The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-01-23
RUPERT'S REQU EST.
A BEAUTIFUL ROM,NCR FROM THE
WEST.
Btryps pn Receives III i.eitcr-sh Is ali
Expectancy until the Contents are
Revealed.

ntrSfs fn hecciycr Il Iettcr-Sbe In Hli
Expectancy until the Contents are
Reycnlcd.
"Come hither, Beryl."
Stuyyssant Nutwood spoke in kindly
tones to his daughter, and yet the girl
noticed, or imagined that she did, a
slight tremor in his voice, but, thinking
it was due to the Involuntary loosening
of his false teeth, gave the matter no
further attention. She crossed .he
room to where her father was sitting
In his great arm chair beside the
window
Beryl had grown up on her fathers
farm almost without society, but not
without education, for every year she
had attended the seminary at Acornville,
and III her 18th year she had graduated
with all the honorc and . perree dress
And then she had gone back to the farm
again, but somehow her life there was
not rs satisfactory as before. There
were times when Beryl felt sense of
ennui mixed with IN indefinable feeling
Of reslltssness that #ottld Gaiise her to
wander aimlessly around the place in n
reverie until recalled to the things of
this world by stepping on her ankle.
But though she stroyo to conceal even
from herself the real cause of this feel
ing her heart would ever and anon give
great throb rs she thought Of Rupert
Hollingsworth, who was now strt1g-
CLING lawyer In Western town, There
had been no words OF love between them,
but on the day Rupert graduated they
had met for the last time, and, stand
ing beneath the shade of grand old
oak that guarded the entrance TO the
college campus, Rupert had taken
Beryls hand in his and said to her,
while his dark brown eyes seemed look
ing into her very soul "You will not
forget me entirely, Miss Stuyvesant ?"
"t shall never forget you" she replied
with grave earnestness, las long as |
live"
He had once stepped on her toes.
When Beryl had crossed the room her
father motioned her to seat by his side,
and as size cudded up costly on has
sock, and, placing her arms upon her
knees, looked up in his face with n
wonderful expression in her great blue
eyes, Stuyvesnnt Nutwood felt great
thrill of sorrow in the knowledge that
one day this beautiful girl, with all her
wealth of love and bandoline, would
leave him forever,
81 have received letter from Rupert
Hollingsworth, Beryl," he said.
The girl gave sudden start. and a
wave Of crimson swept over the pure,
sweet face, but she did not speak.
Can you not guess" he continued,
"what the purport of his letter il ?"
Beryl could no longer look her father
in the face. She knew full well why
Rupert Hollingsworth had written.
He had gone away onl y two years be-
fore in all the vigor Of his glad manhood,
and his splendid talents had gained for
him success where others had failed.
And now, crowned with the laurel
wreath ofvictory, he had written to her
father for permission TO urge his suit
with her. She knew all this full vel,
and yet when her father asked, her the
question to which her heart had al
ready given answer she did not reply.
"You could never guess, little one" "
said Stuyvesant Nutwood, merry
twinkle in his eyes, "why Rupert has
written. Do you think you could?"
A deeper blush overspread the pretty
face.
"But I will tell you," he continued
"because You two We're at college to
gether. Still, perhaps, / had better be
sient"-and again the laughing light
came into her fathers eyes.
"Tell me, papa" whispered Beryl, no
longer able to conceal her eagerness,
"why has he written ?"
"He wants something" was the reply.
Can you not guess what it is?"
Every fibre of Bcryl's being is throb.
bing with expectancy now. The sun has
passed from sight, and great bands of
rosy light that stream up from below
the horizons rim cast strange halo
over the silent earth. Beryl feels the
solemn influences of the twilight hour,
but no word comes from her lips.
"Can you not guess" repeats her
father, "what Rupert Hollingsworth de-
sires?"
For an instant she does not reply. To
answer the question in the affirmative
would seem bold and forward, and yet
can she deny, even to herself, knowl,
sdge OF what Rupert desires? SO she
simply says to her father: "Tell ME
wnat he wants"
Bending tenderly over his daughter,
S,iyvesant Nutwood whispers with in.
finite pathos in her ear : "rwenty-fve
dollars to get home with. ChicagG
Tribune.