Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-04-21

for two or three days. Clementine's out
liok had exasperated her jealous soul to
the utmost, and her frail physique suf-
fered in sympathy; so Mrs. Allen was
busy in her room, trying to avert hys-
tericS as best she might. The Doctor
marched straight thrspgh the house to
the kitchen, v here Della was at work
''Oh. Doctor, why didn't you come
right off" was her greeting
Out of town, Della What's the mat
ter hereI"
Il mistrusted you wasn't to hum. I'd
ought to have wrote ag'in, an told ye
twas past helpin' now"
What is? Do syeak out, wemau."
"1ll holler eff that1l serve your turn,
Doctor; but 'twon't avail nothing. Al
ferds gone an been an done it. He's
promised to that Clementiny."
"Why, Delial Can't be. She's little
girl. thought, in school"
"Well, guess notl Shes all of nine
teen year old, eff she's day; nigh as big
as be and handsome as a pictur' l
don't mind her. She amt here nor there,
only t she amt half good enough for
Alfert; but the thing ont is. that bosom
of girl, that's always and forever IL
ailin', and their ma, that's forever an
always a-bossin', is a-goin' to set down
here for the term of their material lives.
And Hi and me, we're a-gOIn' to quit"
: The Doctor tried to calm Delia's min
gled grief and rage; and, at last, assu-
ring that, by terms of his mothers will,
Alfrrd could not marry till he was of
age, without forfeiting his property "a
clause the Doctor had insisted on her in
serting, in view of the boys miniature
and simple nature), Della consented to
stay with him till the catastrophe ar
rived.
Then Alfred appeared, to welcome
his old friend, so joyful, so alert, so ex-
ulting, that Or. Packard relented in his
heart and almost wished he had let that
will alone. It-tOok but few hours to
make him well acquainted with the
characters of the three women and then
he recanted and was glad of his boys
respite. Mrs. Allen discovered at once
that there was a hostile influence, and
Adeline hated the man who made light
of Der hysteric miseries with medical
authority. Alfred himself felt pang
of dismay. when this clause in the will
was recalled to his mind. putting off his
perfect happiness so long; but, with
compunction of heart that he should
have been panied by any wish of his
mothers, he recovered his eQuinimity
directly, and Glen was rot in love
enough to care. To tell the truth, she
merely liked her lover. 1t wasF at the
stern command of her mother alone that
she accepted him. She had an honest
feminine instinct which warned her
that this man was not the man hsOught
to marry; but she had been trained to
obedience and she did not care for any
one else, so it was easy to accept the
situation-far easier than to contest it.
Mrs. Allen was raging inwardly. though
her manner was never more gracious or
her smiles more sweet and frequent.
The Doctor rapidly acquired 4 repug-
nance for her such AS some men have
for snake, and was more brusque to
her than was her wont. She at once all
nounced that, since these "imprudent
children" had engaged themselves SO
rashly, without her knowledge, of course,
she and her family must leave the house
at once. PrOpriety forbade their re-
naming as Alfred's guests. The Doctor
offered 40 objections; but Alfred was in
dignant, and, after much talk to and fro,
it was decided that the engagement
should only be called an understanding.
in order to appease the prOprieties and
make it possible for Mrs. Allen and her
daughters to remain in HaddOn, and not
upset all their arrangements for the
summer. The Doctor went home rather
crestfallen, but on the whole pleased.
We've got time, Penny he said.
We've got an extension. That's all
ats very little to Ann Allen" said
Mrs. Packard, sententiously and per-
haps events would have justified her
the unforeseen.
Early in August the quiet happiness
of the HaddOI farmhouse was broken
in upon by the sudden al rival of step
cousin of the Allen girls; a young man
whom they had seen much of in their
but who had been now long
time abroad, being educated at Oxford
and studying his profession in Berlin.
With just enough money to be above
want, but by no means rich, Frank Riv-
erS had come back to establish himself
as y physician in Boston, with every
prospect of real success. First. how
ever, with that longing for natural ties
which so often strengthens by absence,
he set himself TO recall and renew old
with the few relatives he
had left. Mrs. Aliens sister had mar
ried his father, when all the children
were quite young, and, the families then
living near each other, the boy and girls
became playmates and grew up into
friends. He fought with cross, Sickly
who was a year or two the
elder; and petted Glen, rosy, bright
eyed child, some three years his junior;
and when his father died, and he was
sent to England, the child and the boy
had parted in grief real enough to last
almost six months. Now he came in
upon their lives like stranger, with all
the prestige of a friend. He was splen-
didly handsome, one of the typical men
scarce seen in a lifetime. His fresh
blonde complexion, crisp golden hair,
deep blue eyes, and look of fun and
sweetness might have bordered on ef-
feminacy but for the tall, well-built lig-
ure; the deep, rich voice; the powerful
ease of every motion; and the vivid
bloom of health, which gave the world
assurance of man" in the best sense.
Alfred, pale, gentle, awkward. long and
lean, showed beside him to sad diSadvaH-
tage. And, though Mrs. Allen felt any
thing but glad to see this opposing infiu-
ence, as she instinctively felt it, enter
her obedient circle, she could not in con-
mon propriety withhold the welcome
expected of her, and Alfred's generous
soul went out at once toward friend of
his future family.
Poor Alfredl The result of this incur
sion, evident enough to any observer.
came almost before it was due in the na-
ture of things. Clemt mine, with the
headlong favor OF youth and self 'hneSs.
fell fathoms deep in love at Onc5 with
this conquering hero; and their drives
and walks aud talks togethef; b IL
in doJIs and out, tlOagh
watched over, circumvented, aud dsap-