Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-04-10
Am 0rigiual Storg.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
THE BARSTO"S.
BY VICTOR VERNON.
CHI PIE r x III.
DAIsY's ADoRERs.

Daisy COurCalne WAS d very PoPui"A JooAS
lady. Besides being the prospective heiress
to handsome fortune (Which fact in itself
might 90 far to ensure her popularity she
had enough intrinsic merit to render herself
deservedly favorite, and would probably
have occupied this eviable position without
any prospective heiress.ship at all. She was
not very clever, nor gifted with particular
genius for anything, except for making every
body around her feel happy and satisfied.
She was simply generous, warm hearted,
whole.souled girl, who always looked on the
bright side of life, and generally managed to
infuse some of her own sunshiny spirit into
others,Ieven if they were inclined to be dis
agreeable and cross. A person Of this sort is
sure to be favorite, and it would be hard to
saw whether men or women admired her most.
Certain it was, that while her female friends
felt too sincere an affection for her ever to be
Jealous of her attractions, the number of her
male adorers was almost beyond reckoning.
And when I say this, l do not simply mean
those who paid their homage to her with
view to matrimony (though these were not
few either) but all those, old or young, rich or
poor, married or single, who worshipped her
goodness, delighted in her beauty, as fresh
and smiling as May.day, and knew that in
perplexity, disappointment or trouble, they
were sure to find in her a sympathetic, etfi-
cient little consoler and friend. And the chief
point in her attractiveness was that she never
seemed to attach any merit to anything she
did, but went about Frightening the world
Cor at least her own particular corner of it)
by thousand daily unsel6sh acts and pleas
ant words, as if this was the most natural and
common place thing for everybody to do,
which, unfortunately, it is not.
Our hero, Wilfred, as you have already
been informed, yielded at once and unreserv-
edly to the spell which she exercised. am
not going to follow the steps with which, by
degrees he advanced along that course, which
has been described by a poet as never run
ming smoothly. Those who have been in love,
know exactly the various gradations, the Huc-
tuations from heat to cold, from hope to fear,
the alternate sensations of joy and despair
Like the uncertain glores Of an April day,
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,
Aud by and by cloud takes all away"
And those who have never experienced the
mingled emotions attendant upon this state Of
being, had better try it for themselves, and
find out all about it. Suffice it to say that
Wilfred rapidly passed through every stage
of the malady, if malady it can be called,
until he reached that one at which he knew
it would be impossible for him to retrace his
steps if he would, since his whole heart and
soul were utterly bound up in the object of his
devotion, and he felt that life without her
would be blank forever.
There was another person to whom this
knowledge came, also, though by slower de-
grees One, unfortunately, to whom it did
not seem harbinger Of happiness. Ralph
Barstow had said bitterly, though not without
Justice, that Mr. Courtaine would consider it
a piece of presumption in him to enroll him.
selfamong Daisy Courtaines admirers, chiefly
on account of his poverty. But this, as it
happened, was not the real obstacle that lay
in the way of his success. Mr.. Courtaine,
though prosperous, and carried on by the tide
of prosperity, far above the rocks and adverse
under-currents which his less fortunate fellow
beings had to scufle through, was not essen
TALLY worldly or hard minded man, and did
not hold himself aloof from any one, simply
because such one moved in less exalted
sphere. Many young man, struggling with
adversely, had he taken by the hand and put
in the road to success. And had his daugh-
ter's inclinations fallen upon one who could
not boast of this worlds goods, he would, had
he believed her happiness was involved in such
match, freely have given his consent to it,
knowing that he had enough to provide
against her future needs. Again, looking on
the other side of the question, no man, hav-
ing the wealth of Cresus, would he have
accepted as his son.in.law if he found him
destitute of those qualifications which he con-
sidered the requisites of a good husband.
But Ralph Barstow, poor or rich, would never
have satisfied his wishes in this respect From
the FIRST he had not been impressed favorably
with him, and an increase in their intimacy
did not tend to a removal Of this dislike.
Ralph was unamable, stubborn and super
cilious; and though in Daisys presence his
best traits appeared on the surface, he more
than once, in conversation, betrayed senti-
ments even bordering on infdelity in religion
a circumstance which stamped him, at once,
in Mr.. Courtaine's judgment, as man total
ly unfit to aspire to the hand of any woman
Certainly, he would not have entrusted the
fate of his only child to the keeping of an in
fdal, or even of one who thought scornfully
of religion.
Wilfred, on the contrary, soon won the
good opinion of the family. Mr.. Courtaine,
having fair opportunity of judging of his
temper and capabilities, had long since ac'
corded him his liking and esteem, which
grew into warm friendship as their acquain-
tance progressed. And as Fate would have
it, he proved to be the very first among
Daisys lovers to whom her heart responded
with warmth Leyond that of friendly re,
gard.
1t was soft moonlight evening-one just
suited to love-making and romance-that
Wilfred, after much doubt and anxious self:
communion, finally took courage and en-
braced his opportunity to reveal his real feel
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