Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-06-25

| lCptiilduCe anu love.
Mother" he said, reading and an
swering her unspoken thoughts, ''do
not fIet. L call Heaven to witness be-
tween us that / will be father and mo-
ther too to the little lad.n
Half an hour later she was dead :.
but, although there was no portrait of
her III the great dlning-room, there was
no fear of any one at Rochard forget
ting her, least of all the new Laird.
The haif-educated, silent, but not un-
intelligent youth had stepped at once
into his fathers place, and, if he did
not seem likely to increase the fortune
his father had left him, it was at least as
improbable that he would diminish it.
He had neither the foibles nor faults of
youth, but he had still fewer of its ami
able qualities. To the world at large
he seemed little better than a rugged
boor, but to the little infant, in its mo-
therleSS helpleSSness at Rochard, he was
tenderiy almost femminely kind. All
that was deepest in his still, repressed
nature gush9d forth to meet the baby
cooIngs of his infant brother, who
stretched out his little fat arms low
ingly, ana clung to him in nndoubting
trust. 1t was a pretty sight, because
few would have dreamt of finding such
soitness there ; it was like 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 10 take ever as it deepened
a more parental character. To have ad-
vanced 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 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
dulgence 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 wayward. 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 vain
Self-sufficient student. he fell into the
fashion of the world, and thought slight
/ ngly, 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
cessiOn he became by purchase first
Lieutenant and then a Captain. 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 was necessary for William
TO 60 to Edinburgh on business, and,
while there, he lived in the house of mis-
agent, shrewd, keen, somewhat
worldly man of the law.
This gentleman had a daughter, a
blooming girl IN her ''teens," who
seemed to the awkward country gentle.
man creature almost too ravishingly
beautiful for earth.
William Rochard was not fitted to
shine as 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 hint of his intentions to his ''bOy."
as 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 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, '.just
as if" thought the indignant Laird,
''he 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 soon 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 |
fer short time, and on each occasion |
found it impossible to break to him his |
astoun ling news. Sometimes ne thought /
there must be something very ridicu- |
lous indeed IN his intended marriage |
that he could hot speak of it TO his |
"boy." AS for any disadvantage ac-
cruing to Frank from this sudden |
change in the plans of his life-that
should not be 4; he had been so thrifty |
and careful that he had saved large |
sum of money, which he resolved to eX-
pend in purchasing an estate for his
brother as good at least as Rochard.
With regard to him MS conscience
was clear, else he could not have been
so happy. And he was happy with
trembling, fearful happiness that was
nearly akin to pain. This love which
had come so late was inexpressibly
sweet to the silent, undemonstrative
man-sweet, although min
gled with many secret misgivings and
doubts.
''She is too good for me-" he con-
stantly repeated to himself-"she can
not love me, surely! What commun-
ion can there be between my battered
middle age and her glorious youth. p'
And yet, if Cecil did not love HIM,
she had the art to appear to do 80. The
bright blushing face, the conscious eye,
the earnest candid brow on which truth
seemed to sit, had each and all the
same inexpressibly charming tale for
him. Hecould have 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 disquieted him-she would fix no
time for their marriage. AT last he re-
solved to go to 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 fain
to be content, and bade her goodbye,
with the intention, as he told her, of