Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-12-10
HER PRIDE sUBDUED.

of her friends questioned the wisdom
of the will. But it had beeu under
stood that before that time she would
be the wife of her cousin Victor, to
whom she had been betrothed almost
from her cradle.
And, besides this, between her and
all care regarding the mills, stood her
foreman, stephen Walker, the strong,
calm man whom the men both loved
and feared, aud whose father had been
foreman there before him.
And though the marriage had been
delayed from time TO time, and Victor
had spent most of the two wears since
she reached her majority wandering
over Europe, she had never known
the responsibility of her position until
this autumn day, when she sat amidst
the rich surroundings of her library,
herself the iairest object there. bend
ing YEARLY over the long columns of
figures that represented to her the
state of her bus ness.
There WAS quick step in the hall.
and Stephen Walker entercd-a tall.
rugged man with kindly brown eyes.
and smile that redeemed the plain
ness of his features, with strength and
determination in every line of ms face
You are examining the accounts,
Miss Vinton. | trust you find 10 diff
Guilty in understanding themp"
"Oh. dare say they are plain
enough" she replied with forced
laugh, "but ! was always stupid about
figures. This is Il heavy burden you
have thrown on my shoulders, MIR.
Walker how heavy scarcely realized
until l attempted to go over these
dreadful books"
Stephen Walker grew very pale and
his voice sounded harsh and strained
as he said:
81 hope there will be no trouble,
Miss VInton. l suppose Victor will be
home in the spring, and / think Brown
will be quite capable of taking charge
until then"
II dare say we will do very well.
and cannot blame you for wishing to
go l know you have talents that are
quite throwG away here. But, Ste
pLen, with II Little break in her
sweet. proud voice, and extending her
hands TO him II Will M IS you sadly. "
He took her hands in his, and bent
over them with a great sob in his
voice.
"Oh. Helen, don'tyOu knowP Can't
you understands 1t is not because
want to better myself that / must 20,
but because TO stay here, see NO you
every day, and knowing, as DO that
you never can be mine, is madness
for, oh, Nell, my queen, / love You.
"StOp? she said, pass .onately, her
face white and II steady CLEAN in her
eyes that would have daunted weak
CT man.
mo, you must hear me. / never
meant to tell YOU this, but now you
must know why l desert the charge
your father left to me. | remember
the first day | saw YOU, when youi
father brought you down to the dusty
old mill Tiny. golden haIed :airy,
who seemed of finer clay than 1. q
rough boy and left you for u whole dag
in my care. Helen, from that day
/ have worshiped you madly, hope
lcssly. know, but rs Il mau never low.
ed before; and now to Stay here and
sec You Victor's wife is worse than
death"
Have YOU quite finishedp" she said
coldly, rs he paused. 81 hen 60. 1t i,
well you have chosen to leave here a,
once. And never dare TO come in my
presence again"
He turned without another word and
went YEARLY out into the autumn eve
ming, where the west wind, sobbing
through the lcailess branches OF tho
trees, seemed dreary echo to his
thoughts.
And inside. prone on the floor, hel
golden hair Irailed over the rich car
pet, Helen Ninton lay struggling with
the great sense of loss and pain, a,
she listened to the sound oi his foot
steps down the broad rath ana out o.
her life, realizing that stephen Walker
had loved her no better than she haC
loved him, but thinking that between
John Vinton's daughter and the fore
man of the mill was gulf that no
even love could bridge.
The winter that followed was try
ing one to Miss Vinton. Brown. thu
man whom Mr.. Walker had left to til
his place. fellill soon after his depart
ure, and the burden of responsibility
fell upon her.
She was proud woman and ha,
never made friends among her EN-
ployes. Murmufing and disconten
on one side, and scornful implacabilit,
on the other, eliminated In strike
involving n heavy loss to Miss Vim
ton and much suffering among he
people
In the spring Victor returned
bright, handsome Victor-with hi
happy heart and sunny smile. An,
with his coming the trouble van ishe,
as though by magic. The men love,
him, and, subdued by the sharp les
son of the winter, were qHitc ready {,
come To terms.
He was eager for speedy mar
riage, but on one pretext and an
other il was delayed until the sum
mer faded and the autumn was upol
them.
Once or twice during the summe
Victor brought her newspaper con
tanning favorable accounts OF a.
invention of Stephen Walkers
improvement that bad been in oper
ton in her mills long before it wa
patented.
Ihe paragraph stated that ne ha'
accepted an ofier to superintend tn
erection OF some mills in South Amer
lea. and was going far away.
And when the restraint which sh
had pus upon herself suddenly CAV
away. and she fell down unconsciou
at Victor's feet. who, in all his alarr
and anxiety, did not dream OF th
true cnuse.
A few days after this she was en-
gagged in some household duties, look
ing very beautiful in her mornin
or