Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-10-23
THE WIRES SECRET.


her queer name after her French
For witch, of course, she
must be TO have fascinated our fas-
tidious brother to the extent of marry
ing her.
Gerald was our only brother, twenty
six years of age, tall and handsome,
and the idol OF his sistcrs-two of us
one widowed, and the other, myself,
an old maid.
Few sisters are perfectly satisfied, as
a rule, when their brother has found
some one dcarer TO him than those
who have loved him and administered
TO his comfort all their lives. Yet |
really think we should have been
modcratel' content if his choice had
been to our own taste.
Why it had not been 50 was just Il
mystery. Edith FNlconcr, whom we
had set our hearts on seeing Mrs.
Gerald Fame, was II daughter of the
gods''-tall and diyincly fair, and it
puzzled us how his heart or his fancy
could have travelled towards daugh-
ter Of u French Canadian, when our
letters were constantly full of Edith's
beauty and Edith's goodness, and
when we had made point of dilating
on her attractions from morning till
eve whenever he was at home.
Edith was with Us when the letter
came bidding us welcome his wife, and
[ saw the surprise and disappointment
legibIy written in her beautiful blue
eyes.
Not that Edith was really in love
with him, but she had always felt an
enormous interest in the brother of
her dearest friends - IN interest which
we had fully thought would ripcn into
love.
And this is what Gerald wrote:
81 shall bring her to you, my poor,
stricken little Stcphanie. Sltc would
be quite alone in the wide world now
if it was not for me! We were mar
ried besid the deathbcd of her father,
and she was scarcely Il wife before she
was wholly an orphan. with never n
relative on earth. | have promised
her so much love from you both that
she will not, | know, feel the loss of
mother and sister, who were drowned
on their way to America while shall
fill the place of all othcrs-father,
brother, husband -
As we read this we felt convinced
how it was that Gerald had married
her. 1t was from sheer pity. We
fully decided this point and it did not
make us feel more pleasantly on the
subject, for we were sure that poor
Gerald had been victimizcd, sacrificed,
&c, &c.
We went about our preparations,
however, for their coming; furnished
the rooms newly and prettily and did
our best to insure comfort to the bride,
but it must be confessed our hearts
were not in our work.
On the evening they were expected
wo had no one at the house, thinking
Stcphanie would prefer it so.
That Is, We had only Edith Falconer
but then she was just one of our
selves.
Gerald looked handsomer than ever
as he sprang out of the carriage and
rushed up the steps, and with radiant
face kissel us both.
Then he ran down again and lifted
out tiny figure, which he bore in his
arms as if 1t had been u child, and,
placing it before us, said:
"Here's my darling-tho sweetest
little darling that ever trod the
earth
He went away then to attend to the
luggage, and she made sort of move
ment rs if to rush after him, but
stopped abruptly.
Then with quivcring lips she lifted
her glance to us, with a helpless, wist-
full look; but presently n softer light
crept into her great, dark, wild-loOk-
ing eyes and she clasped our hands
aud bent and kissed them.
After this we took her into the draw
ing-room and introduced her to Edith,
and | saw her queer, dark little face
brighten up strangely as Edith greeted
her ailectionatrly.
"Please call me Ste and not Mrs
Fame she whispered in n low, fright.
ened voice; my heart ycarns to be
called by that name. Papa loved il
so!' and turning her face away she
sobbcd once or twice.
Gerald came in Just then and Shak.
ing hands with Edith went over to his
wife at onco.
Come, my bird. You had better
let my sisters show You to your room,
so rs you can trim your feathers lit
tle," he said. lovingly stroking back
the soft fluffy dark hair gently from
her brow.
My sister carried her of at once and
of course, Gerald followed. He did
not seem able to take his eyes off hei
for a moment.
"What queer little fright she is
she looks like an elf! He must only
have married her from pity, | sup
pose" | could not help saving.
"Not fright, surelyl' Edith an
swered quickly; "we see her in an un
favorable moment. Her grief hal
told on her face, but she has glorious
eyes, and can see what took Gerald
1t is her winning manner, just like
petted child's."
| glanced at Edith admiringly
thinking what an angel of forgiveness
she was, and when the bride came
down again took a malicious pleasure
in comparing her with Edith.
Edith, so fair and so lovely, will
hair like spun gold and wild-rost
bloom on her cheeks, and with ,
graceful, willowy figure. And Ste--tc
call her by the curious abbreviatiol
she wished-so small and dusky, will
a colorless skin, and nothing to recon
mend her but two immense black eyes
which certainly were as lustrous n
twin stars and as soft as velvet.
Later in the evening, when dime
was over, and Edith had drawn he
away to look at Gerald's drawings, h,
came up and sat down by me.
ELLEN, you must not form an opin
ion of Ste's attractions now" he whis
pered earnestly; "she is not herself
naturally she Is BRIGHT and happy as