, 1886-08-28

spinner to the feet OF Desiree Le Strange;
cruel year,, robbing her OF kith and kin,
drifting her from homs to home, always
with strangers. A melancholy shadow, a
ghost of the bright, lovely Desiree lie Strange
was this worid-wesry woman-this woman
who was so thoroughly changed in all but
name, that the girls who envied her in her
dazzling youth, and the men who raved about
her, passed Der by without a smile of recog-
milton
Embarrassing days crawling la~ggardly one
after the other; how sick She was of the
drudgery-the thankless office OF teachingl
But she could not starve-she dared not die;
and, though life had been ono miserable mis-
take from the beginning, and all her brightest
hopes had been crushed, she plodded on at
her monotonous duties In q dull, apathetic
way, which showed all energy and spirit had
did out of her.
One delicious afternoon In May found
Desiree lie Strange at a house i'll Harley
street, listlessly turning the leaves of the
leather-bound books which told how COVER
nesses were wanted, very highly accom-
plished, for very small salaries.
"A steady, conscientious lady" she read
presently, fond of the country and quiet
life, wanted for two delicate girls Of 0. Ap-
ply Lady Vessels, Cranforth Grange, Wor-
cestershire." .
"Wcssels. Vessels" murmured Desiree;
@any relation, / wonder, to the Daniel Yves
sells l once new." and she at once made up
her mind to try for the situation
Cranforth Grange was a many-gabled
granite-blocked mansion, standing on a
s~lightly-wooded eminence In a richly tim
bered, undulating park. The avenue, which
led up from the main road, was a good mile
long and shaded hv tall haooh fraao x-aatfnr
In an arch overhead; and winding through
the grounds, now flashing In the sun
Light, now hiding midst the shadows of the
dropping silver willows, flowed the beautiful
Pinkthorne river, bordersd with plumy ferns
and tangled briars, with here and there a
clump Of brilliant rh~ododendrons. The wild
ducks loved this river, and the swans seemed
never weary OF sailing on its surface; yellow
water lilies fioated like miniature islands here
and there, and the prettiest rustic bridges
Spawned it In part where the waters were
tolerably narrow. At the far snd, under the
thickest shades of the willows, nestled an old
boat house, all r-smothered and rush
sentineled.
1t was a gala day for the whole village-a
day of rejoicing when Judge Vessels came
home to Cranforth Grange. The bells rang
merrily, the banner waved to and fro "Wel-
come, Welcome" In the soft spring breeze,
and now the carriage dashed up the long
beech avenue, and presently, in a twinkling
1t seemed, the children were ~springing into
their fathers arms and smothering him with
kisses. Kindly, generously, the years had
dealt with Daniel Vessels; perfectly happy,
too, he looked today with the arms OF his fair
haired twins twined about his neck and his
left hand resting on his wife's shoulder.
Desiree, in the background, watched the joy
Gus meeting between husband and wife, father
and children, and felt a sudden choky sensa-
ton rise in her throat. an odd, sharp, sick
ening pain seize her heart, almost taking her
breath away, and prayed that she might not
faint-that she might not make a scene.n
Miss lie Strange-our governess,n said
Lady Vessels presently.
And then-oh, how like a dream 1t seemed,
meeting the bearded face and shaking the
large, firm hand Of Sir Daniel Vessels.
A minute more and the judge, with his
wife and children, were In the library, where
a CHEEKY log fire PLACED, and Desiree found
herself mounting the wide oak staircase to
her solitary schoolroom. But for her own
folly, she told herself, she might have been
queen Of this household to-day. How un-
bearabls the thought was-how maddeningi
For a whole year she had striven to do her
tabyt III tuA z W W DTGlll, Ktuu6
Lady Vessels, his wife: but abe could not
meet the judge daily and not betray herself
not let him and other zee how acutely she
felt her position. True, he had not appeared
10 recognize her; but sooner or Later he would
assuredly discover that Deairee LIE Strange,
who flung back his love one autumn eve years
ago, and the Desiree Le Strange of todSy
were the same. Chance had brought her
here under his roof. Surprising by chance
she died tonight, who would miss herr
And then, mechanically, almost like one
forced to act in spite of herself, she crossed
the room and unlocked the little medicine
chest which stood on a sideboard. Her eye
ran over the bottles, and boxes, and hin
pots
1t was a very small bottle she at last took
up, labeled -Chloroform."
~ have a bad toothache and headache, y she
murmured. with an odd smile. perhaps this
will make me Sleep 1h
"Her own enony, even to the last thought
the judge, looking at Desiree lie Strange,s
beautiful dead face with = shadow on his
own.
For the features which had not struck him
yesterday in life spoke plainly enough in death
told him pathetically, better han a thou
sand words, that this was the Desiree he had
once loved-the girl who had almost broken
his heart by the old stone bridge.
He had been very busy all these years-so
busy hat the memory of the wears pretty
daughter had gradually grown faint and dim.
Yet looking at the dead face now, so lovely
and placid in its last sleep, a mist slowly
gathered In his eyes-for he had loved her
once with all his heart and soul-and he was
grieved to the depth of his being that her
DAYS should have ended thus. -Philadelphia
Call