Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-04-21
From the New York Independent.
AN APRIL FOOL.
BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.
(C0acluded. !

BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.
(Coacludedl
Things went on smoothly for few
weeks. If Mrs. Allen was lofty and con-
descending to the servants. she was not
exacting. She meant to assure her posi-
tion before fully occupying it. She was
looking about her, surveying her track,
as it were, laying rails, but not yet ready
to put on her train. Adeline seemed to
recover strength in the pure air of Had
don. She emerged from her room very
soon, and in delicate wrappers and ex-
quisite caps spent her days on the parlor
or library sofas. covered with the soft
folds of a crimson shawl. OH which her
lovely. little hands lay in fine relief, and
from under which peeped the tiniest
feet in close-fitting velvet slippers, the
very coquetry of vandalism. Behind the
scenes sine snarled, teased, fretted, and
made life burden generally to each of
her relatives. Her tongue was sharper
than a javelin, and her natural intelli-
gence enabled her. in her warped moral
condition. to make her words like spears,
that always hit vital spot. Her moth
or bore with her nobly. Actress as Mrs.
Allen was, she was very conscientious
actress, and experience l..l taught her
that she who does not always remember
her audience is or may br at hand is
very apt to destroy 1.-THE Glities," on
which Mr.. Crummles SO wisely insisted.
Alfred devoted himself at first to the in
valid. He was so sorry for her, 50 struck
by her patience, her fluent piety, her
sighs, her martyr-like resignation, and
the gratitude, SO mingled with sanity
humility, with which she received all
his attentions. Mrs. Allen sat by the
dear invalid much of the time, with some
fine work in her taper fingers; or vol
ume of solid worth. over which she
yawned hOrribly-when Alfred was not
looking. 1t had entered this wise wo-
mans head that possibly better scheme
than marrying her host to Clementine
might be accomplished. She had gaug-
ed Alfred Horton pretty thoroughly in
a weeF's time. She understood his weak
ness of constitution, his want of what
We call mother wit, his almost infantile
simplicity of character. and his unworld-
illness; but she did not perceive the
strength of his heart. She imagined her
oldest daughters invalid graces, her airs
of moral loftiness, her part of suffering
saint would awaken in Alfred that ten
der and pitying compassion that, long
ing to help and cherish weak, unhappy
woman which, sometimes (very rarely
men of that type mistake for love. Ad-
cline understood the situation and un-
dertook it. She threw herself onto Al
fred's kindness with an entire abandon
ment that insensibly flattered and at
tracted him. Never before had be been
leaned on, looked up to, made the stay
and support of any human being. It
was subtly sweet experience and had
its own successes; but not the success
her mother intended, and hoped for.
Alfred was not strong enough to bear the
strain. He felt himself, indeed, inferi-
or to this angel and eager to minister"
to her, as she expressed it; but the posi-
tion was not only novel, it was false, and
at last it bored him. Nothing bores and
exasperates average humanity more than
exalted goodness i'll one of its compeeTs.
Everyday, jolly, practical goodness, the
fruits" by which we know trees of food
and healing, does not disturb our self
love or weary our intellectual fiber by
the strain of forever looking up. AS
forced in common politeness to drive his
guests about the beautiful country
drives from which Adeline was necessa-
rily excluded-he found a vivid charm
in the abundant health. beauty, and vi
vacity of Clementine. The girl devel-
oped taste fer fishing, one of Alfred's
favorite pursuits, and he must show her
the flashing trout-brooks he knew so
well. Hours they sat together by still,
dark pools, where the cold water held
great jewel-spotted fish, not easily to be
tempted. More hours they wandered
together in the fields after wild straw
berries, splendid tufts of "painted-cup,"
heaps of ox-eyed daisies, with which
they decked the house; or in the woods.
after mosses, birch-bark, shining or
fragrant outgrowths of the black leaf
mold; and the youth delighted to teach
the maiden all his well-studied forest
lore-the differing bark of trees, the
classes of fungi, the varieties of micro
scopic shells that abound in our woods,
the delicate diversity of vines that car
pet the great roots Of trees and weave
their intricate drapery over dead logs,
fallen and decaying.
1t was all new to Glen, and she liked
it. Her nature was simple, selfish, gay.
She was child, and her mothers traits