The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-10-14

| there on the cattle-ranche to which he
had at first been taken, had allowed
| him to spend some five years at sci
entific and agricultural school.
After many mutual expressions Of
delight at meeting once more, Mr..
Steadley arose, and replacing the lit
tie miniature i'll his pocket, was about
taking leave of the fair girl, whose
| earnest and demonstrative interposi-
ton in his behalf, in his desolate and
homeless childhood, had impressed
him SO deeply. Turning upon her an
| other earnest look-the last he was
ever to have, 80 far as he knew-he
seemed to be regarding an open vision
of beautiful dream, but one to which
a substantial and actual reality would
never be given. Extending her hand
at that moment, Minerva said:
81 hope, sir, we are not meeting for
the last time"
"My business engagements will, /
think, require me to leave the day af-
ter tomorrow replied her visitor.
'.But would like to witnessa theatri-
cal entertainment Tomorrow evening,
if you will do me the honor to make
the selection and accept my escort"
The proposal met with a ready and
graceful acquiescence from Miss Ul-
dridgc; and wishing her good-day
Robert returned to his hotel"
"a dispatch received to- days" said the
young man, OH calling the next even-
ing; ''gives Inc notice of some busi-
ness which will require ME to remain
in the city week or more longer"
If human sympathies and expert
cnces have entered somewhat into the
heart and lifo of the reader he will not
require to be told that Robert Stead
ley spent some part of each one of
those seven days, in company with the
girl whose picture and memory he
had been carrying so long. Nor did
it on any occasion occur to the young
lady herself, that he came too soon, or
continued his visits too long.
The time for Mr.. Steadley to leave
the city had finally come, when taking
Minerals hand in his own, he said:
''The cautious reserve you have
shown, my dear Miss Uldridge in re-
gard to the reasons for changing my
name, leads me to infer that you re-
member, or have since learned, the
story of my ill-fated father.
A half-uttered acquicscence in the
truth of this suppOsition, was the
young lady's only reply; and that
subject was never referred to again.
1t happened, for some reason, soon
after that meeting, that Robert was ell
trusted with the principal management
of that part of the business that re-
quired to be done in the city and the
long journey he had at one time been
expecting but not dreading to make,
for the purpose of bestowing an en-
gagemcnt ring in exchange for the
photograph he had been carrying so
long, was not needed. He was already
in the city, and likely to remain there,
or not far away.
AS for Mrs. Uldridge, now holding
herself i'll more humble estimation,
after the misfOrtunes and changes those
intervening years had brought in, she
acquiesced with gratitude and delight
in the choice her daughter had made.
There was, she felt very sure, a ro-
nance of some sort lying back i'll the
unexplained circumstances that led to
that engagement and the happy mar
riage that followed; but the secret
she was never permitted to know.
The liberal and generous attentions
she was receiving from her worthy
and excellent son-in-law, in whose
family she spent the remainder Of her
life, would have been sadly marred, if
accompanied by the mOrtifying con-
sciOusmess that she was accepting them
from the hIau whom, when Il boy, Or
phaned and homeless, she had so has
tily and SO roughly expelled from her
house, for no fault of his own.-NeU
York Mercury.