Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-02-22

bar between nsF'
20. nor she cried, quickly. coloring.
"But he is so different from you.'
"1es, know; he is rich, and am
poor.es se-zsssr-z, szs-ssg .s7 Kv
You know I did not mean that,
Alfred. You knowI never think about
your circumstances she cried. hastily.
He knew that it was true; he knew
that Althea Montford would marry him
tomorrow (if he should ask her, which.
as said before, he wasn't. quite pre-
pared to do, under existing circum-
stances), and never think OF it as a
sacrifice, even if he had not dollar in
the world.
Il know you do not. my darling"
he replied, looking down into her eyes
again with that sweet, tremulous smile
lighting his dark face. .'But all women
are not so unselfish. Your father is
but forty-eight-not an old man. by any
means-not too old to be fascinated by
handsome face, if. indeed, any man
ever is"
''But she-she could not care for him.
Why, she is mere childn' -.s-
.'Althea, did you never hear of poor
young .woman's marrying rich old
man.? he asked, laughing; because if
you never did, you are the only one in the
world who has not And did you sup
pose they always cared for the old fell
lows? Not theyr'
But / really do not believe papa
thinks of marrying again. He has
never seemed to think OF it, and mann
ma has been dead more than fourteen
years" r .Et -sS~y~a s.
II do not think he has an idea of
marrying at present. But you can see
as well as I that he is pleased and
tlattured by this girls attention and
Difference l only mentioned this at all
to put you on your guard. There is no
one in the house upon whose Judgment
can rely, save you; and anyway it is
very natural that should come TO you,"
smiling that peculiar smile again which
always broughtthe color to Althea Mont
ford's face.
''You can always rely on me-indeed
1 trust in and depend almost wholly on
you. As far as Fannie is concerned |
get nos mpathy. She has the strangest
faculty for seeing virtue, as she calls it,
in everybody. She aOtU not believe in
ANYTHING else. and one might as well
talk to a stone as to try to convince her
against her will"
'.And Victor is under the spell, tool
Really" he laughed, Il am astonished
that 4 am not snitten. But fort that
is occupied is not easily taken. l can
account for it in no other way"
Victor! You do not mean that he
notices her, particularly? Why. we all
know he has been in love with Blanche
Arnold these FIVE years. think he
wasn't quite sixteen when he first began
to blush and act awkwardly in her pres
Blanche is to marry her cousin.
the valiant young mariner
the Captain-elect of the Silver Star,
and he laughed a light, knocking laugh.
81 do not believe it." she cried,
Il do not believe n girl with
Blanche Arnold's pride would marry a
Yankee sea Captain in preference to our
Victor"
''Softly! You forget the fellow is her
own cousin" he interrupted; land be-
sides, you know what you said a little
while ago. Perhaps she is foolish
enough to be unselish, as well as some
one else. II
The proud face softened, and she
made no further remonstrance against
Blanche's conduct.
Possibly Alfred DeVries had some
cause for his suspicion of Stella Blake.
No other servant had ever taken special
pains to please and conciliate Mr.. Mont
ford. No other servant had ever sat in
the library alone with him of an even
ing, and played chess and dominoeS till
ten o clock. But Miss Blake did both.
Mr.. Montford was not particularly fond
Of q a AZ no l..
ways make good appearance is,
an elegant and refined appearance. His
position seemed too much for hint
himself. and charitable people
called it English reserve" and some
not so charitable said there was .'some-
thing lacking in his make up.'' Per-
haps both were right. But let no one
fancy Gilbert Montford an imbecile. or
foolish. or less bright than a good many
whom they may happen to know, and
who pass current as very passable sort
OF people, not intentionally laden with
brains, perhaps, but very passable. One
thing was always noticeable about Mr..
Mont.ord: A sort of unconscious servil-
ity, as if the position he bore and the
garments he wore had been made for
some one else, and had fallen to him by
seemed to fit him exactly.
You have seen such people, perhaps,
whose place in the world seemed more
an accident than Il design, and wondered
why such and such an one, who would
fill the place admirably, had not been
born to it. There are so many things
in the world we cannot understand,
you know.
There was, in the east wing of Mont
ford House. a small, office-like room,
which communicated with the library
in the main building by long, narrow.
dark passage. The room was usually
kept clean, for there were kept the
Montford family records for generations
back; the deeds and titles of estates
which had been handed down and pre-
served with religious care for nearly
two centuries. Then there were later
of railroad stock,
on real estate, ETC., etc. The
room was plainly furnished. 4 green
and black blocking" covered the
floor, and round mahogany table in
the center of the room with two leather
covered "office- chairs" before it, and