Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-11-01

him 10 Rolno maiden who had been ~
we'll br0uglt up thai she would feel her
self taking u proper place among doml'
nations, princes aud powers by malrylna
u Van More Oh any CALLER, All thf
same, he did not hil 10 make his wile'f
life q burden ~ her by atFcasma Oh hei
feeble wit that had been strong enough
tn alnlterte tho strength Of lhe Van
Nores, while tho very sense Of hls sons
ipcapaelty, thus forced upon him, wai
another argument against tho woman
who would marry m imhecllo for the
sake Of climbing into his rank and pos
altiOn.
II was not altogether 10 be wondered
at, then. II hia wife did not fully aympa'
thize with him IN this extremity, and n,
being OF an aliectionate disposition, no
far an she had anything to impart, hay
Ing impaired that also to her son, sho
wrote u little surrcpiltioua leiter--she
who had usually not thought nor q
deed nor an em tion OF her own ;
"MY DAm4Eo Boy | send YOU oil
my love. Any wife you choose TO mar
ry will be tho dear daughter OF your
mother"
That was the letter written 40 secret
~ T; II meant volumes to hor; II meant
volumes 10 her boy, She was frightened
to trembling ghost Of her ghost'like
self when SHE stopped the c.uiago and
asked the footmau to drop Il In u street
box, for she felt that II her husband
knew II II would not be impossible for
him TO blow out her iickenng flame Of
life altogether or stamp its feeble spark
into the earth. lie never had struck
her, but she never knew what he might
do yet.
The fathers letter, when II came, was
not at oil unexpected by Hero Van
More, nor was the mothers q surprise
She was u girl OF twenty, "diyincly till
and most divinely mir," Her superb
holdings would have iel scalptors
eye with rapture, her superb coloring
would have driven wild another than
Titan the great braids upon her hcad
seemed made Of stran OF spun gold
she wore them like own, as became
q daughter OF the 70 4 tribe OF Judah.
She was undoubtedly Jowcss; but Gs
Miriam, as Deborah, as SusNnnah may
have done, she had tie large beauty of
that Clytie in her Runtlowcr whom some
think to be Isis In her lotus, She wait
cd in her fathers shopand she sold Mr.
Van More pair Of gloves there.
He had given bis purse some since to
his travelling companion, and he was
waiting in lis little place till he should
receive fresh remittance from his
father When he saw Hero he hal
something else 10 whit foE He hung
round the shop corners, and when she
went home he followed her. Vera in.
cessu patuit dea--shc stepped as II the
earth were mir he said to himself that
il was because his heart was uddcr hef
feet. lie knew iutujtiveiv that she
would not give him second look.
What were the Van Nores ont here in
the wilderness? He waj able to sec,
for I'll his deficiency, that she WITS on n
higher plane Of being than his own.
But if he could not hope he could ut
least suilor; he could gl2e nt the star
he might not win. He bought another
pair OF gloves. An, heavens to feel
the touch OF those pointed fingers of
hers as they stretched tho kid from
side to side Of his hand! The next day
he bought another pair. Before he was
through he had bought the whole stock
OF gloves in the s op.
| OF course this Attracted her attention,
and she made some inquiry concerning
him. "You had better go away" she
said, when he came i'll again. You 80
not need gloves, or ties, OF any of our
goods. You are making yourself ridicu.
lous."
81 have nothing to 10 with it," he
replied. 81 was made SO when | was
born"
And so one word led to another, and
in the course of time he had tod her
his story, which somehow seemed full
Of wrongs, the story of q rather feeble
minded youth who had been snubbed
Gpd brow.beaten and ill.used by dis.
appointed father from his lirth. Her
heart was stirred with pity she let
him come to the house. Hope bounded
within him, If the star slouli fail
from the sky to his arms ! He wrole
his father-I forgot to say that he could
write-that he wanted his influence to
help him marry the most lovely, the
most virtuous, the most brilliant OF
women, who waited behind the coun er
of her fathers little Jew.shop. The
answer to this letter made his hair stand
on end. Gold, sneering, vindictive,
cruel, threatening-what should he do
but show it to her? Her blood would
have been cold and thin stuh had TINT
not made it boil. 81 can never go back
to him." said More, II never will go
back to him. 1t is the last blow he
shall strike me-"
"Would you be happier here in the
shop helping me !" sne asked.
"Beyond measure |" he cried.
She told him to see her father that
night. She meant about the situation
he meant about wife. And her father,
in as good and strong contempt as Mr..
Van More could feel, ordered the fellow
from the house.
"The worthless varlet !" cried the old
! man. "Can he earn his salt? What do
l care for his name and his family and
his entailed moneys - the dog of a
Christian He can have them all ; but
he can't marry my girl to an idiot I"
,"He is not an idiot, father" said Hero.
"There is more in him than any see, "
and she calmly canyassed the subject.
"Ha has be made to look up till he
does not know how to look straight
ahead. Some day he will asset him.
| self 80
"You p said her father. "You I
believe you care for the lout When
you have sweethearts to fill regiment |!
When you can marry any man in the
country T.
II don't know" she said. ~ am
sorry for him. lcare to have him happy
he mas had 80 mech unhappiness.
And at that moment they heard groan
outside. and they ran to the door to pick
up More Van More, helpless aud just
returning to consciousness, with q
broken leg.
Hero installed herself chief attendant.
In the long hours of patient pain, in the
devotedness of his silent worship for
her, something stirred her heart that
was not pity. Heaven knows what II
was There are some strong natures
that must wrap themselves about the
weak. The first time that he could
sf.,nI unnn hi. feet amin they were