Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-07-06

TO her, IL will go To your husband at
once. / want % set myself right in
your sight and his; / hope to prove that
i am not altogether unworthy OF your
daughter"
IF IL has come 10 that. I will 60 TO
him." said Mrs. Oliphant, slowly.
"Dana. you will make no promises;
Mr.. Harrington, YOU will bind her to
none, until her father and l talk this
matter over. / ask it,"
"Ah, Mrs. Oliphant. Il Is too late for
that Promise or no promise, we are
pledged TO each other said Launt,
seeking his confirmation IA Dana's
eyes.
A stranger was leaving the library rs
Mrs. Oliphant entered il. man OF the
shabby genieer' order. who bowed
and held open the door. darling a keen,
searching look into the lady's face as
she passed. ...
"Who was that, Power" she asked.
"Only Harmon Qucst-AleXia's Mr..
| Quest. YOU know, Rose. ! might call
him mine. now. rs aptly. He is very
/ tOlcrable lawyer. and has been making
himself useful i'm these real-estate nego-
tiations Of mine. He's the cleverest Of
fellows ut getting hold Of secret
points"
Rose did not give the lawyer second
thought.
Power" she said. 81 NAV rs well tell
you ut once. the time we have dreaded
has come"
THAT time was bound To come sooner
or later Mr.. Oliphant remarked, when
he had heard all she had To tell. And
really, dear, / don't share your an
tipathy To that young man. / am in no
hurry To lose our girl. and did what |
could to discourage him-and felt guilty
every time / looked into the child's
dropping face. IL Dana likes him, and
they have made il up together, you and
l must put away our scruples and stand
aside"
If it were any one else cried Rose,
passiOnately. IF il were Gordon Mar
quis i could trust him. But that man!
Power, / feel that he has only won her
from us To break her heart ..
Mr.. Oliphant took his wife's hand in
loving clasp. These two were fond
lovers in their middle age.
Il understand your prejudice against
his Southern origin, and that is his
chief objection IN my eyes. lie will be
wanting To take Dana away from us,
but i can never consent to that. We
must make il n condition that he shall
settle here. For the rest, The secret will
be rs safe when Dana marrics rs il is
now. The one fact that he need ever
know-that she is an adopted child
will not have feathers weight with
him if he is the true stuff"
If he is the true stuff repeated
Mrs. Oliphant to herself. almost with n
grOan. And he is, in the way Power
means. He would marry her if she
were n beggar's daughter. But how
would il be il be knew tChOSc child she
! is9n
twas Mrs. Oliphant who carried the
result of their conference TO Dana, and
Launt was summoned TO the library be-
fore he departed, to give full account
of himself. his family, and his prospects,
To the father Of his love. IL was sat
isfactOry account in the main, though
the element which would have weighed
with many fathers, money. had little
| part in IL. But the FarringtOns, once n
wealthy family, were influential still.
Launt himself held the lease Of a sugar
plantation, which, under his iudicious
management rendered an assured in
come sufficient to the wants If young
/ pair who were not ambitious of a great
display. lie was not prcsumptuOus,
then, in aspiring to. the hand Of Dana
Olphant, prospective hciress though
she might be-.
- You may consider the inequality rs
existing ON the other side" said the
older man, not without n slight tremor
'Iou come Of the old creole stock. who
have their pride IF birth as strong as
any ari,tocracy on earth. Dear rs she
is to me, she is not really my daughter.
but namclcss waif adopted in her ear
lest infancy. Does that fact make any
difference with you?"
None, not the slightest" Pride of
birth was certainly not Launt Earring
/ tons weakness.
Then said Mr.. Oliphant. more
warmly. II shall not throw any insur-
/ mouutable obstacles in the way of YOUR
/ suit
There were sundry conditions TO be
imposed, nevertheless, first among them
that no formal engagement should be
entered into Just vet.
That is your decree. mamma" cried
Dana, when she heard it. "It is YOU
who have been opposed 10 Launt
| throughout. Papa liked him mt first.
likes him still. Why are you so set
/ against him?"
1t was a question which Mrs. Oliphant
| parried.
You hardly know him yet, nv
child" she said. tcnderly. "Ionly ask
| you To take time before binding Yourself
| irrcvOcably; this fancy may wear itself
out il YOU will but wait and contrast
| him with others"
Ii will never wear out until die, 4"
said Dana, not passionatclv. not re-
belliously. but with fixed belief i'm the
truth of what she said. DO YOU know.
mamma, 1 believe must come of some
/ loyal racc-pOor and obscure. perhaDs
but loyal to death. II fate were so
unkind rs To- part me from Launt, L
could never love another, in that way,
until died.
An inscrutable change went over the
face of the older woman.
You don't know, yOu don't know"
she said, sadly, as if she might have
thought rs Dana did, one day.
There was no absolute engagement.
therefore. but Launt was admitted as
daily visitor TO the house. happiness
enough in itself for the lovers.
"And happiness brightens my cousin
up wonderfully, don't YOU think so, Mr..
Marquis?' Alexia inquired.
IL was two or three evenings later. a
dull and rainy evening, and the family
party had deserted the drawingroom to
assemble in A. the library. Launt was
there as one having the right; and Cor
dou Marquis, conspicuous by his alb
sence since the day of hisriva'S appear
ance had dropped in quite in his old
informal way.
lie looked across at Dana with unmis-
taxable regret in his eyes
lis it the happiness he asked. 81