Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1881-09-10

mother died leaving me destitute, and /
was obliged to earn my bread by teach
ing in private seminary. Your father
met me, and falling in love with each
other, we were married. By this act
my husband incurred the fury of his
father, who was an ambitious old man,
and had chosen the daughter of peer
for his wife. Considering himself dis
honored by his heir marrying so far be-
Meath him in rank, the old gentleman
disowned his son, and forbade him ever
to enter the homeof his childhood days
again. Your father, Nettie, was as
proud as his unjust parent, and though
we struggled hard at first for sustenance,
we finally amassed enough money to
carry us over the broad Atlantic, and we
found comfortable home here where
you were born." s
"Well, I declare r. calculated the
girl. "This is revelation to me,
mamma. But my possessing noble
blood does not alter our situation.
What shall we dol"
II cannot tell" replied the widow,
despondingly. r 3
The next day Lennox called at the
cottage, and Nettie told him their mis-
fortune. He tried to comfort her as
best he could, and then left her. He
called several times after that, but
seemed to grow less affectionate as the
time passed by.
He left Roselle for four months, and
returned again when the flowers were
beginning to bud into beauty with the
advance of another spring. By this
time Nettie and her mother were
sorely pressed for money they had
lived comfortably through the winter,
owing to the kindness of the grocer,
who had brought them such groceries
as they needed every week. Mrs. Bor-
rowdale had told the man she had not
the money to pay for it; but he smiled,
and saying no money was needed, went
away with her blessing. This had con-
tinued until Mr.. Vale's return in spring,
when the grocer suddenly ceased bring
ing them their weekly basketful. On
the day of Mr.. Vale's arrival letter
bearing the post-mark of New York was
handed to Mrs. Borrowdale, and won
dering who her correspondent could be
as she had never received letter in the
twenty years she had resided in Amer
ica-she opened and read it. It's con-
tents seemed to perplex her considera-
bly, and her leaving Roselle with Net.
tie for New York that same day, per-
picked the villagers still more.
Lennox called during her absence,
and he was attired more fastidiously
than he ever appeared before. There
was an extreme nervousness in his man.
ner, too. and when he found the house
locked up, although he appeared to be
disappointed, he breathed sigh Of re-
lief and went away again.
Nettie and her mother returned to
Roselle the next day, and both seemed
to be greatly excited at something which
had occurred. Lennox called again in
the afternoon, and as he approached the
garden he saw Nettie wedding the
flower beds. A little cry escaped her
lips when she saw him, and she few to
him with q hearty greeting. Then she
noticed how grave he looked, and a
chill came over her heart when she
thought of his coldness when she told
him of their poverty. Was he fortune
seeker, and thinking her financially
"well Off had been hoping to gain her
and her fortune? The widows having
had comfortable amount of money in
the bank was no secret, but none knew
of her losses save. Nettie and Lennox
besides herself. In her innocence Net
tie did not imagine that Lennox was
anything else than poor man, and if
he proposed she would have accepted
him as such but now
He spoke gravely to her as they wan
dered in tE 10 shade of the trees in the
garden, and in the course OF his CONVEX
sation declared be loved her, and asked
her to be his own. The sweet words OF
consent trembled on her lips, but an
instant later thought occurred to her
that sent the blood from her face and
left it as white as snow. She trembled
violently, and with negative answer
she burst into passion of weeping, and
breaking from his embrace ran into the
house.
He stood still moment, utterly
dumbfounded; then, with contracted
brows, he hurried after her, firmly re.
solved to hear an explanation of hel
strange conduct. He found her in the
parlor, weeping on her mothers breast.
Then dim idea of why she acted as
she did crossed his mind but he
said,-
"Nettie, you must explain this. Mrs.