Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-12-05
The Yerningham Fortune.

: ats only Toni" said Ethel, ii
the calm accents of absolute indif
ference, as she turned anorherpag'
i'll the novel she was reading.
"Only Toni" repeated Rosamond
in u tone of disappointment, look
ing up from her embroidery, an(
then adjusting her eye glasses an(
looking down again, as though Ton
were the one person in the wide
world whom sue had not the slight
est desire to see; bnt Bertha, the
Youngest daughter of the house Of
Montgomery, frightened percepti
bly,, and her dett fingers paused i'll
their swift flying about over the
dainty apron which she was fash
ioning. while she looked up with a
welcoming and expectant smile, as
the loud, breezy voice came nearer
To tell the truth, Tom Yerning
ham was looked upon by his un-
cle's widow, and two-thirds, Of heI
daughters, as a far from desirable
young man, and, but for the fact
OF the quasi relationship between
them, he would undoubtedly have
been politely but decidedly given
to understand that his presence in
1erningham House was not only
unaSked but unpleaSing.
AS it was, however, the late Mr..
birmingham, deceased some twelve
months since, had been especially
fond of Tom, his only nephew, and
1T would not he quite the thing to
snub that individual too roughly,
and so he came and went as he
pleased, seeming to be quite uua-
aware Of his own unpopularity.
Ills quite certain that Mrs. Yern-
ingham and her daughters, at lea st
two thirds of them, would have
looked Oh Tom with very different
eyes, had he been something other
than mere clerk in a wholesale
house somewhere in the business
labayrntl of the Wand moreover,
seams, frayed as to SEaipz 59Rf tie
I-hoIes, and generally inelegant in
appearance.
The fact that Tom-brought mp
in ltxurJ and finding, on his
fathers death that he was heir only
to his fathers name. that father
having lost his all in wild specula-
tions-had gone to work to support
himself, weighed heavily against
him i'll the minds of many, includ-
ing his steprelatives above men
toned. Precisely what they thought
that he should have done under
the circumstances, no one ever
really explained, but they agreed
that Toms behavior betrayed him
to be the possessor of low order
of mind, land that lie had voluntari-
~ diSgraced himself by the course
lie bad pursued.
Tom, himself, evidently thought
little and cared less about the mat
ter. With a cheerful unconscious
ness of his OWN dereliction, he went
on his way quite as though Tom
birmingham Of two years ago, and
Tom birmingham Of the present
time, were exactly the same; and in
spite of shabby garments and
empty pockets, was favorite still,
except " it'll Il few Of the mammas
in society, who feared that his
handsome face and pleasant ways
might counterbalance those draw
backs in the estimation of their
marriag eable daughters.
Mrs. Yerningham, his step amt
had, however, never liked him.
She had been a widow with three
daughters, and in comfortable cir
cumstances, when Mr.. birmingham
had fallen victim TO her charms
and made her the mistress ol
Ysrningham House, and from hel
first advent there, she had strug
gled and schemed and lied to pre-
vent the possibility other husbands
remembering his nephew in bis las
will aud testament. She had new
er succeeded in making any rupt
Z. ure between them, or III deposine
:. Tom from his placeln his uncle's
heart: hut she had succeeded, By
dint of worrying, fretting. crying
teasing. and tagging dming the
last yearof her husbands life, whel
he vas a nervous invalid, in max
ing him leave to her the whole o
his large property, with only a ire
membrancer" of a thousand dollar
TO poor Tom, who certainly had
right to expect something different
Tom, however, was not one t,
fret over such matters. He tool
his small legacy consisting Of tb
above thousand, and an inlaid DO,
in which his uncle formerly KEEP
his stationery, and went about hi
business cneeI1ully. Inc money IL
invested safely-tbe box he put o.
his table in the shabby little room
which was his abiding place, an'
thought 10 more about it.
1t had been twelve months nov
since Mr.. Leopold birmingham ha
q departed this life, and Tom ha
= worked along steadily and faithful
e ly, and felt not the least bit unrt
signed or envious Of his more fol-
J, tunate acquaintance. He felt tina
: the work and his enforced surround
. ings was discipline which he ha
Y needed, and that every day wa
r making him more deserving of tn
name of man .han he should eve