The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-02-12
A STRANGE VALENTINE.
Which Gould Not Be Accepted,
Unless With the Giver.

Unless With the Giver.
In the dusky light of a fragrant and
richly adorned drawing-room two peo-
pie were in animated conversation.
One, a woman of fifty, handsome
still, and with a toilet suggestive of
much care and thought, was speaking
not only with decision, but with positive
anger; although her s%elf-control was
great enough to keep her voice from
rising, it was not able to prevent a
tremulous vibration. which she vainly
tried to stife. She was sitting on a
lhigh-backed, embroidered chair in an
attitude as faultless as the fit of her
satin gown.
The other, a girl of twenty, with great
clear brown eyes and fluffy brown hair
and graceful figure, stood as a young
child might have done at receiving a rep
rimand. Her eyes were cast down. the
lashes dropping till they nearly touched
her cheeks, and her fingers were ner-
vously picking to pieces a sprig of
heliotrope from a magnificent basket of
flowers beside her.
at is the most absurd thing 1 ever
heard Of" said the elder lady, with a
scornful smile. Il really can not waste
any words upon it. You always
were ~quixotic, Teresa, and this per-
formance caps the climax. In nearly
n and the same breath, you tell me
you love him, and that you have refused
him. Oh! it is too Disappointing"
s.Aunt."
s.WellP'
'.Please let it drop--forget it.:
The tone was pleading, the voice
sweet.
"forget it, indeed! Do you think I
will allow you to oppose me in this
stylep Have 1 not daughters of my
own. and cares enough of my OWE,
without being longer hurdened with
one so obstinate and self-wlled as you,
Teresapn
II did not know I mean" said
the young girl, deprecatingly. But she
was quickly interrupted.
Now don't plead ignorance; don't
tell me that you do not know my wishes,
n did no mean to offend me-"
Il really did not think of you at all.
Worse and worse Well this is
plain speech. And whom do you think
of-only yourselfp Selfish child lis
this my reward for educating you, and
allowing you every luxury, spending
time and money on you as freely as on
my own?"
"Aunt-Aunt Geraldine, please for
give me-"
The young voice faltered; the pink
flush gave way to pallor; the brown eyes
filed.
mo, Teresa; it's mockery to ask
that; and | want you clearly to under
stand that this is to be no longer youl
home; you have exhausted my patience
and now the end has come. | have
rented this house, and am going abroad
Sibyl and Gladys are both delicate, and
need the change"
But, aunt, where am | to go?-wha'
am l to doP"
"A pretty question to put to me now
after such behavior! Consult YOU
friends. l have no further interest il
you"
The cruelty of these words seemed Il
freeze the young girl. Her brown eye.
opened widely. her color came anc
went. She stared at the speaker as i
not able to believe the words jus
uttered, and then, rushing from the
room, found her own apartment, an(
flung herself down in an agony of grie
and self-reproach. To whom could sh,
turn for sympathy or pity when the on
she had learned to regard as her natura
protector spurned her and wilfully
misunderstood herr What had she don,
that wa so grievous? Had she no
battled against her own feelings, ant
conscientiously done what she though
to be right?
Meanwhile Mrs. Geraldine Ganse
WORT, having spent her anger and in
dignation, rang the bell and ordere'
her coupe.
She had to arrive alone. Sibyl an,
Gladys, her delicate daughters, ha'
gone to a reception. Frank, her son,
young physician, was never able to g
with her, ''office hours" preventing.
Her thoughts were far from pleasant
1t disturbed her circulation to be thu
excited. Teresa, in the plain terms sh
used to herself, was a foo, and VIII
should she allow a fool so to annoy her
But the girl should be punished. Tn
idea of a portionless orphan refus;n
such an offer as that of Leroy Jones!-
millionaire, a fellow whose horses an
yachts were the envy of all his comrade:
And why, forsooth? Because she chos
to think him unsteady, weak; becaus
his little foibles 70 this fresh, young
unsophisticated girl seemed to be vice
o, it was too vexatious! the more so {
she felt that all her good, sounC
worldly-wise advice and training ha
been wasted. AS for Sibyl and Glad,
oh! if they could have had such
chance, poor dear delicate darlings!
Frank GanSevoort was. a hard-wor
ing young physician. His mother d
plored the fact that he was not
''society man." and Sibyl and Glad
mourned over the disaffection of the
renegade brother as if work were VII
and idleness a virtue; but Frank ke'
steadily on, and v went 50 far "a
disfigure the front of the ho.ise with
sign. To be sure, it was Il lice, ne
little silver plate, with only ''F. Cans
WORT, NJ. d." on it, but it drew t.
many poor people.
On this particular afternoon DR.. Ga
sevoort had occasion to hunt up a DO,
on the library shelves. 1t was an o
one, and had been tucked out Of sigh
AS he searched for it a strange SOU
met his ears-a sound as of some. o,
sobbing. Now Frank knew very W,
whose little room opened on the librar
and if he HAD a tender spot in his bea
at all, it was for the pretty young cous
who inhabited that room: so, witho
finding his musty old tome, he descend
from the library steps and knocked
Teresa's door. There was no answ
till he had repeated his knock, and tn
there was q nufied response which W