The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-11-19
A FATAL INHERITANCE,
BY LEIGH L. BRooKNER.

. !
"Is this artists blouse becoming to
me?o asked Drllsilla Sterling OF her
Cousin Lucrece.
"What matter whether garment be-
comes YOU or not? Your attitudes are
always graceful and fascinating. If it
were for this alone it would be worth
while to be the daughter Of dancer. /
wonder what Maxwell ST. Ives would
say if he knew that ?"
Drusilla's anger was at white heat,
but SO great was her self-control that to
an ordinary observer she would have
seemed perfectly calm. Her voice was
unusually smooth and low as she replied
to Inerece's scornful speech:
"Thank you for yorr compliment,
though it is not by any means new for
me to be told that | am graceful. AS
for ST. Ives knowing the story OF my
parentage, / mean to tell him as soon as
occasion demands; at present he is too
little Interested in me or my affairs to
care about the story"
Poor Lu felt that her thrust had been
without effect. 1t was rarely she al-
lowed herself to be so bitter, but surely
she had occasion. Here was this squint-
creature, who, by some el6sh witchery,
had won Lucerce's handsome lover from
her.
From the first moment Roy Sebert
heard Drusilla's voice he had been ready
to follow her through the world. Only
two months from England, and already
SO unfortunate as to have caused an affi-
anced lover to be unfaithful to his VOWS
1t was rumored that a young curate on
the other side of the water had COM
mitted suicide for her sake.
When her cousin left the room Dru-
silla sat down before the pier-glass and
looked at herself steadily, sadly.
my fate follows me. am doomed
to make trouble wherever I CO. Lu is
jealous, and, therefore, unjust. have
never, by the slightest conscious act,
tried to win her lover. Yet Roy is hand
some, and the temptation has been very
strong sometimes.
1t was source Of deep humiliation to
Drusilla that her mother had been an
actress, and, when she remembered her
cousins taunt, she resolved to try and
make her more unhappy.
will deny myself the pleasure Of
being amiable to Roy Sebert no longer.
Ii Cousin IIu, with those lovely dark
eyes Of hers, cannot enchain lover, we
will see what the daughter Of dancer
can do
She lifted small green-velvet shade
from the toilet table and placed it over
her eyes. An intense and anremitting
devotion to philosophical studies had
made her nearly blind. Certainly, her
eyes were not pleasant to look at, and
she said, 81 certainly wish to shock nc
one by my hideousness." Perhaps she
was also aware that the dark velvet shade
would make her forehead the fairer by
contrast She was tall and well devel
oped, not at all the sort of woman one
would take to be a coquette. This was
what her female friends called her, bu
the gentlemen without exception denied
"She is simply lovable woman, ant
WINS our interest without effort" sale
her gentleman admirers.
She is so artful as to conceal art,
SAID the bitter and unloved Of her owl
sex.
One day, as she sat talking to Max
Wen st Ives, the door opened and httl
o-year-old Floy said, ''Afr. Deyine !
come"
Maxwell's lip curled, and he remarked
did not know this was public-recer
hon day. will call again"
Pray be seated, Mr.. st. Ives.
nave something to say to you when m
young friend is gone. Fred is pri,
leged, and comes at any time; yo
ly." - fie'si' 'i'S-s
The caller had for excrse a pair I
prusilla's white kid gloves, that she ha
ieit IN the village reading-roon. 81
took them with thanks for his though
lulnesss aud rs she talked twisted the
Sarelessly in her hands. Fred was paine
~ this seemingly trivial incident.
was romantic and not little supersi
slo9s, for between the palms of the gloy
Ne mad placed o dainty blue violet, sa
ing to himself, will let this blossom !
.le symbol Of my fate. If she places
- her throat or in her hair, If it in al
way receives attention or gives pleasur
l snail hope. As she tossed the gloY
aside the flower fell broken and u
noticed at her feet. Ah, how differet
. our uream from the reality. Itw