Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-05-07
CHAPTER Y.
VANITY oAN vANQUIsH LOVE.

The following morning MI. Brent received
a letter from his son in Australia, announc-
ing his intention of returning to England for
a few months. The reason of this return the
letter went on to furnish. The son said he
feared his father would think him very
foolish; but love was bringing him home, and
here was the worst of the matter-love under
very peculiar circumstances. He had fallen
in love with-a picture! He had seen the
portrait of a girl whose face had impressed
him as never the living face of any woman
had, and having ascertained that the original y
of the picture really lived, and was English,
and not a duchess or a princess, which we'll
she might be, but a girl of his WI rank in
life, young Brent was determined to find her
out and try to secure her for himself. The
letter wound up in very ingenious language,
admitting the apparent absurdity Of the
whole proceeding; but protesting that the pas
sion was true and deep, and that nothing
could end it except realization or absolute
and ascertained hopelessness.
Rector Brent was a good natured man and
a kind father; so he shook his head and
smiled over his sons folly, being a sage him
self, But he wrote a kind reply, saying
that his son would be always welcome home
under any conceivable circumstances, and
that though he must confess the expedition
seemed rather wild, yet he well knew that i'll
the latter scenes of the affair his son would
be ruled by his own good sense and his
fathers counsel.
Sand now" the rector said, as he sealed
this praiseworthy epistle, II think before Per-
cival comes home | had better have my af-
fairs settled.n This he said, and as he spoke
he looked at his own likeness in the chimney
glass. Something struck him. "Dear me-"
he exclaimed, II must get some new teeth"
For fifty years of good living had told upon
this portion of his mechanism: and now res
tlecting that he was about to marry, he
reasoned thus: "At such times we refurnish
our houses. Think of a man refurnishing his
house, and not refurnishing his mouth! If 1
am to have a new dining table, 1 ought to
have a new set of teeth to use at it. Besides"
He grinned i'll the glass. eyes" he said,
shaking his head, mot at all prepossessing."
He grinned again, and this time by the power
of fancy set new white teeth in the vacant
spaces. GTNot a doubt of it," he murmured;
the greatest improvement"
So that morning, instead of making a pro-
posal of marriage to the lively widow, he
went to an adjacent town, where a notable
dentist practiced, and here he had his jaws
overhauled and a plan of the projected inn
provements drawn out. The dentist was a
mar of chat, and when he ascertained whence
the parson came he had all sorts of questions
to ask about various people in the neighbor-
hood, and curious stories to tell, and gossip to
exchange; so that our little rector, perched in
the operating chair, laughed and chirruped
md 1oOlya6 tho iroou mr. af orsN,,o4 GIL
sighted man!
"By the way" said the dentist, pausing a
moment with one of his tools in his hand,
"has not a Mrs. Temple settled in Kettlewell
during the past year"
Rector Brent knew that a faint blush shotR
out of his cheek as he answered eyes" n.
"a remarkable woman" the dentist con- T.,
tinued, forgetting his task, while with a med
itative face he seemed to contemplate bygone
days. "a very remarkable woman"
"a very, gerry remarkable woman" the
rector replied, determined to add an adverb
in this very peculiar case.
Wonderful energy" said the dentist.
"Most wonderful the rector rejoined, still
on the augmentation principle.
"And such a face and figurel' the operator
said again.
"Ah, such a face and figure!' repeated the
rector, unable to refrain from rubbing his
hands together.
"For her years." the dentist remarked, in
an explanatory voice.
20, come, come" cried the rector, in tones
of remonstrance. II don't see that. She is
youthful, certainly, and sprightly; but still
women are not old at forty-ive."
"At tChat five" asked the dentist, not hay
ing caught the first word.
"Forty-ive," repeated the rector, boldly
and emphatically.
"Seventy-fve, more likely, " the blunt dem
fist said, now intent on his tool, which was
out of repair.
20, l see, | see!' cried Rector Brent; "you
are talking of her mother. WI don't know
the mother. The mother does i.tt live with
them now" y
"Unless Mrs. Barbara Temple is herself
and her mother at the same time l am not
talking of her mother" the dentist an
swered. THAT lady is seventy years of age,
if she is seven"
Saying this with great unconcern, he ad-
vanced to take some further measurement Of
the clergyman's mouth, and observing his
of horror, he said, reassuringly:
Don't be uneasy; l am not going to take
anything out"
The rector, gasping, waved him away. So
convulsive were his movements that for a
moment the dentist feared that he might have
left one of his minor implements in the
patients mouth, which implement, having
been inadvertently swallowed, was, from
its accommodating material and unusual
doing violence to nature in one or
other of the canals which traverse the human
continent.
do you mean to say" sid the astounded
clergyman at last, "that Ms. Barbara Tenn
lady who has three fine daughters g.
more than forty-fvep
Before one Of those young ladies was