Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-11-14
WHY DID HI WED TEit
rY MIR. ~0UrtiwoRrlL
u'hnr o. "1hc i1iGGcu tinuI," "$cll-
'utr,' "rhc i;tiic of au E,cniup," Sc.
CHAPTER l.

CHAPTER L.
is TIE ATTIC.
'i'auo9. ~I}i son give me tholplh right
10 care for gnu Wu! Nuu nave me for
your mus. aaG ?" NE asked, gently taking
her npud and bctdiu- I;vr her
"Oh, sir, 60 You mean it? Can NDumCu
it : she brcHthod, gazing up i'm his face,
Win childish lranknes~, surprise aud de-
Ig"t-thc failing light ldnlling in her
dark eyes, the fading color flushing in her
wan checks
II do mean it, dear child VIII You give
yourself to mt? - he asked. smoothing her
dark hair with his jcWeiicd hand
~ cs. oh. yes, if you want me but
am such II poor creature she answered.
holding Out to him her wasted hand, and
smiling family.
$50 be it, then" he said lifting the little
hand to his lips.
"What mockery Sir. you must be
mad. severely spoke a woman who stood
beside the poor invalid chair in which the
fading girl rcClincd, and over which the
fine gentleman leaned.
She was right.
II did indeed seem mOCkcry-a cruel.
bitter insulting muckcry.
For the scene of this startling proposal
of marriage was in the rear room in the
attic of an old tumhling down tenement
house in the lowest and most thickly
crowded quarter of New York city.
square. but the bach, roof slupcd from the
boards hGlf way across the low ceiling.
The bare walls were freshly whiteWHshed,
the bare floor Cleanly scrubbed. To the
left, in the corner stood Il poor little cheap
sewing maChne-idlr now, these many
weeks, since the work had fallen from the
failing hands of the fair young seam
stress.
ON the right side of the room. with its
head against the wall, stood Il small, sin
gle cot-bed, covered with II pntch-wUril
quilt of many cOlOrS. TO the right of
this stood an old bureau, with its top Gov
cred by IL white cloth. On it lay Il Bible,
prayer-bOok and Il hymn-buOk. To the
left was a pine table, also covered with II
white cloth.
Such was the scene in which our drama
of life opens. As for the actors
The first speaker was Clevc Stuart, Il
man in the morning of life, health and
strength Il tall, handsome, stately blonde,
with fresh complexion, blue eyes and
silky, yellow hair and mustache. He was
perfectly dressed in Il day suit of gray
tweed. lie was an aristOCrat from head to
foot.
She towhom he spoke was young girl
scarcely pa scd childhood Il dark bru-
nctte, with IA thin, dark face. large cavern
Gus, dark eyes and Il wilderness of curl
ing, dark hair wandering all over her
head, neck and shoulders. The fires of fe-
in her wasted cheeks. And yet she was Il
creature of WOudrous beauty even in de-
cay. She was clothed in il faded blue
wrapper. and lay back, proppcd with pill
lows, in an old armchair near the Will
dow.
The last speaker was Il woman of mid
die age, with tall, spare form, pale,
care-worn face, and iron-gray hair,
NV by should it be Il mOclcry, Mrs.
Pole>' inquired the young man. dropping
the hand of the girl and drawing himself
up.
1T is all nonsense, and worse than non
sense. And you ought to know II, sir.
The child is too young To marry anyhow
if she was ever 50 well and strong. And
nor. Just look at her She lS-Oh. YOU
needn't stare at me and shake your head
sir. NIC knows her state. She is fully
rcconcicd to it. The minister has been
with her every day for Il week past. She
i, Il young saint, prepared for heaven, sir
. not Il girl ready To be married.
CleVc Stuart did not answer this, hut
turned and took again the hand of the
girl, and looked in her face,
She raised her brilliant dark eyes to hi,
with IA dcprrcatnG glance, and then re
piled to the woman:
Don't, don't, dear nurse : you make
me ashamed. Il saint Oh, far from
it,
Cleve Stuart silently pressed her hand,
Bul Shc Is iI-Ni IN one respect, SIT,
continued the girl. II do know my condi
ton, and am rrconciled toit, The Faith
cr'o will be done. she added.
"AIY dear child, while there is life there
L. hope, even for the aged. And you ar,
young in the earliest sprin@-time of life
With Il change OF scene, pure air gooC
J food and devoted attention, such as
$ would be sure to give you, day and night
health and strength would return to You
And you have said that you would give
me the legal right to devote myself TO you
in this way
Yes, said SO not because | hope t,
= get well, but because do want you to b.
with me always during the little time
have To live, even to the last of earth.
fear this is very selfish of me, - she added
T. deprecatingly.
mo, no, my child, there is no selfish
/, ness in your wish, and it shall he gratiti
: ed, he said, again curcssng her dark hal
with hi, hand,
: Observe, my reader, that there was
g touch of ply and hcneVoleuCc in his word
il and manner towards this failing girl bu
. there was no tone of love or passion il
G either. Yet she did not perceive the al