Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-06-08
Gales and Skftfkts.
PRyRaYs's wARD.
Confined from yesterdsy.l

"As 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 lawyer
one summertime to fish and hunt in the
quiet country place, and before Miss Patti
ence quite came to realize the danger the
heart of her sister-child was won from
her, and the couple were married.
ITO make a long story short. this young
lawyer was Halstead Scot. Six months
he spent happily 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, frail creature
faded day by day, until the hour when her
baby came struggling into life, and then
shut her weary eyes for ever on world
wherein she had grown 50 sadly tired
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 Of
flee to worse than orphaned child.
Fifteen years passed. and, stirred by
feeling of remorse, by remembrance OF
his old romance or what not, Scot came
once more to the little village under the
mountains He refused to see his daugh-
ter, and told Miss Wyndham enough
of his own career to satisfy her that it
was wisest 80. but the week following his
visit. pure white monument, in form ct
broken colu mn. was erected over his
wife's grave. and every six months during
the remainder of his life there came regu-
larly certain sum of money to Miss
Wyndham for the support of the young
Gabrielle.
This was the whole of the story. as that
sweet old saint told it it to me, and natu-
rally grew extremely anxious to see the
child of romance, over whom | was 50
singularly appointed guardian.
1.-The child does not know her fathers
history" said Miss Patience. and could
wish she might remain always 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 aftea few days came home, not IN
love with my ward, as you suspect. but
thinking her pure, innocent child, Won
derfully born of such father, and really
not dissatisfied with my guardianship.
In fact, my charge was no burden to me
while Miss Patience lived, and the $780,
600 made all clear for the future. imag-
ined, with a mans wonderful understand
ing of woman's needs; and so for three
years. placidly the time wore on; then
there came a note from Gabrile herself,
announcing the serious illness of her aunt.
and | went hastily away into the coun-
try.
I found Miss Windham dying; her no.
BILE sands of life were almost told. and
there will be few whittier robes in heaven
than that she wears. She had no fear for
herself in that passing away; only great
thought reaching out into the future. for
| TIE Young girl whom she must leave alone
| in world where even her sanity eyes
| had seen much neither good nor true.
promised all that could. and while
| the diving woman seemed to trust me, she
| understood better than | how little equal
| to the protection of a young girls life an
| unmarried man can be, and was but half
satisfied when the final moment came.
Poor Gabrielle was distracted; she
chung to me as to brother. pitied her,
| but / pitied myself more, because she took
no thought, and did, of the future which
| now doomed up before me like a terrible
| problem. to which the thirty thousand
| dollars offered not the slightest clew OF
| solution.
"What to do with her now / did not
| know. | had no near female relative;
| had not even the traditional old nurse to
help me out of the dilemma. My business
was suffering from neglect, and yet
could not leave this clinging grief.stricken
girl alone and unsettled in this first space
| of her desolation.
81 finally determined to ask a widow
| lady, who was a distant relative OF Hal
stead Scot. to take immediate charge OF
| his daughter, but before writing to her
thought it would only be kind in me to
consult my ward in the matter, and learn
| if there were any other arrangement
| possible more congenial to her own mind.
She came to the interview looking most
fair and fragile in her black dress. and
listened atientively to my proposition.
Then the tears which lay very near to her
eyes in those sad days pushed their way
from under the terse-drawn eyelids, and
rolled heavily overthe white young cheeks
and she said, in trembling. pitifnl way
"'Then l cannot live with you, MI
Penrhynp'
II had rather pronounce the death
sentence In Il thousand cases tnan 10 De
obliged again to meet the emergency that
stared out of those innocent eyes at me
but something had to be done then and
there, and had rather have tried modern
strangulation in my own person than to
have explained to this pure child the
reasons why she might not live in my
house as my sister, when there seemed
no other home-no heart in all the world
that held for her kindly feeling save
mine.
$50, and as told you in the beginning
it seemed to be the only thing to do at
the time. asked. her as gently and de-
licately as could, to marry me.
ut came very sudden to her. and es-
pecially so to me /; but she consented. not
that she was greatly in love with me any
more than l with her, but because her
quiet. straight forward life had taught
her none OF the hollow sentimentality of
pride that would have led her to question
my sincerity. or the prospect of forming
connection that held no romance but
only the continued society and friendship
OF one whom her aunt had held in respect
and trusted.
..Tmmediafelv and beside Miss Pa