The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-10-15
A FAIR EXCHANGE.

$50 your brother George and his
bride have returned home from their
honeymoon How do you like her?"
And as she spoke my old friend and
schoolmate, Nellie Cranbrook, leaned
toward me, and whispered the pronoun
in low, mysterious voice.
It was lovely summer afternoon.
Nellie had come over to have long gos-
sip with me- We were sitting under the
trees on the lawn that sloped from the
front of the house to the river. My
brother had gone out to visit some pa
tients. His wife accompanied him for a
drive My two younger brothers We're
off on fishing expedition; so we had the
house and grounds to ourselves for some
time to come.
Like her?'' Ianswered, Grossly; like
nrH brothers wife? Not at all. Has she
no' bed me of my brother-taken
away all that made life precious, and left
me homelass?"
"Homeless!' echoed Nellie, aghast.
"Why, will she not allow you and
Johnny to live here still? Where will
you go? Arthur is going to Edinburgh,
I hear?"
ssOh, yes, no doubt we may still live
here L answered. "My brother is our
guardian. He must keep us here or find
us somewhere else to live. But I don't
call it home with that hateful woman in
it. I shall be polite to her, of course,
for Georges sake, but she will always be
my enemy"
ssIs she so very horrid, then ?" asked
Nellie. Don't the boys get on with
herr"
.sOh, yes, very well indeed. That is
partly what have to complain Of" I re-
piled, with bitter laugh. ''She has ev-
identity made up her mind to take every
body's love away from me. You know
George always promised that I should
keep house for him when / left school.
I have looked forward to that ever since
papa died and left us in his six years
ago. Well, of course, it was a great
blow to me his getting married, but /
put up with that. I knew quite well
that I should never have left him for
any man, but still was patient, and
submitted. Bnt did not think it would
be SO dreadful. She has only been home
q week. George seems to worship her,
and the boys really like her better than
me, and leave me for her.
'sHow unkind! I can hardly believe
itp
'sIt is true, nevertheless. Only this
morning / asked them to go to the town
with me, and they both refused. They
had both promised to take their jolly
new "Siss," as Arthur called her, for a
row before luncheon. Of course she
pretended to be very sorry, offering to
give it up, asked me to go with them,
and then tried to persuade one of them
to go with me and one with her. But
she only did that to make show of self
sacrifice. I could see; so cut short the
argument and left them, saying would
60 alone. And alone I am likely to be.
She has usurped my place in their
hearts," and I burst into passionate
tears.
Nellie soothed me, and sympathized
with me. I had represented myself as an
ill-used martyr, and as such, in her faith
full friendship, she regarded me.
"Poor Dorothy, am SO very sorry for
you'll ! wish your brother had never seen
her. Where did he first meet her?"
cat the Lyndons," I replied. She was
governess to Nellie and Flora Lyndon"
ed Nellie, in tone of great surprise
"Why. I have always heard such good
account of her! They said she was ex-
ceedingly clever and nice and amiable."
"Oh, dare say she was all that to
them" replied, angrily, "but that
does not alter the case to me-"
And l returned to my complaints and
refused to be either comforted or re.
futed.
I did not want my 5ete noite to be
white-washed by my favorite friend.
"Have you told Dorothy the news,
Margaret" asked my brother, few
weeks after at dinner.
'sNo, dear, I have not" answered my
sister-in-law, with what I thought a
rather nervous glance at me.
She had been growing in favor with
my two youdger brothers; they like
George, now idolized her, as lads will do
with a handsome, amiable young woman
some years their senior, who pets and
sympathizes with them. But in proper
tion as she gained their hearts, I reso-
lutely shut her out of mine. I was
scrupulously polite, but repelled all her
advances at sisterly intimacy with freez-
ing coldness.
.sWell, you have been kept out at
Eden unnecessarily for the last two or
three hours" said my brother laughing.
Now, Dorothy, listen: Your sister,
frowned at this word-sshas heard us say
how fond you are of the sea, and, by
some magic, has secured you an invita-
ton to go down to Hastings with some
relatives of hers next week. -
Mr.. and Mrs. Shirley, with their two
sons and daughters, Frank, Blanch and
Sydney, my uncle and aunt of .Belford
Hall and their family Think Dorothy,
you have heard me speak of them,'' said
my sister-in-law.
Eyes, have heard of them, and am
much obliged for the invitation, but I
do not wish to go. I thank you," was
my ungracious answer. ssShe wants to
get rid of me now," / thought.
ssNot wish to go s? Why, Dorothy, what
an absurd, changeable girl you arer'
said George. ssLast year you were aw-
fully disappointed because could not
take you, and because we could not find
any one else that was going. I thought