
l"Why don't you accept the offer2
Would you not ike to make your for
tuner" p- u'''l or NV
/ 1u Courtenay laughed. 's ld sst
I,don't care to go so far south; am
not enough of salamander. Besides, l.
am in a fair way to dc better at home
with my pictures."'7 ~ 9eguo- sa
Howard frowned, puzzled and thought
full. a. M .'"'
"And you actually give me the
chance? Will the firm take me inyour
stead?" n
= There's not doubt of it, If / recon-
mend you. Will you accept? There's
not enough time to do more thankto de-
eide. The ship sails tonight at eleven
O'Clock from New York, and you've
only time to pack trunk and catch d
train to the city. .fef- 81 .er.rf
Towards face. suddenly flushed ex-
citedly i"7-.s VIE .'-
= "Yes, I'll do it'll Write me the neces-
sary introduction, and ] will write line
of explanation and farewell to Maude
Templeton, for you to kindly deliver
after Pm Off I'll be ready in no time;
and, Courtenay, / thank you most heart
lily for your Kindness. !"
He shook the artists aristocratic white
hand eagerly. ,a.f jar lge nir.f 9at
"All right old fellow Come back
rich and be happy ever after: Write
your note, and I'll write to Finch &
Wing by you" .r.~ ..,.... a
So, all on the hot impulse of the mo-
ment, Neal Howard went abroad, leav-
ing letter, half proud, and with a pa
thetic undertone of love in every word,
for the one girl he really and truly cared
for above all the world. aas sl
For Ferdinand Courtenay to deliver.
And while Neal Howard was walking
the deck of the ship at midnight, and
Maud Templeton was sleeping and
dreaming Of the morrow, when her
lover would come back to her, Mr.. Cour-
tenay was lying on his lounge in the
moonlight, with the ashes of Neal How
ards farewell to Maud on the empty
hearth. td Ci tsnl4is 9f'-
"And now / shall have everything my
own way. Fair Maud will be comforted
in due season for what she shall believe
is her lovers detection, and II will be
the comforter2 If it doesn't end as l
prophesy-in Maud's marrying me - then
am not SO shrewd as | fiatter myself |
am. Port Elizabeth Whew Well,
he's welcome to all he can make, for me.
I prefer the beautiful Maud and tenn
perate zonel" .aa8uH --ies o#
A year. had gone by, and away off,
down by the Cape of Good Hope, Neal
Howard was wondering what in the
worldI was the reason he had neverre-
ceiyed an answer from Maud to the lit
tie farewell letter he left for Mr.. Courte-
nay to deliver II s.ldT .au,f
He had found his position not an I'M
pleasant one, and the climate. did not
especially disagree with him. His sur
roundings were very delightful, his bus
mess hours short, and he found himself
making money by the.handful: and if
only Maud had answered his letter he
would have been almost perfectly con-
tent. .f'.', .-' t"fi
But Maud did not answer his letter,
for the very good reason that she never
received it.adAnd in the weeks that fol-
lowed her recreant lovers departure,
Mr.. .!Courtenay was her comforter, be-
cause to him only Neal had confded his
intentions.
And Ferdinand Courtenay made the
most of his opportunities much that
people round about nodded their wise
heads, and said that Maud was readily
consoled for Meals detection M
Ut course, among the occasional letters
that friends sent to Africa, the news
was more than once mentioned that
Maud and Mr.. Courtenay were on the
most intimate terms, and NeaTs mother,
in one letter, actually announced the
gossip OF their engagement. IS
ferdinand Courtenay proposed to
Maud and was promptly rejected, and
he wentaway, disguised and disappointed
and chagrined at his ill-luck; while
Maud, whose hopes were gradually dying,
whose spirits were slowly leaving her
and leaving her depressed and silent
went on her lonely way, patiently as she
might for the never-ceasing pain at her
true, loving, wounded heart ~ 'i'
Out at Port Elizabeth, Neal Howard
was leading his lonely, unloved life,
trying to put the sweet memories out of
his head and heart, after he had written
almost savagely to those who had volun-
teered their information of Maud, never
to mention her name or Courtenay's
again.
And SO, widely divided, these two
lived another year and another, he i'm
agining Maud's happiness as the wife
doubtless long ago = of the man she loved;
and Maud feeling sure that Neal had
found his happiness in the distant coun-
try to which he had gone. Until one
day-one perfect October day-Maud
had gone out for a little walk, the way
she always went, because it was the way
Neal and she had been accustomed to
60. 1t lead past the village post-office,
where for many weary times, whenever
the papers announced the arrival of the
foreign mails, Maud had asked if there
was anything for her, until her sweet,
pale, tired face had made the post-mis-
tress' heart ache and tears come to her
eyes. qtaf ss t.4 .l1 H.
To-day, Maud was in no mood to in
quire. Why should she have been, when
for months, and months, she had been
slowly learning her lesson?
cha IL,