The Penn's Grove record., 1885-01-03

tft3 viii fN@
with her life that their interests were
welI-nigh identical, and she cOnhded
her Joys and sOrrows to him far more
fully even than TO her own mother.
Gregson described his journey, the
places he had visited and the people he
had come in contact with; and then at
last
Molly" said he gently, ''do you
care enough for me to hear of a plan
of a hope that | have2
The girl looked at him wonderingly.
"Do | care E? Why, John, of course
/ dol What makes you ask that ?'
You're 50 quiet tonight, " returned
the other alphabetically, ~ fancied you
~, ght be tired"
Molly flushed holly.
'Oh, no." she protested, mot a bit !
Do tell me your PLAN"
lit is a secret, dear" he told her.
Then he explained how the manufac-
ture of cotton was retarded by the i'm
perfect machinery then in use, and
how, after months of toll and study, he
had succeeded in perfecting an inven-
ton connected with the feeding Of the
engines. He had worked, he hal
waited, his plans had ripened and ma
tured, and now he had but to carry
them to London, for which reason he
had that day resigned his clerkshlp In
the town, or rather had given a months
warning OF his intention to do 50.
Mollie was all sympathy, all delight.
| Entering so fully into all his plans, she
understood his explanations, and real
lied the Importance of the work, while
she gloried in the master-mind that had
been able to conceive it.
Watching her flushed face. cheered
by her enthusiastic praises, for once the
hunchback put aside his rigid s%elf-con-
troll, and spoke the words which had
been trembling on his lips ever since the
first thought of the invention had
flashed across his brain.
"Molly," he SAID quietly, s'if this
idea of mine''-he was shy of naming
it even to her, so much had he worked
and dreamed-"should succeed, will
then give it me ?"
The girl laughed gaily.
"Why, John, you'll be 50 grand then,
that you will not care for me But OF
course / will do what you want"
"Really and truly you wilIP Say 50,
Molly"
"Really and truly I will give you
what you want, said Mollie earnestly;
and then a dead silence fell upon them.
In the hunchback's noble heart there
was no thought of marriage with the
beautiful girl by his side. He loved
her with love of which but few men
are capable !; but his wild and happy
thought when ne claimed her promise
was of being allowed. by virtue of the
cousinhood which bound them to-
gether, to shower his newly-acquired
wealth on her and hers, of being able
to grant her all her hearts desires.
"John," said Molly, her sweet voice
breaking into his day dream, you don't
ask as to whom we have been seeing"
mo" answered Gregson, smiling at
his own happy thoughtS-''only the
same people, l suppose 2"
Yes" said Molly, land some one
else-Mr. George Vapcy-Mr. James's
nephew, you know"-Mr. James was
Gregson's employer-''he has been stay
ing with his uncle, and we have seen
him almost every day"
"What does he want p asked Greg
o grutily.
Giles studying botany, and comes
here for our roses. because he says the
soil is different from that of the other
gardens. Is not that funny 2" asked
Molly innccently. "And-Ohl there
he is |"
Unconsciously she started forward,
and Gregson raised his eyes to the road
beyond. where a good.looking young
man was passing. He held a white rose
in his hand. and, as he neared the gate,
threw it over on to the grass, raising
bis hat as he did so.
"I'll come tomorrow, if I may" he
called to Molly, and then, with a bright
Goodbye" went on his way.
Molly came back to the arbor. bear
ing her prize and stroking its snowy
petals in a manner which showed how
much it was TO her. Reseating herself,
she removed the crimson roses-Greg-
sons roses-at her throat, and placed
the white rose in their stead.
"Come," she said, after a few min
utes of dreamy content, offering her
arm in the old sisterly fashion-''shall
We go back to the house ?" And back
together they went.
Mother" said the girl that night,
''what a dear good fellow John is !
And how bright and amusing he was
this evening telling us all about his
travels !"
Bright and amusing ~ And in the
moonlit arbor, with the discarded roses
pressed tightly to his breast, crouched
the hunchback, with white lips repeat
ing over and over again
"IIis rose for mInel HIS rose for
mine p
A month later, and in George Van
cy's rooms IN London the hunchback
was awaiting their owners return. The
August evening was hot and sultry ;
there was thunder in the air, and ever
and again vivid flashes OF lightning
would break through the gathering
! gloom. One such penetrated to the
farthermost corner OF Vancy's cham
bers, and illumined Gregson's face as
he sat with his long arms elasping his
shrunken knees, as lmmoyable as a
piece of sts gary. His love trampled
upon, his ambition defeated, he had be-
come a very fiend, his purpose revenge,
aud that reyengeAo be wreaked on
George Vancy, Molly's aliianeed hus-
band.
Tie cause was this. The month dur
ing which he had been tied to the fac
tory having elapsed, Gregson had come
at full speed to town, with his fortune,
as he fondly imagined, ready 10 his
hand. and with happy thoughts of all
he would do for Molly. He had taken
his invention to headquarters, there to
be met with the information that three
weeks before the plans had been re-
ceived from q Mr.. George Vancy.
The head of the firm was about as
prosaic and matter-of-fact as are most
city men but even he was frightened
by the awful look which crept into the
hunchback's eyes and the fearful express
sion of hatred which deformed his face
until hardly a feature was recognizable.
They passed In a moment, for Gregson
was too used TO ~self-control TO give way
to useless inyectives ; and then the man