Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-03-20

Chicago Ledger.
"WANTED-GOVERNESS AT BRAY
TON LODGE. One capable Of teach
ing music and languages, and bring
ing unexceptionable references. Ring
third bell"
"At Brayton Lodge! Dear old
Brayton, my own homer cried
Lucille Bfayton, throwing down the
paper and bursting into tears. elbow
can l ever go back there as governess,
and see it owned by strangers! And
yet, what else offers itself? | cannot
Starve."
Almost desperately she sprang up,
and walked about the little room for
a moment, then picked up the paper
and re-read the advertisement.
GLOW | wonder who owns the
dear old place now?" she mused.
SIS there any girl there now who is
as happy as / was, who, perhaps, has
my room, loves the flowers and the
walks as l did. Has a lover, per-
haps, and rows with him on the lake
in the moonlight evenings. Oh,
Lloyd, Lloyd? Why do l fortune
myself in this way?" she broke off,
suddenly, throwing herself on the lit
tie old lounge, in passion of tears
and grief.
Hers was truly sad story.
Ten years before, pettted only
daughter, surrounded with every
luxury, and atfianced to one whose
devoted love she fully returned, sor-
row had singled her out as target
for its arrows.
First, her lover was called abroad,
and in mid-ocean went down with
the fated ship on which he had taken
passage. Then, just as her heart
seemed breaking with its weight OF
grief, a terrible blow fell over her
home, none other than the death of
her father by his own hand, and the
sudden terrible knowledge, in a mo-
ment of temptation he had succumbed,
first to one temptation and then an
other, intending in time to replace all,
but driven to desperation at last by the
accumulation of bad luck and wrong
doing.
To make what reparation they
could, the heart-broken widow and
daughter gave up their home and
everything they possessed, and then
went away to cover up their shame
and grief in a part of the world where
they would be strange to all.
The year that followed had been
one continuous struggle with sickness
and poverty, in the midst of which
Mrs. BraytOn quietly folded her tired
hands over her broken heart and died
leaving Lucille all alone in the world
After that, overcome with loneli.
ness and a longing to see her old
home. Lucille slowly drifted back
to the place Of her happy girlhood
had just tonight arrived in the little
village, taken room in the inn, ask,
ed for the paper, and read Of the gov.
erness wanted in her old home.
81 can, at least, go and see the deal
place." she said to herself next morn.
ing, when, after night spent III
sleepless, sad memories, she ate hel
breakfast without seeing one familiar
face, and started off.
81 don't suppose | will do, because
my references are too far away, anC
will not let them know who | really
am"
How familiar was every turn anC
by-way of the little village and the
road leading off to the lodge. Lucille;
eyes were so continually blinded will
tears that she hardly noted the faces
of the few passers-by, and no one
noticed her. Yelled, and in her plaiI
black gown, she bore little resem
blance to the beautiful Lucille Bray
ton, who, in other years, dashed gay
,vnver these roads On her pony or il
herphaeton, theadmired ofall Observ
crs.
NtIo.t thn dom familiar tower