Morris tribune., 1881-03-24
BACHELORS ROMANCE.

a vigorous pun III tuo AloLe Nooh-pSiA
started Mr.. Wells, as, with his feet care
fully poised on the desk, chair tipped back
and the fumes of an odorous Havana per-
vadiug the apartment, he INDUCED III his us
ual after dinner smoke. Mr. Frederic Wells
was confirmed bachelor, and not with
standing the many solicitations of his fair
friends, whose charms had failed to melt
his obdurate heart, still persisted in eschew-
ing society, and living with his sister almost
the life of recluse. But Mr.. Wells had
not always been so exclusive; only a few
years before he had met and loved Lucy
Shelton, the daughter of one of Chicago's
wealthy citizens. This young lady, though
refusing to be his wife acknowledged her
heart to be his, but she had promised her
father to marry his partner, Joseph Parker,
and circumstances over which she had no
control compelled her to keep her word
and marry his rival-her fathers choice.
In vain he pictured to her the wrong she
would do him, herself and her husband;
nothing could turn her from her course.
Not wishing 10 witness Parker's triumph,
Mr.. Wells resolved to leave Chicago. Ac
cordingly, he with his only sister, remoN ed
to the east, where they occupied an elegant
house in one of New Englands fiourishing
cities. In their peaceful eastern home ru
house of Shelton & Parker. Later the sad
story of young Parker'S downfall reached
their sympathetic ears-how. by becoming
a victim of the demon, intemperlnce, he
had reduced his fair Young wife to the ne
ceSsitv of giving music lessons in order to
keep starvation from her door. Mr.. Wells,
by thinking of Lucy as the wife of anoth-
er and woman false to her hearts best I'M
pulses sought to Danish her forever from
his mind. and while he pitied the unfortu
nate Lucy. he still thought that she, in
measure deserved her sad fate. With
these bitter feelings would come a wish to
stretch out helping hand to this woman,
who, by scorning his love, had consigned
him to a hopeless, hapless existence.
On the afternoon our story opens he was
musing upon means of aiding Mrs. Park
er-for he knew her proud spirit would re-
fuse any pecuniary assistance from him
when the sound of an unusually loud ring of
the door bell aroused him from his reverie.
and instantaneously brought hi eet and
chair to their proper position. ''Whew'' he
exclaimed, as he knocked the ashes from his
cigar something unusual is wanted to war
rant such Impotence. Just then the door
of his study opened and his sister called
him to come and see what had been left at
their door. Hastily following her into the
hall, he beheld, to his surprise, in the arms
of a servant-who explained that she had
found the little thing" lying on the door
step when she opened the door-an infant
some seven or eight months old, wrapped
in a huge shawl. and calmly gazing with
bright blue eyes at the astonished group.
Taking the child in his arms, Mr.. Wells
proceeded to move the shawl and found
pinned to there dress a card bearing the name
Lucy. and gathering the little form to his
breast, great tears swelled up into his eyes
as he bent his head over the tiny baby face
and murmured: Those ewes! that name!
Surely, this is Lucy's child. Then, as If
ashamed of his emotion, he handed the
child to his sister, telling her in a grutf
voice to see to its wants, vanished into his
sanctum, slamming the door with a bang
that plainly told her he did not wish to be
interrupted; and here, free from mortal
gaze, gave vent to his pent-up feelings; and
while sobs shook his manly frame. the ques-
ton, can this be Lucy's child? constantly
required to him. He had not even heard
that she had a child; besides he knew she
was in Chicago very recently, in q state of
abject poverty. But, Notwithstanding these
contrarleties, the resemblance he fancled
existed between this little waif
and Mrs. Parker, only served to
confirm him in the idea that
this was indeed her child; then again he
would ask himself-How came it to that
city? to his door? None of his friends in
Chicago knew of his whereabouts, and how
was 1t possible for Mrs. Parker thus to
leave her child to the mercy of man she
had so cruelty wronged? At length, not
finding satisfactory answer to his queries,
he resolved to keep this little founding, to
bring it up as his own, chirish it as boon
from heaven sent to cheer his lonely life
and bring sunshine in to his heart and
home.
We'll, Ellen, how do you and the little
stranger agree?" playfully inquired Mr..
Wells, as he met his sister at the tea table
that evening.
49, Her ladyshlp and myself are on wonder
fully good terms, considering our limited
acquaintance, laughingly rejoined his sis
ter. Come and see her new quarters, but
as she is asleep, you must make as little
noise as possible!"
ooh! no. the little tyrant has issued her
DEGREES thus early in her reign" gayly re-
torted Mr.. Wells; but she'll not find an
obedient subject in me- and with stealthy
steps he followed Ellen into the next room,
where, lying upon an impromptu couch,
improvlsed with an arm chair and pillows,
was the form of the sleeping child. AS.
Mr.. Wells stood gazing at the infantile
face, the blue eyes opened and looked up at
him, while bright smile lit up the baby
features and rendered more striking the
memory of another pair of eyes that had
looked into his, another smile that had once
shed it's rays over his pathway.
Ellen was delighted at the prospect of
caring for this little one, whose coming
she felt would dispell her brothers gloom
and bring JOY to them both.
That evening, on returning home at a
late hour, Mr.. Wells perceived PROSTATE
figure lying directly in front of his door.
Hello! Who is this? You will freeze to
death in this binding storm" he exclaim-
ed. But the figure remained motionless,
and, approaching Mr.. Wells proceeded to
uncover the face. AS the CLEAN of the
street lamp fell upon the upturned counter
ance of a young, and once beautiful woman
he staggered back, muttering: "Oh, my
God! Has it indeed come to this? My poor,
poor, Lucy" and raising the frail form in
his strong arms he carried her into the
house, calling to his sister, who was sitting
up waiting his return, to send for physician
and bring restoratives, as he had just fosnd
Lucy Shelton, dead, or nearly SO, at their
door.
LlSu VIII udu huOWu anu lSNSu Lucy
during her happier days in Chicago, assur-
ing herself that she had only tainted, inn
mediately set about bringing back to life
the inanimate form. At length her efforts
were rewarded; the color came slowly back
to the pallid cheek, the beautiful eyelids
quivered and revealed a pair of blue eyes
that wandered in a restless, searching
I glance, from face to face, as if looking for
some beloved object. In tones of piteous
agony she walled: ooh, my baby! my lost
darling" Then, as if speaking to some un-
known person, she would clasp her poor lit
tie hands and implore the restoration of
her child.
The doctor declared hers to be a most
precarious case of brain fever, and that her
recovery would be almosta miracle, as some
great mental sorrow was aiding the ravages
ofGthis terrible disease. -
For many weeks Lucy'slife tottered on the
verge of eternity. Mr.. Wells and his sister
were untiring in their care and watchfulness,
} making every effort in their power to save
the life of the hapless mother of tteir little
founding for as such both had .rovn tn