The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-06
LOVES REooIL.

oars OF dead gold upon the rich carpet
IN the pretty room; it played about
among the flowers and dainty orna-
ments, and touched with warm fingers
the heavy braids of hair which crowned
Judith Stanhope's small head.
1t was such beautiful face that was
bent over the book She was reading-a
face such as we see sometimes in rare
pictures, which great masters, long dead,
have left behind them; theS Features,
delicate and regular as those of antique
cameo, would have made the face fault
less had it not been for the rich COM
plexion, the large dark eyes, and the
scarlet of the perfect lips. 1t was not
her beauty alone that had won for her
the name by which she was best known,
and generally called-Lady Judith.
When she was a child, her uncle, anus
ed by her little imperious ways, had,
half in jest, half earnestly, applied the
title, and it had chung to her. When
she reached womanhood, it seemed to fit
her still more perfectly.
The door opened, and girl about
eighteen years of age, entered, and
judith, throwing aside her book, said
gaily:
'Ruthie, thought you had forsaken
me. Come sit down here by me-"
As Ruth Stanhope seated herself by
her sisters side, it seemed scarcely pos
sible that the same blood flowed IN their
veins, so different were they in appear
ance. The life Judith had led-the gay,
fashionable life-had developed all that
was earthly in her nature, just as the
quiet peaceful years spent among the
Berkshire hills had brought out ali that
was gentle and spiritual in Ruth's.
When, years before, their widowed moth
er had died, leaving the two children,
ten and twelve years old, Mrs. Ellesly,
her sister, a wealthy, childless woman,
took judith the elder of the sisters, and
brought her up as she would have done
her own daughter, dropping into her
young heart the seeds that were, later,
to bring forth such bitter fruit, fos-
tering the childish yanities and weak
nesSes.
What was the result? At twenty, Jul
dith Stanhope had scarcely thought
above the world and its pleasures. She
lived solely for her own physical enjoy
ment and for that empty, hollow thing
society.
With Ruth it had been exactly the re-
verse. In her grandparents quiet love-
~ home, far away from the glare and
excitement of city life, the years had
swept by; she had grown out of child
hood, preserving intact her childish pu-
rity of thought and action.
The sisters met about twice a year.
During the winter Ruth would come to
visit her aunt, and in summer Judith
would make q flying trip to the old
homestead where her mother had been
born.
Judith" Ruth said, .syou expect
Mr.. bingham tomorrow, do you
notP'
EYES," she answered; ..the ship is
due here tomorrow. Lawrence left Liv-
erpool on the twenty-eight of last
month.
s.You do not know how long to see
him." Ruth said earnestly. HE must
be noble and true indeed, Judith, to
have won your love.
Judith smiled.
.'Well, YOU shall see him ard Judge
for yourself, she said. Lawrence is q
gentleman in every sense of the word; he
is from one of our best families, and last,
but not least, by any means, he is very
The words, lightly spoken, Jared
cruelty upon Ruth ) sensitive nature.
Raising her eyes to her sisters face,
she said, quietly but firmly:
what have wealth and family to do
with love, JUDITH
.'Why, Ruthie, they have everything
to do with it, she answered ''Do you
think that / would marry man poor or
low-bornP Could i, with my extrava-
giant ideas, struggle with poverty? No.
indeed. 1t would be criminal for me,
knowing myself as well as / do, to link
TO- cA11IA
port rae as / have always been support
ed"
The following day brought Lawrence
and Ruth, looking into his
face, with it's clear eyes, knew that he
was noble and true How quickly she
grew to like him-they had SO many
likes in common, and they both loved
Judith so dearly; they were never tired
Of talking of her when they Glanced to
be alone together, and Ruth knew far
better than did Judith how deeply Law
renee loved her.
They were sitting with Mrs. Ellesly in
her room one morning, Judith and
Ruth, several weeks after Lawrence had
from Europe, when a servant
brought Judith letter. She opened it,
! smile curving her lips as she recogniz-
"a the familiar handwriting. Mrs. Files
Y and Ruth, talking together, did not
notice that as she read the contents her
ace grew deathly white, her lips trem-
lied. The letter dropped from her
land; in strained unnatural voice she
poke:
.sRuth, auntie, Lawrence has lost the
whole of his fortune; he is ready to re-
ease me from my engagement to him. =
1t was as though g. thunderbolt had
allen into the pleasant sunshiny room.
hrs Ellesly sank back in her chair; she
vas wholly unprepared for this But
Ruth went to her sisters side, and took
he small icy hands IN her own.
s.Darling!'' she whispered, s.ghat does
niatter2 His love has not gone, you
lave that still, and what is adj the gold
a the world compared to that?n
But Judith drew her hands away, her
Ups curling scornfufiy.
II, Lady judith, marry poor man."
he said. mo, no. it can never be.
: judith said Ruth. her own face
White too, ssvou viii not lethim go from
on now, when he loves you SOP
For "a moment judith was silent,
one hand to her heart where Il
LuH pain throbbed; for she loved Law
enee Bingham, how dearly she did
ot know until long after; then slowly
epeatino her words, TT can never be-
he Jeff the room Soon after Mrs.
,llesly followed her Ruth heard the
,w Trusnlur OF their voices as she sat
here. her heart filled with great pity
,r Lawrence. And then a just indig
alton rose within her. If that was the 4