The Wilmingtonian., 1885-08-15
THE STORY TELLER.
Under a Cloud.


Then there was another long silence,
while each again read the ominous news
of the failure of firm whose business was
SO involved with their own that the failure
of one house was nearly utter ruin to the
other.
The hot chops cooled on the dish, the
coffee was untouched and the breakfast
literally forgotten, when the gentlemen
left the house to assertion the extent of
their misfortnnes.
Bad as they feared these would prove, the
realities were exen worse than the ant!cipa-
tion, and before night the old firm of Tuck
er & Co., was on the list of failures.
There was dreary amount of hard,
distasteful work to do be done after the
failure had become an established fact;
but Morris Tucker never hinched from any
task or interview till night shadows fell
and he faced his uncle at the table once
more. Then with set feature and pale
fape, he said:
''If you can spare me an hour, sir, think
/ had better call upon Miss Cresswell." +"
81 can spare you, but are you wise to
hurry an interview that, I fear, will be very
painful %
''Better to understand my position at once,
sir. iiIf-" he moistened his dry lips here
as if the words choked him--"if Meta is true
to me will remain here and try to work my
way up again to the position | held only
yesterday. If she frees me from my engage
ment l accept your proposal to go to Cali
fornia."
81 think it is a good time to look up those
old claims" said Mr.. Tucker, sliding easily
over the first part ST his nephew's speech
,there may be money in them"
''We will see ! if do not go, we may be
able to find some trusty messenger p
II am afraid you will 60" his uncle
said.
SIT may be. Mrs Cresswell is a worldly
woman.''
'tMeta is worldly woman Nay, lei
me speak, Morris. I have said nothing
before, though my heart was sore over
your choice of wife. Meta is wonderfully
fascinating, beautiful and accomplished
as but few women are, but she is thoroughly
heartless. hoped your choice would fal
on Clarice."
"Clarce She is mere child -
''Only two years younger than Meta
love her very dearly, Norris"
"But you are fond of Meta -
''No For her fathers sake, the brothe
of my dead wife, have tried to love Meta
but she repels me p
'But you never spoke when told you
should seek to win her love-"
''Because love is too sacred in my eye
for any one to interfere with its expression
If Meta loves you l will give her warn
welcome and cordial affections when sht
becomes you wife, Morris. But nery
yourself for the worst, my boy y
Nerved for the worst, Morris Tucker
sought his betrothed bride. From the tim
he had come from his Western home, al
orphaned lad of nineteen, to accept hi
uncle's offer of home, he had met Mets
Cresswell constantly.
He had received cordial welcome fror
her mother, and had not suspected th'
schemes and subtle influence that had le'
him on, step by step, from the position of
friend to that of accepted suitor of til
beautiful girl.
While his feet were bringing him slowl
to the momentous interview after the failur
of the firm of which his uncle had mad
him full partner, Mrs. Cresswell wa
schooling her daughter to meet the emel
gency.
IL rif 70 Mnfa oh
asked languiedly stirring her coffee.
''Not yet p was the reply. 'tHe wi
probably call, being an honorable gentle
man mamma"
~ hope you will be firm, Meta. Rsmem
ber that you have been the injured part
thoroughout. From the time your pap
died have had every reason to believe MI
Tucker would make you and your siste
the heiresses of his property.
He worshipped your aunt, and he neve
spoke of any relatives of his own till tn
nephew appeared. believe that there wa
some quarrel between the brothers that ell
ded in the younger one going West, Will
John, the elder, remained here.
At all events it is very clear now ths
Morris would have been heir to the busines
and property if this failure had not hal
pened. You are to be congratulated tn;
it came before the wedding instead of a
ter"
Meta shrugged her shoulders.
eyes Love in cottage is not in N
style y And while she spoke the be
rang, and she knew her lover was waitin
to test her cold, worldly heart
She sauntered with easy grace into tt
drawing-room, while up stairs in her ov
room her sister Clarice wept for the pa
that was to fall upon Morris Tucker
heart.
She was a brown-eyed, golden-hairt
girl, whose quiet, unpretending charms hi
long been overshadowed by the more bri
liant beauty of her sister Meta.
She was was timid to a fault, and W
her mothers greatest affliction in her care
of fashionable gayety. With a higher
tellect than Meta's, with more command
foreign languages, with true musician
love and knowledge Of music, sweet, Gle
voice and wonderful powers of expressio
she was SO painfully shy that society W
misery to her.
Her beauty was of that delicate order th
does not strike at first GRANGE and her afft
tions were carefully hidden in hor gent
shrinking heart
She had given John Tucker true 10
since she was a mere baby aud sat up
his knee playing with his watch chain. S
had never thought of his money and VIII
Mnrr;e 90 mo eba -uas nn1v ola tbaE bar da