Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-05-20
BY A. S.

Frank Gordon was lazily stretched
upon a sofa in his sisters luxurious
sitting-room, and the two were dis
cussing a party given by Mrs. Hale the
previous evening, in honor of he1
brothers recent arrival from Cali
fornia, after six years absence.
Lii, said Frank, trying to speak
indifferently and failing most lament
ably, i missed one face [ fully expect
ed to see last evening Ruth Well
ford's."
Ruth Wellford's!" cried Mrs. Hale
III accents of surprise. Ruth at a
party But / forget you have been
away for six years. Why, Frank, she
must have been a mere child then"
Sixteen, and the sweetest, fairest
girl l ever knew. We were ALWAYS
good friends, Lily, though we did not
correspond, and | have carried her
face and voice in my heart in many a
weary hour"
II am sorry
''Why? You speak as if something
dreadful had occurred to her. She is
not dead nor have I heard of her mar
riage. What is it, then, that makes
you cry out with amazement at the
suggestion of her presence at your
party ?"
1t is q long story, Frank"
You have all the morning to tell
It,"
when you went away Ruth's uncle
was still alive?"
Certainly"
He died in that same wear. You
say you remember Ruth. Then YOU
remember that she was not only pref
ty, modest and refined, but one Of the
most generous girls In our whole circle
OF friends. She had a handsome al
lowance from her uncle, and she
spent 1t freely, dressing exquisitely and
giving in charity or friendly gifts fire.
quently."
'Well?" said Frank, impatiently, as
his sister paused.
"Her uncle died and left her the
house he had lived in for years, and a
clear income OF So, OOO."
Again Mrs. Hale paused, and then
said suddenly:
"Well, Frank; since she became
rich in her own right, Ruth has be-
come the slave Of money, a, thorough
miserl"
Impossible"
at is true. The first thing she did
was to rent the old house, furniture
and all, to the Writings. who were
glad enough to get it, for stylish houses,
with such grounds as that one has are
scarce here. She moved herself to
that miserable little cottage where old
Mercer lived so long, and there she
lives with one servant, an old woman,
who was with her mother from her girl
hood, they say. You know Mr. Wexford
was very retlcent about Ruth, and
there is little. known of her life before
she came here, a child of five years
old. But she lives with Martha, the
old servant girl, in that tiny cottage,
furnished from the old house with the
poorest of the old furniture. She
wears the cheapest, plainest clothing,
and does every stitch of her own sew
ing. She seldom goes out, but invari-
ably walks, the carriage and horses
being rented with the house. Living
on the meanest fare, she actually sells
the extra vegetables from her garden,
eggs and poultry"
"But why Lii? What is the expla-
nation of such a changer"
"What can it be but pure avarice
She has not a relative in the world,
and she must be. boarding up the
money somewhere. !"
at is very strange! | suppose ]
may CALI
Il cannot tell you that. Since she
prefers to dress and live like a pauper,
her old friends have ceased to call up
on her or invite her to their recep-
tions. She Will be a catch some day
for fortune hunter if she continues
to live miser's life, but | imagine
you would prefer a less sordid soul,
even if its possessor had not one dol
lar to call her own"
"You are right! [ am rich enough
to care nothing for a wife's dover.
but l cannot realize little Ruth so sor-
did, misery and grasping. 1 must