The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-01-05

! for something TO lean upon;
| When the props upon which you depend
Are taken away or o'erthrown,
You will find it wearisome, baby
wearisome standing alone.
/ Disinherited.
'Humph = said Mr.. Daniel Somer
set. i always thought you were q
fool, Vivian, and now | know it
The idea-you want to get married.
Vivian Severn laughed, showing
his handsome teeth-a good hu.
mored, joyous laugh-in no wise af
fected by his uncle's sharp ungra,
ciousness, for he had not been ac-
quainted with Mr.. Somerset TWEEN
ty five years for nothing.
Is it so very alarming Uncle Dan
iel?' he asked promptly.
i think SO. Alarming-yes, be-
yond question. You are an extrav-
agant young dandy, with not an
idea toyour noddle, beyond the cut
of your clothes, or the composition
of button hole bouquet in Februa-
ry, with no Judgment greater than
that required to decide the flavor of
the soup at the club dinner. And
you want to get married
Vivian was used to 1t. and he
knew the irascible old bachelors S
bark was worse than his bite. He
leaned back in his chair and listened
to the petulant TRADE.
That may be so, Uncle Daniel; all
the same, | think BERTHE and l will
risk it.
BERTHE? BERTHE who?
Miss Ethelbertha Gray, uncle
why didn't you say so, then? A
very beautiful, accom- plirhed girl
after you because she supposes you
are my heir
Uncle Dan.
Vivian Strengthened up in his
chair, sudden little fire in his blue
eyes.
Uncle Daniel. that is not true
4 lie, do 1? Very well, sir; I am
used to such accusations from you.
Go ahead and make consummate
idiot of yourself, if you want to
but mark my word, you will rue the
day you ever married BERTHE Gray.
[ know the ways of this worId-I
have been taught it's treachery, its
policy, utter want of human kind
ness before you were out of dresses.
But with all due respect for your
opinion, uncle, you don't know Ber-
tie Gray as l know her. Wait
Mr.. Somerset jumped up from his
chair in a passion.
Don't speak to me about it..
Mind, not another word unless you
wish to be disinherited'
Then Vivian looked angry and
rose from his chair
4 would not hesitate a moment
between your money and the wo-
man / love. Do as you please; l
shall
And after he was gone Mr.. Som
erset walked uneasily up and down
his elegant library, his forehead all
puckered up, his mouth contracted
in savage pout, his bright, little
gray eyes swapping and flashing.
The fool! Not to see it is his
money--only and solely his proper
ty that has won the girl. I know
her. Pretty picture, great dark
eyes and complexion like a lily
leaf, q little red mouth and yellow
hair--a girl brought up to paint on
velvet and bet at races, firt through
a summer at Newport, and winter
in the city. A pretty Vassar Col
lege finished girl, whose sole end
and aim of life is TO make a good
match And that young idiot inns
agines she is in love with him.
Twenty-four hours later, just as
Vivian was taking his dinner at
Dclmenico's. q waiter handed him a
note from his uncle, in which that
gentleman, always very cratic in
his habits, briefly stated that he
was off on trip to the Yosemite
Valley, to be gone two or three
months, and advised Viyian to con-
slider what had been said to him on
a certain subject.
He folded up the note and went on
with his stuffed egg plant and roast
turkey in undiscomfitted composure.
4 wish he knew. BERTHE better,
he thought, with a glad thrill OF
fond pride But it was destined
that Mr.. Daniel Somerset should
never know pretty BERTHE Gray any
better-decreed by fate that he
should never see her again, for SIX
weeks later, as she sat in her ele
CANT little boudoir, sewing some
foaming lace in the neck and sleeves
of a black velvet evening costume,
Vivian made his appearance, pale
and grave, as she had never seen
him before.
i thought you were not coming
till evening, VIVIAN she said in a
sweet way that told how welcome he
was.
He took seat beside her little
low chair, and gently, authoritative
", took the laces from her lap.
Il have bad news for you, my dar-
ling, and l want to break it to you
at once
BERTHE nestled her little dimpled
hands in his, confidingly, sympa
thetically.
Tell me, Vivian, at once. With
you alive and we'll here beside me.
no news could be very dreadful; be
sides, know father and mother are
Iboth safe. / saw them q minute
Iago. What is it, dear?'
Vivian looked at her, a wonderful
grave tenderness in his blue eyes.
NY uncle is dead, BERTHE, in Cali
fornia, where he has been travelling
for several weeks, ] always sup
/ posed / was heir to his three million
dollars, but and his strong, brave
voice quiyered slightly, for youi
'Isakc am appalled, to be notified
THAT lie has left his fortune to q