The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-18


whatever in a tone of real earnestness |
that Ellinor Arden, startled by the |
change in his manner, looked up at him !
suddenly and searchingly But the vail
of WEAKNESS had fallen over his face
once more, and he continued. with his
old Indifference:
TO the surprise of everyone, your
uncle bequeathed to you, and to you
alone, his entire fortune. Stranger as
YOU were to him, this was an act, not of
love to YOU, but OF duty to his dead
brother. But the person he really loved
was uneonneeted with him by the ties
of kindred, and he no doubt considered
that it would be an injustice to disinherit
his only niece in favor of stranger.
This stranger, this pr0tege of your
uncle's, is the son of lady who once
was beloved BY him, but who loved
another, poor and humber than Squire
Arden, of Arden, and who told him so,
candidly, but tenderly, as good woman
should tell man of that which she
knows NAV SILVER the whole fabric of
his life. She married this poorer sutton.
George Dalton, a young surgeon in
small country town. She married him,
and three years after her marriage she
died, leaving an only child, boy. This
boy. on the death of his father,
which happened when he was only four
wears old, was adopted by your uncle.
He never married, but devoted himself
to the education of the SON of the woman
who had rejected him. He did not,
however. bring up the boy to look upon
himself as his heir; but he educated
him as a man ought to be educated who
has his own path to make in life. He
had him called to the bar, and Henry
Dalton had pleaded his first cause
year before your uncle's death. He did
not leave him one farthing"
"But''-
Il But he left his entire fortune to
you, on condition that youshould marry
Henry Dalton within year of your ma
jority."
And if l marry anyone else, or re-
fuse to marry this apothecary's son, |
lose the fortunepo
Every farthing of il"
A beautiful light flashed from her
eyes, as she rose hurriedly from her
chair, and, crossing the room, laid her
hand lightly upon Horace Margraves
| shoulder.
$50 be it, she said, with smile.
Il will forfeit the fortune l have a
hundred q year from my mothers estate
enough for any woman. Twill forfeit
the fortune, and' - she paused for a
moment, land marry the man love-
We have said that Horace Margrave
had pale complexion; but as Ellinor
Arden said these words, his face changed
from its ordinary dark pallor TO dead
| ly ashen hue, and his head sank for
ward upon his chest. while his strongly
marked black eyebrows contracted pain
fully over his half-closed eyes.
She stood little behind his chair,
with her small gFoved hand resting
lightly on his shoulder, so she did not
see the change in his face. She waited
a minute or two. to hear what he would
say to her determination; and, on his not
speaking, she moved away from him i'm
| patiently, and resumed her seat on the
other side of the large Office table.
Nothing could have been more COM
plete in its Indifference than Mr.. Mar
graves manner, as he looked laZily up
at her, and said;
My poor romantic child! Throw
away a fortune of three thousand a
year, to say nothing of Arden Hail., and
the broad lands thereto appertaining
and marry the man you loyep Ny
sweet, poetical Ellinor, may venture
to ask who is the fortunate man whom
YOU loveP'
It seemed very simple and straight
forward question, emanating, as it did
from man of business, many years hel
senior, her dead fathers old friend, anC
her own guardian and trustee, but, fol
all that, Ellinor Arden appeared utterly
unable to endure it. A dark flush spread
itself over her handsome face; her eve
lids fell over her flashing eyes; and hel
lips quiYered with an agitation she wa,
powerless to repress. She was silen
for some minutes, during which Horac'
Margrave played carelessly with pen
knife, opening and shutting it absently
and not once looking at his beautiful
ward. The elderly lady by the fire-plac,
turned the cracking sheets of the Time
more than once during the short silence
which seemed so long.
Horace Margrave was the first to speak
my dear Ellinor, as your guardian
till this very day possessed of full powe
to control your actions-after to-day,
trust, still possessed of the privilege
though, perhaps. not the right. to advis
/ them have, | hope, some claim OF
your confidence. feline, then, candid
| ", as you may tell a middle-aged oil,
lawyer, like myself, who is it you love
Who is it you would rather marry thai
: Henry Dalton, the adopted son of you
D mcle?"
For once he looked at her as he spoke
\ she looking full at him; so it was tha
e their eyes met; long, earnest, re
r proachiul. sad look was in hers; in hi
a darkness OF gloomy sorrow, beyon
g ali power OF description.
His eyes were the first to fall; he wer
on playing with the handle of the pei
$ knife. and said
You are so long in giving me car
did and straightforward answer, m
! dear girl, that | begin to think this her
}; is of rather mythic order, and tbs
your heart is, after all, perhaps, fret
Tell me, Ellinor. is it not SOP You hav
J met so few people-have passed $
much of your time in the utter secll
e sion of a Partisan convent whe
away from the convent you have bee
+ so protected by the Argus-like qua
, dianship of your respected aunt that
really cannot see how you can have 10:
p that dear, generous heart of yours.
u suspect that you are only trying to my
; tify me. Once for all, then, my ware
p, is there any one whom you loveP"
He looked at her as he asked this d.
> cisive question, with shrinking III
:, ward glance under his dark eyelashes-
! something like the glance of man WI
+ looks up, expecting blow, and know
that he must shiver and close his ey,
le when that blow falls.
The crimson flush passed away frol
n her face, and left her deadly pale, as 81
r said, with firm voice:
n mo"
n '.No oneP'
b "No one"
J. Horace Margrave sighed sigh
il deep relief, and proceeded in his form,