The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-03-29

which would entail long hours of labor and
days of anchor1te abstinence before 1t could
be accomplished, touched chord in Ran
dolph Gwinne's heart.
go home, little one, he said gently,
ssand mourn for your dead. Do no fear;
will see that all needful arrangements are
attended to-"
After all was over Mabel settled down
again to her monotonous routine of work.
The child had made contract with him,
and out of respect to her the man of bust
ness carried it out to the letter.
At last the final payment was made. AS
Mabel turned to go, after thanking her
benefactor, his voice recalled her to his
side.
ssLittle Mabel" he said, 81 have been an
interested spectator of your manner of life
since you and / made our bargain. I have
seen your cheeks grow pale for want of the
food you persisted in denying yourself that
you might bring your weekly hoard to me,
and wondered if one SO young would be
able to carry out SO high d resolve. You
have succeeded, and all your life long you
will have it to remember Now, your part
is done and niue begins. Give me your
hand, my child, for Randolph Gwinne re-
spects you More than that he loves you
well enough to ask you to be his adopted
daughter. Come and make your home
with me- You shall have every advantage
that bountiful means can provide. You
will have no objections, Chauncey. my boy,
will you?" as his grandson came into the
room.
A few words explained his meaning, and
Chauncey turned his handsome eyes indif-
ferently toward the hesitating girl. 1t was
not the first time they bad met-as Mabel
was conscious IN every fibre of her sensi-
tive beng, but Chauncey did not remember
her.
So the careless but good-natured 'sOf
course, grandfather, one more or less does
not matter in this great house, sank deep
into Mabels memory, to rise again to the
surface and influence her future long after
Chauncey had forgotten them.
So it was that Mabel was domiciled at
the Gwinnes. A governess was engaged
for her, and music and painting lessons
soon occupied the time not engaged in her
other studies. Thus year passed on
On morning the daily paper was brought
as usual to Mr.. Gwinne as he was sitting at
the breakfast table, slipping coffee.
Suddenly en- exclamation from him ar
rested Mabers attention.
He had read notice asking for knowl-
edge of the whereabouts of one Rachel
Freeland, whose married name was Wynne.
Her only surviving parent had died, and
she, if living, was sole heiress to large
fortune; if dead, her children would in
herit.
'.Well l remember poor Rachel" said
Mr. Gwinne, mnsingly. ''She was the
handsomest Girl ever saw. She gave up
all for love and made clandestine mar
riage with man whom her parents disap-
proved Poor Rachel 1 wonder if she is
alive!"
Mabel rose from the table and went to
Mr. Gwinne. She was very pale, but her
eyes shone with excitement.
''Rachel Freeland was my mothers
maiden name. Oh, my kind benefactor,
how little you knew whose child it was you
were befriending! But for you she would
be sleeping in nameless grave"
s'rruly the ways of God are mysterious p
said the kind-hearted old-gentleman, taking
off bis spectacles to wipe away the sudden
mist tn blurred them.
Mabel had no difficulty in proving her
claim, as her parents marriage certificate
was found among some papers slowed
away in an old chest. So the orphan waif
adopted by Randolph Gwinne was now in
dependently wealthy in her own right.
Mabel was now fifteen. She had not
changed much in personal appearance dar-
ing the year of her stay at the Gwinnes's.
She was still slight and rather understood
Her complexion was sallow and though
her features were regular, she was undenia-
bly, plain Her luxuriant shining hair and
lustrous eyes, were, however, sufficient to
redeem her from positive ugliness.
Chauncey was still a student, coming
home only for his college vacations, and
then burying himself in his beloved books,
so that he was only visible at meal times.
Suddenly Mr.. Gwinne's health failed and
he was ordered abroad. Msbel and Miss
Clay, her governess, accompanied him.
They renamed away from home three
years. Then word came to Chauncey that
they were coming home. They were tired
of travel, and Mr.. Gwinne had quite recov-
red his health
Chauncey met them at the station He
was handsome and indifferent-looking as
ever, but was truly. in his whole appear
ance, king among men to Mabel's partial
eyes.
AS the little party he had come to meet
drew near, he gave his grandfather cordial
shake of the hand, and turned toward
Mabel to find himself confronted by tail,
stately girl, with flashing dark eyes, set in
face of such loneliness that he was for
81 beg your pardon; thought it was my
cousin, he said, turning to the other lady
But when Miss Clay's familiar features
met his eyes, he asked:
ssWhere is Mabel2 Have you left her be-
hind?'
"Don't you know me, Cousin Chauncey?
asked merry voice beside him, and the
beautiful apparition whom he had mis-
taken for a stranger, put out her hand in
a half playful, half friendly way.
From that time on the young students
torture commenced. Mabel, who had left
home half-grown girl, had gained with
maturity the rounded suppleness of form
as we'll as the queenly dignity of young
Diana; and with the rich color, which
chased away the pallor of her cheeks, had
come the delicious, delicate complexion SO
rarely seen with dark hair.
An older and more experienced judge of
beauty would, years before, have seen its
promise in those regular features, and
straight, though at that time, angular out
lines-but to her adopted cousin it was a
surprise
He looked upon it as a miracle, and
every new glimpse of her bewitching face
served but to deepen the impression.
But Mabel had changed in other things
beside beauty. She was incomprehensible
to him in her varied moods. Now grave
now gay-now majestic as a princess
now gentle as q child.
Chauncey knew not what to make of her.
But he was fully conscious of one truth;
that he fairly worshipped the ground her
tiny feet had pressed He was her
shadow. At last he grew desperate.
She should not hold him thus aloof and
play with his feelings any longer. 1t might
be amusement to her, but it was making
his life torture.
So he captured her one morning in the
library, before the rest of the family had