The banner-enterprise., 1883-05-10

near q little waterfall, that was
waterfall, not because some fellow
with an eye for picturesque effect ha'
built dam across its course, but be
cause there was IN abrupt descent il
the rock at that point, found Mis-
Patience Wyndham's house.
~ had fetched her letter with me
and upon sending it in with my name
l was Immediately admitted to tn,
presence of stately dame, whose at
tire was copied from some Quaker
ancestress, and whose very counte
nance and manner bespoke her name
Patience. She asked me great many
questions about Halstead Scot, which
l could but answer with the meager
unpleasant truths that formed my
stock of knowledge respecting the
man, and then it came her turn tC
talk. She told me that years ago
when she was but eighteen, hel
mother died, leaving her at the head
of her fathers household. In one year
after her father married again, and
fifteen months later both he and the
new wife had gone the way of all flesh,
leaving Patience, at twenty, alone in
the world, with an infant sister three
months old to care for, and an income
that only, with the strictest economy,
could be made adequate to their needs.
"Well, for twenty years this woman,
putting her youth and everything that
is natural to it under her feet, was
mother, sister, everything to Gabrielle,
who grew from babyhood into lovely
girl, doing only her duty with uncon-
scious heroism, and giving me the
record as if it were something scarcely
worth the telling, only that it was
necessary to explain.
GAS l said before, the. child grew up
to be lovely girl, fair and graceful,
pure and good, and the faithful sister
found all recompense now for what at
first must have been all sacrifice, in
this only thing of kindred blood left
her.
"At length there came young law
yer one summertime to fish and hunt
in that quiet country place, and before
Miss Patience quite came to realize the
danger the heart of her sister-child
was won from her, and the couple
were married.
ITO make long story short,
this young lawyer was Halsteai
Scot. Six months he spent hap
PLY with his young wife, then he
went away, and, although he wrote
her occasionally, he forbade her always
to Join him, and so the fair, fral crea-
ture faded day by day, until the hour
when her baby came struggling into
life, and then shut her weary eyes for
ever on a world wherein she had grown
so sadly wherein she had learned
the bitterness of untitled graves, and
death that renders not unto dust-and
Patience Wyndham was once more
left to fill the mothers office toa a worse
than orphaned child.
Fifteen years passed. and, stirred
by feeling of remorse, by a renem-
brance of his old romance or what not,
Scot came once more to the lit t'e village
under the mountains. He refused to
see his daughter, and told Miss Wynd-
ham enough of his own career t } satisfy
her that it was wis st so, but the
week following his visit, pure white
in form of broken column,
was erected over his wife's grave. and
every six months during the remainder
Of his life there came regularly a
certain sum of money to Miss Wynd-
ham for the support of the young
Gabrielle.
"This was the whole of the story,
as that sweet old saint told it to me,
and naturally grew extremely anxious
TO see the child of romance, over whom
was so singularly appointed
guardian.
"The child does not Know her
fathers history said Miss Patience,
and 1 could wish she might remain al
ways in happy ignorance of it, and
then the child came in.
"She was fair-haired, slight, blue
eyed, graceful. shy. with nothing of
her father about her in appearance or
characteristics, and after a few days |
came home, not in love with my ward,
IS you suspect, but thinking her a
pure, innocent child, wonderfully born
If such a father, and really not dis
satisfied with my guardianship.
"In fact, my charge was 10 burden
% me while Miss Patience lived, and
he thirty thousand dollars made all
lear for the future, l imagined, with
mans wonderful understanding of a
yoman's needs; and so for three years,
,lacidly the time went on; then there
.ame note from Gabrielle herself,
announcing the serious illness of her
Iunt, and l went hastily away into
he country.
al found Miss Wyndham dying; her
Ioble sands of life were almost told,
nd there will be few whittier robes in
leaven than that she wears. She had
10 fear for herself in that passing away;
My a great thought, reaching out
nto the future, for the young girl
vhom she must leave alone in world
rhere even her sanity eyes had seen
nuch peither good nor true.
"I promised all that | could, and
7hile the dying woman seemed to
rust me, she understood better than l
ow little equal to the protection of
oung girls life an unmarried man can
e. and was but half-satisfed when the
nal moment came.
"Poor Gabrielle was distracted; she
lung to me as to brother. l pitied
er, bit l pitied myself more. because
he took no thought, and | did, of the
lture which now loomed up before
le like terrible problem, to which
he thirty thousand dollars Offered not
ne slightest clew of solution.