The Penn's Grove record., 1884-06-21

IL AlGhu ~ wa ~ hNNN -
few would have dreamt of finding such
softness there e; it was like a rill of wa
ter trucking down the desert sand, and
making an Eden out of a Sahara.
As years went on, the love of the
elder for the younger brother seemed to
increase, and to take ever as it deepened
a more parental character. To have ad-
yanced Franks interests, he would, If
he could, have shed his very hearts
blood. Imperfectly educated himself,
he spared no expense that his brother
might have whatever advantage the
best of schools and a college curriculum
could afford. 1t was no doubt his ma
ture to save, but Frank gave him an
object for which to hoard and he rose
early and sat up late, and denied him
self in all things that this adored, idol
lied brother might one day be rich. As
might have been expected, all this in
diligence was not good for Frank Roch-
ard. 1t did not perhaps spoil him COM
pletely, but it made him very wilful, and
not a little selfish and hayward. He
was not ungrateful to his brother, but
the habit of being deferred to in all
things had made him forward and self
conceited ; and, when he got to be a
pert smart schOolboy, and then a vain
self-suficient student, he fell into the
fashion of the world, and thought slight
mgly, as it did, of the loutish ungainly
Laird of ROchard.
In due time an ensign's commission
was bought for him, and in quick sue
eession he became by purchase first
n 7 f9rY+anpnN 1yA {han a Tantnin In
the long years that had passed
since William Rochard sat by his step
mothers dying bed, he had become
rich, and to see Frank happy was now,
as then the sole object of his life.
Shortly after Frank Rochard had become
a Captain. it vas necessary for William
to go to Edinburgh on business, and,
while there, he lived in the house of his
agent, a shrewd, keen, somewhat
worldly mar of the law.
This gentleman had a daughter, a
blooming girl IN her ''teens," who
seemed to the awkward country gentle
man a creature almost too ravishingly
beautiful for earth.
William Rochard was not fitted to
shine as a wooer but the proverbially
rough course of true love was made
very smooth for him by Mr.. Grey, and,
after a few tears and poutings, pretty
Cecil was won over to her fathers way
of thinking, and the strangely-assorted
pair were engaged.
All this time the Laird had not drop
ped a hint of his intentions to his 'boy."
rs he was accustomed to call his younger
brother. The truth was that, about
the time of his first visit to Edinburgh,
Frank had wounded him deeply. A
distant relative of his mother had left
him a small property on the condition
that he would take her name of
Campbell-which he not only did with
much alacrity, but discarded altogether
his family patronymic of Rochard, lust
rs if" thought the indignant Laird,
she were ashamed of it and me . in
which latter conjecture he was perhaps
not far wrong.
Therefore, he was, for the first time
in his life, not open with his younger
brother. He wrote to him seldom, and
his letters were short and constrained.
Franks regiment was expected o at
Edinburgh Castle, and, after he came
there, it would be time enough to tell
him Of his intentions and introduce him
to his darling Cecil.
In due time Frank came to Edin.
burgh /; and William, in the one or two
visits he paid his betrothed, saw him
for u short time, and on each occasion
found it impossible to break TO him his
astounding news. Sometimes he thought
there must be something very ridicu-
lAgl fnIaDH m his 1nfAnInA TNnrfTarn
that he could not speak of it to his
As for any disadvantage ac-
to Frank from this sudden
change in the plans of his life-that
should not be he had been so thrifty
and careful that he had saved a large
sum of money, which he resolved to eX-
pend in purchasing an estate for his
brother as good at least as Roehard.
With regard to him MS conscience
was clear, else he could not have been
so happy. And he was happy with a
trembling, fearful happiness that was
nearly akin TO pain. This love which
had come SO late was ineXpreSSibly
sweet to the silent, undemonStrative
middle-aged man-sweet, although min
gled with many secret misgivings and
doubts.
'She is too good for me-" he con-
repeated to himSelf-''she can
not love me. surely What commun-
ion can there be between my battered
middle age and her glorious youth. 20
And yet, if Cecil did not love HIM,
she had the art TO appear TO do SO. The
bluShing face, the conscious eye,
the earnest candid brow on which truth
seemed to sit, had each and all the
same iueXpreSSibly charming tale for
him. He couldhave Staked his life upon
her truth. He carried bliss away witt
him in the slightest pressure of her hand,
and discovered volumes of meaning in
her every word and look. one thing
only d~isquieted him-She would fix no
time for their marriage. At last he re-
solved to 20 70 Edinburgh on purpose TO
urge her to do 50. but he failed in all
his arguments. Marry him at once she
would not but perhaps IN the spring
she might. With this hope he was fam
70 be content. and bade her goodbye,
with the intention. as he told her, of
going back 10 ROchari Immediately.