The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-10-24

he found pleasant variety from the
sweets with which he had been SO
often cloyed, in this Independent lady
who dared pick flaws in characters
which, no doubt, she compared to his.
At any rate it made him resolve TO
cultivate her acquaintance more full.
But how should he do it? Lolling in
his cousins room all the afternoon
hours, while they sat at work, would
not, it seemed, recommend him TO
those utilitarian ladies. What exploit
should he attempt7 He applied to
Margaret, but she could not mark out
any path for him. He must think for
himself.
There was long time in which he
forsook his usual seat in Margarets
room. Sayings that dropped from
her, and harder still, from her friend,
bore such reproachful bearing upon
the Incidence and uselessness of his
life, that he felt displeased and irrita-
BILE.
"A good sign !" said Lille. "Your
cousin will be something yet. l knew
there was good metal there, if you
could but strike the right spot"
She had been talking to him of the
grandeur of life devoted to the in
terests of humanity. self-sacrfcing,
active, fearless of rebuke. She paint
ed the glory Of such life, as compar.
ed with one given up merely to selfish
ap,ny,,ont ~. ;root;,a ;,Jolopoa 1Ja
applied all her sayings to himself, and
was vexed with himself and with her
while he could not but acknowledge
that he deserved it, when his life was
80 aimless. He could not but own
that his chief purpose was to live for
his own enjoyment-but purely the
enjoyment Of the senses.
And now in his few and transient
visits to his cousins room, where the
two sat in conclave, he laughingly
told them, upon his faults, he began
to feel that Lille Holbrook was a wo-
man whom man might both love
and reverence love, for her beauty
and genuine kindness of heart, and
reverence for her noble independence
of mere show and fashion.
as not Lilies hair darker since she
came here7' he asked Margaret one
morning, when, for great wonder, he
found his cousin alone.
"Much the same as usual, | think p
said Margaret. "Quite red, isn't it
And what pity it is when she is so
handsome otherwise
''It does not strike me as being SO
very red, Maggie. AT least, it is not
the color which dislike so much. 1t
seems to me that it is of that shade
called amber by the poets"
''No, Aubrey, poor Lilies hair is
decidedly red and she calls it so. She
does not like it any better than you do,
but she is too wise girl to quarrel
with nature about the shade of hei
hair.
1t was all in vain. Aubrey grew
deeper and deeper in love with Lille
and one day he made desperate Offer
of his heart and hand, and was refus
ed! Kindly and gently, it is true
but decidedly. And she was the only
woman to whom he had spoken thos,
words, and she, too, had the very ob
noxious hair, and had refused him
He was absent after this for som,
time. Even his father and mother die
not know where he was gone, ant
Margaret was quite uneasy. Lille
never disclosed to her friend what ha(
passed between them; nor did Mar
garet suspect, when he returned, hag
gard and miserable, that her frienC
was the cause.
Aubrey had other causes, too, ot
trouble. A clerk in the bank with
which he was connected was suspected
of wrong. Aubrey had not left tow
as they supposed, but was watching
him unsuspected, night and day, ant
yet the man escaped him. The EN-
bezzlement covered the whole amour
of Aubrey's property; and when h
| arose the next morning he was a beg
gar. Much of his fathers property il
the same connection, and of his bare
! ly enough was left to secure the oil,
people against the chances of poverty
Fortunately Margaret's fortune was in
vested elsewhere. Such was the new
which he had to communicate and h
suffered severely in doing so.
The next morning the bank declare
it's failure. The embezzlement wa
only one of series of enormou
frauds, practiced by this clerk and a
accomplice, in which they were sut
cessful enough to escape detection ur
til it was too late.
"Where are you going, Aubrey
asked Margaret, one morning, wee
after the affair, as she saw him com
down stairs with his cloak on his arr
and his valise in his hand.
81 sail in the next steamer to Cal
fornia, cousin. I'm going to Ne,
York this afternoon
Sand never told me until now, Au
brey! I would not thought it O
you.
81 could not bear to talk about IN
resolution, Margaret, especially as !
was the first one that ever made i
regard to business. / have not ye
told my mother"
"Poor auntie! how will she bea
it7"
"Poorly enough at first, but she wi
get reconciled at last. 1t was no lis
to prolong her suffering, SO am goin
away, and shall then write her jus
before sail. / Imust not have he
tears shake up my purpose, as ] fea
they will if l tell her now"
| Sand this is to be our good-by
said Margaret, as her cousin presse
her hand. Sand do you say nothin
to LillieY"
"Where is she =
~ - L. - %