The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-11-12
A FATAL INHERITANCE.
BY LEIGH l.. BROoKNER.

BY LEIGH Il. BROOKNER.
"Is this artists blouse becoming to
me? ?" asked Drusilla Sterling OF her
Cousin Lucrece. ae1s % 20 NaH "r'
"What matter whether garment be-
comes you or not? Your attitudes are
always graceful and fascinating. If it
were for this balone it would be worth
while to be the daughter of dancer. /
wonder what Maxwell ST, Ives would
say if he knew that ?" :, go, -,
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 Lucrece's scornful speech :. ,Ta ,a
Thank YOU for yorr compliment,
though it is not by any means new for,
me to be told that L am graceful. As
for st. Ives knowing the story of my
parentage, L mean to tell him as sooA as
occasion demands; mt 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 squirt
eyed, pale-faced, ll-born and ill-bred
creature, wso, by some elish 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 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. 1 am doomed
to make trouble wherever go. Lu is
jealous, and, therefore, unjust. I 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 a 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.
g will deny myself the pleasure of
heing amiable to Roy Sebert no longer.
IF Cousin Lu, with those lovely dark
eyes of hers, cannot enchain a lover, we
will see what the daughter of a dancer
can do No. lc fsdJ 81 F1nt ao
She lifted a small green-velvet shade
from the toilet table and placed it over
her eyes. An intense and unremitting
devotion to philosophical studies had
made her nearly blind Certainly, her
eyes were not pleasant to look at, and
she said, GO certainly wish to shock no
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, but
the gentlemen without exception denied
II. ffi1 n rer a
'She is simply lovable woman, and
wins our interest without effort, said
her gentleman admirers. isi1 tn
''She is so artful MS to conceal art, y
said the bitter and unloved of her own
sex J Ell ad 20 ns lc1t11i 40 srciy
One dsy, as She sat talking to)Max-
well st. Ives, the door opened and little
-5-year-old Floy said, "Mr. Devine Is
come. a1ls 3. stf t s.lt. 8I
Maxwell's lip curled, and heremarked !:
+" did not know this was public-recep
ton day. / will call again
q "Pray be seated, Mr.. st. Ives. 1
have something to say to you when my
young friend is gone. Fred is priv
legged, and comes at any time you
honor me with your presence more rare
Iy." ne r,
The caller had for excrse pair of
Drusilla's white kid gloves, that she had
left in the village reading-room. She
took them with thanks for his thought
fulness. and "a she talked twisted them
carelessly in her hands. Fred was panied
by this seemingly trivial incident. He
was romantic and not little supersti-
tious, for between the palms of the gloves
he had placed a dainty blue violet, say
ing to himself, will let this blossom be
the symbol of my fate. If she places it
at her throat or in her hair, If it in any
way receives attention or gives pleasure,
i shall hope. As she tossed the gloves
aside the flower fell broken and un-
noticed at her feet. All, how different
Is our dream from the reality. II was
the first violet of the year, as it was the
first love of his life
As he arose to go she said eff you
will please take me by the hand L will
accompany you to the head of the stairs.
want 10 scold you little for something
have heard. With this dreadful shade
that am obliged 10 wear cannot find