Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-07-31

UueoIogl;tu ever turned ouJ OIL NxIoru; ana
theology was not Mr.. Carruthers' pet science.
So he contented himself by expressing po-
lite hope that Mrs. Miller felt also sure of her
own salvation.
s'I!' she exclaimed, and a shudder as of
terror ran through her. 81 have prayed day
and night-day and night-that answer may
be given me, that sign may be shown to
me- The answer has been given"
swell, you found it all right, hope" said
Frank. to humor her.
She leaned forward, and again clutched his
arm 81 am 'one of the many,'n she said, in
a low, thrilling whisper. Her face wore a
look Of utter hopelessness. Frank pitied the
poor creature from the bottom of his heart.
ssMy good woman he said, 'your belief is
simply diaboical one. Get rid of if, and
trust that there is some mercy to be shown to
those who ask for it. Go and talk to Mr.
Mordle OF the rector, or some one whose bust
ness it is to set things of this kind straight.
Now I think we had better say goodnight"
''Good-night, sir. Thank you,' she said,
with sudden return to her usual calm and
respectful manner. Then, with bent head,
and hopelessness written all over her, she
walked slowly to the door, A thought struck
Carruthers.
''Wait moment" he said; Il should like
to write line to Miss Clauson" IL
''Loveletters will do no good, Sir"
tits not loveLetter," said Frank some
what sharply. Mrs. Miller waited. ze-~
He took a sheet of paper. After what
had happened he felt he could not address
the woman he loved as ssMy dear Miss
I, 4; T.,
dear Beatrice" So his letter began abrupt
ly, without address of any kind. Moreover,
it was very short. Here it is:
''Now that have asked my question, and
you have given your answer, tell me would
on as intended.-Yours, F. c."
He handed the letter to Mrs. Miller. She
took it in a reluctant manner. ''You have
not written anything unkind to here" she
asked.
"Nothing. Take my word for it."
''And you promise you will wait?"
81 must wait, whether like it or not"
said Frank, rather bitterly.
Goodnight, sir" Mrs. Miller curtseyed,
and stole noiselessly from the room.
Frank fell back into a revery. How strange
that in the few hours since he had been re-
jected two persons had babe him wait and
hope-Mordle, in his CHEEKY, optimistic way,
Mrs. Miller, in her sombre, half-entranced,
highly-wrought religious frenzy. Poor
womanl what extraordinary ideas she held!
She must be next door to a religious mono
maniac, with her CHASTITY tenets of fore-or-
dainment and predestination.
Nevertheless, if either of his counselors
gave him hope it was this mad, wild-spoken
fanatic She was, so to say. Beatrice's body
servant, and as such might be presumed to
know something Of the secrets of her mis-
tress' heart, or at the least to be able to make
a shrewd guess at them. So, in spite of his
own common sense, in spite of her dismal
jargon about the elect, the seals, and the rest
of it, the hope which springs eternal began
to throw up tiny shoot in Mr.. Carruthers'
heart.
At last he went to bed, wondering what
answer he would receive to his letter. It is
to be hoped the promise he made Mrs. Miller
was to be more sacred than those made to
Horace and Herbert, for he blew out the
lamp anyhow, and left the hearthrug to take
care of itself.
Alas for the "hope eternal" 1t was all
but crushed in the morning by a note from
Beatrice, which, with the pathos attending
all modern emotional incidents, was brought
in with his shaving water. It ran SO:
''Please go away.-B. c." Then she added
in a postscript: ''Don't think me unkind.
It is better for your sake"
ne aoa..a the rane1. in hie band and
no doubt cursed, NOT aa>ol-.oe Init bis M
luck. He could not go away thai 49,. u
felt that such a sudden departure would
set the brothers gossiping and trying to
account for its cause But, as persons
generally do in such extremities, he received
letter or a telegram, the nature of which
made it imperative he should leave on the
morrow.
Horace and Herbert expressed genuine sor-
row at this sudden termination to his visit
They pressed him to come to Lakewood
House at the end of the next term. He
promised to do so. Only by foreswearing
himself could he avoid giving an explanation
of what made his presence for the future i'm
possible Of course he saw Beatrice as usual;
but neither by word or look did he allude to
what had passed between them. On her part
she seemed shy and constrained, and the old
apathetic manner appeared to have reassert-
ed it's sway. DR.. Carruthers' cure for NOR
bidness was failure!
The moment for departure came Horace
had taken the reins. Herbert was beside
him. Franks portmanteaus were slowed
away in the big wagonette. He turned to
shake hands with Beatrice. 81 came here an
invalid in body" he said to himself; ''I go
away with a chronic mental disease. The
ex, hange is a sorry one." -
''Won't you come with us, Beatrice?" asked
Herbert.
She drew back her outstretched hand, and
hesitated. Frank turned his eyes away. He
would in no way plead for this concession.
Suddenly, ard in a defiant way, which such
trivial matter by no means seemed to call
for, she exclaimed, eyes, will come Wait
for me one minute" In one minute, liter
ally, she was back again, In her hat and
Jacket, and seated opposite Frank
Few words passed between them during
the drive to the station. A mere good bye
was all they said as Frank took his scat in
the train; but as that train rolled out of
Blacktown, as his eyes for the last time met
Beatrice's, fairly and fully, Mr.. Carruthers'
heart leaped in way which would have been
a credit to a boys Of Is, and once more
and for ever he knew that no vanity of his
had led him to dare to think that in Miss
Clauson's manner towards him there was an
undefinable, inscrutable something" which
had led him to risk and apparently lose all.
So ''hope eternal" sprang again, and the
conviction forced itself on Mr.. Carruthers
that the day might come when, in spite OF
his conclusion number three, he must per-
force ''grovel."
And notwithstanding his pride, this fact
was by no means an unpleasant one!
CHAPTER XIV.
A DISPUTED CLAIM.
During the.last three months of the year
Hazlewood House did not belle it's reputation