Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1884-07-24
A Woman's Privilege.

"Your brother is as greedy as COR
morant, as inAexible as granite, and as
crafty as a fox. You will never get a
dollar of your own from him, old fellow"
John Warsall read, and then, with a
hopeless sort of sigh, he flung down
the discouraging letter a legal friend
had written, dropped his elbows on his
desk, and covered his face with his
hands.
Life had not been altogether sweet
to John Warsall his struggles with the
world had not been wholly success
and he was beginning to wonder if all
the years to come must be as dark and
hard and loveless as those that had
gone by. If he only had a tithe of what
was his own--if he only had meagre
portion of the fortune his unnatural
brother withheld from him by some
quibble of the law, he might quit for
ever this monotonous vocation of teach
ing that had become unutterably hate
full to him.
"There is no vocation on earth so
thankless, so precarlous, so inexpressl-
bly, odious as that Of a resident tutor,
he had reflected a little while ago, as a
servant invaded the school-room with
an insignificant check, and acknowledge
ment for services no longer required
and polite dismissal for the END Of the
year.
And now, as he sat there despondent,
at his desk, the old year was going out
with the Ginning of jubiliant bells and
all the murmurous mirth of the reJolc-
ing winter city.
AS the wild bells changed across the
snow, that clothed the passing year,
John lifted his head-that handsome,
scholary head, where few sllvery hairs
already glistened among the thick, dark
locks-and listened singularly satiric
look upon his fine, pale features.
81 cannot exult that
"'The old year lies dying.
He gave me a friend and true, true love
And the new year will take them away
"For me those bells are tolling a re
QUEEN over the bright thing that must
be dead to me forevermore," he thought.
Just then there was a soft sweep Of
silken skirts behind him, a delicate waf-
tage of white rose perfume, and then
the sound of delicious young voice.
Why, Mr.. Warsall, | thought you
would have gone to the church with
Master Bertie and the rest of them, and
| came for Bertie's drawing,book, ex-
planned the elegant young lady who
paused beside his desk.
Master Berte did not need me, >
John said quietly. "Mr Grimshaw sent
me my dismissal this morning.
eyes, know Miss Fanny admitted,
looking unmistakably sorry and rather
confused. She knew onl y too we'll why
the handsome tutor was considered no
longer desirable inmate Of the house.
1.-THE old year gave me much that was
pleasant" John continued in strange
ly suppressed voice, "but the new year
takes all that away.
The girl was silent; but there was a
blush on her cheeks and light in her
eyes that thrilled him.
"1he associations of this little school
room have been much too pleasant, he
pursued in tones that were hoarse with
restrained feeling "No one can under
stand better than myself why it is wis
est | should go. | have never dared
presume that anything could be differ
ent. And yet"
He checked himself abruptly and
averted his face.
He would utter nothing that might
seem weak or impertinent to the gra-
cious girl whose eyes were full of ten
der tears for him, whose pretty grief
for his trouble bewilded him.
"If she loved him; as he had some
times felt that she did, his trouble must
be only the greater, his dismissal only
the more just. An obscure and impe-
cumous tutor was certainly no fitting
mate for. the petted and pampered
daughter of a purse-proud social mag
nate. Even if she loved him and were
willing to renounce ease and luxury for
his sake, he must not permit such sac
rifce, nor could he submit to the calling