Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-01-23
TO what circumstance am L indebt-
I'd, then, for this visit ?U F" '-lDo- t

was to be his sole heir, and has fitted
me to take charge o: the entire business
at his decease. consequently uniting
me for anything besides. Should he
withdraw his influence, my circum-
stances would be bad indeed. Knowing
this, 1 have humored him In all his
whims. which are LEGION until this last
one and now. if I refuse to comply with
his request, lose every penny of his
money and will be compelled to earn
my own support as best I can. I tell
you, George, il is rather hard to know
you have to start out empty handed and,
make your own living, or else, to hu-
NOR an old mans foolish whim, you
must ernbitter your whole life. HoO
hard i never knew until to day ~ think
ing ofAlma as he spoke. 80. =,
What is this whim ?'' asked George.
ut may hot be as foolish as you i'm
s"As I imagine :" echoed walter %
"Can it be otherwise 2 Nay, it is cruel
to try to wreck ones whole life in order
to please an old mans fancy. He has
ordained that 1 shall marry, and has
seen fit to select the bride, and, by
heavens, will not submit !'
s9"A Miss Vane, daughter of Gerald
Vane, an old classmate of his, who, dy-
ing years ago, left her in her uncleis
charge l have never met her, and, to.
escape this me citing, I came down here.
Her father left her no property, and she
Is at the mercy of the old tyrant, as
we'll for either one, on refusing to com
ply with his request, forfeit. all claim on
his property. But he tells me that she,
being very much Impressed with my
portrait, is not averse to the marriage.
l r, D. If hrr, 10, n n
designing creature for the sake of q few
paltry dollars. Never" sg s-, ss-i-..i
| "Bnt you have never. seen her," re-
piled George .'She may not be what
your imagination has predicted" 20
| Nevertheless, would relinquish all,
claim to her, and told uncle 80, but he
says unless the marriage is consumma>
ted, his money shall go to q foundling
hospital, and holds out the idea to me
that it would be cruel in me to refuse
saying she would be left to the cold
charities of the world, while I would
have either to beg or starve. He takes
a fiendish delight in tormenting me, and
l almost believe she is in league with
him. However, he has given me three
months grace, at the end of which time
Miss Vane must become my bride, or l
must bid adieu to my once fair pros-
poets and begin life anew. But 1t grows
late;" saying which they arose and re-
tired to their separate rooms. Il erree
They did not see the little figure as it
emerged from behind the heavy crim-
son curtains where it had been con-
cealed, or they would have recognized
Cousin Alma.
For moment she stood gazing after
their retresting forms; then, smiling
softly to herself, she hastened to her
room. t --
The time passed too quickly to suit
young Howell. Weeks sped by as days
to him, as he fingered by Alma's side
so closely did he haunt her footsteps
that George had designated him her
shadow. They read, sang, drove. boat
ed, and took long walks together, he
seeming to live only in her presence. n
/ They became almost oblivious to
Georges presence. However, he would
beg so hard not to be left alone all the
time that Alma would prevail on him
to accompany them.
| Walter was not aware how dear Alma
had grown to him until as they were
sailing together one pleasant. afternoon.
She was gathering lilies that grew near
in great profusion, when, by sudden
lurch of the boat she was precipitated
into the water. Plupging quickly after
her, he succeeded in bringing her to the
shore. He was sitting on the bank
clasping the unconscious form, pouring
mad nonsense into her ears and kissing
the pallid cheeks, when George, who had
been q witness to the accident, appeared
on the scene and suggested that they re.
turn to the house and seek proper re-
storatives.
Taking his precious burden in his
arms, he followed George, who assured
him that she only had tainted.
| Under proper management Mrs. OAR
rell soon restored her to consciousness,
and in few hours she was as strong
and well as ever, none the worse for
her fright.
Walters three months probation was
rapidly drawing to close. He must
soon awake from his blissful dream and
face the stern realities of life.
He was rudely awakened from his
dream few days later by Alma declar
ing her intention of going home. What
could be do? 'Cou.d he relinquish.th this
sweet creature that seemed already a
part of his being, and unite himself to
one whom he did not even respect ?" he
asked. aTs ssTl i.r %. alH. ,Iu14
| Otherwise, had he succeeded in win
ming Alma's love, how many years
would he have to wait ere he would be
able to support wife? Almost crazed
at the thought of losing her, he determ
ined to put his fate to the test, and
sought her accordingly. oa&
| He told his story manfully; told her
of his uncle's wishes, of his great love
for her, and how he would cheelfully
toll, years if necessary, for one word of
| encouragement from her. .Hi3I4rl7
| She listened to the end without reply,
then quietly said, "Mr. Howell-Wal~
ter, do love you very much, but it is
not right should interfere with your
uncle's commands, and the lady to
whom yon are betrothed. Write to her,
tell her what you have just told me.
Or, what would be better still, go and
see the young lady; perhaps you would
to see her," she added blushingly. IF
she releases you, willingly, from the
engagement, then may bid you hope
otherwise.
"What?n ,i l:I-e' '
"You must obey your uncle's wishes" !"
| 81 will write at once. She will surely
release me. We will be happy yet,
darling" he cried hopefully. .-
Walter awaited impatiently the an
swer to his letter. At last it came.
Eagerly he tore it open and devoured
its contents. EaaIt
"Oh, heavens! this is too much J"
pressing his hand to his throbbing
brow. tAlma! Alma lost to me for
everm .a.5 .-.p -sb.r t-I. e.,..
/ Alma, appearing at that moment,
asked the cause of his sorrow. Point
ing to the letter he had cast aside,
"Read that, and it will tell you..'
Taking the little missive, she read as
| follows:
! Mr.. HowELL-I have no desire to
disobey your uncle's commands, as he
| has been very kind to me, nor do in
| tend to forfeit the advantages that will
| be derived from our union +; therefore, l
shall expect you to fulfill your part of
the contract. Your uncle pids me say
that he desires your presence at once. n
| Respectfully, A. d VANE.
| Dropping the note into his hand, she
left the room without word. a- Ha
! The next morning Walter deSconded