The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-10-21
PROUD MRS. BRANDLETH,
CHAPTER THE FIRST.

She was q proud old woman. Many
West Indians are endowed with more
pride than is good for them, and she
was an instance. Perhaps it WAS the
blacks, or the climate, or living on an
island where there was no aristocracy
save that which was constituted by
money. She was very rich, there was
no doubt about that; and she had q
very lovely daughter, there was also
no doubt hat--afair-haired girl, with
large dreamy eyes, and a fair skin, and
lips that suggested pout, yet broke
into the most enchanting of smiles
now and then-not very often either;
perhaps because the girls life has been
lonely, us an only child's often is, and
perhaps because she was half afraid of
her mother. Her happiest days had
been her school days; she had been
sent to England for her education,
and when she returned to the narrow
circle, and the stiff uncompromisine
mother, who since her husbands
death had managed the estate herself,
and was absorbed in the produce Of
sugar, and the politics of Government
House, Alice felt lonely and weary
enough. Yet Mrs. Brandleth was
very proud OF her beautiful daughter.
and waited serenely, convinced that
the day would come when a wander
ing duke, or perhaps stray prince
sent over to improve his knowledge
of tropics, would fall in love with her
and insist upon laying his name, rank
and fortune at her feet. Having this
conviction strong upon her, it was pro-
voking when one fine day Alice in
formed her, tremblingly enough, that
she had engaged herself to Hugh
Trevor,a young surgeon who WAS vain
ly trying to get practice in the island
for the population was more in
clined to trust its broken bones and
epidemics into the hands of the older
practitioners.
"Ifyou dare to think of such q thing"
she exclaimed, "I'll leave every penny
away from you, and what is more, 1
will let you starve rather than give
you a shilling;;" after which comfort
able assurance, having no money and
no prospects, the pair prudently
got married on the sly, and trusted to
'luck."
Luck betrayed the trust and never
came near them, or only luck OF the
worst description did; so they realized
all they had, and, after one unavail-
ing appeal to Mrs. Brandleth, deter
mined to leave thewest Indies and seek
for better fortune in England.
II should so like to see nv old
friends again; yes do let US 90, Hugh,
dear, besides we can make g. better
fight with poverty there than here"
Alice said, thinking wistfullv of her
school days, and alittle bitterly ofthe
manner in which her tropical &C.
quaintance had cut her since her mar
rlage. So with only f2OO in the world
they set out for England.
1T is no use trying in London,
Hugh said, "we should only be lost in
the crowd, and allowed to starve quiz
city. Wen 90 to some small seaside
place, or country village, and set up,
and hope for the best. Unless there is
some one there before us, patients
must come in time"-a reasonable
supposition when one considers that,
in the long run, disease and death are
never inconstant long together any
where.
LET us 60 by the sea, then" plead
ed Alice; so they went to the Drayton.
on-Sea, q small seaside place where
fisherfolk abounded, and where there
were hills around, with here and there
houses scattered about, all inhabited