The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-06-12

lost sight Of nothing, and all she saw turned
into moral lesson
II like to live," she thought; 'but better be
dead than poor
As she was going into the library a Whit
from the kitchen tickled her nostrils, but not
gratefully.
"Soup, l suppose" she murmured again.
swell, have not to eat it, so need say moth
ing!"
The part she had here assigned herself was
none of the easiest, and she felt she must be
discreet and guard her lips Mr. Brent adj
vanced to meet her, and tried to put on his
old CHEEKY smile, but the conspicuous failure
made the attempt more dismal than a plain,
honest sigh. Mrs. Barbara conversed with
her usual spirit and gayety for few minutes,
until the question came naturally:
Have you any news of your son!"
"None since the vessel was last heard of, y
he answered. "At that time he was tolerably
we'll"
IL liked that young man, she said II
never regretted anything in my life more sin
cerely than having to abandon the hope of
calling him relation.
HAS your daughter abandoned it," Mr..
Brent asked, with faint smile
"How kind of you" she thought, 'you
have said just the word wanted"
THAT question" she answered, lis one
which cannot reply to as readily as should
wish. We know what young people are;
there is always a great deal of sentimentality
about them. 1t amounts to nothing In time
it wears off While it lasts, however. it makes
their management difficult OF course, Won
are of my opinion, that the keeping up of
this engagement, even in the remotest way,
would be injurious both to your son and to
my daughter No good can ever come of it,
and the sooner it is finally settled the better
for both Of them. Don't you think so!'
u do" the poor clergyman replied
He had no spirit left Never man of in
dependent will, he was now reduced to a
mere animated machine, worked in matters
of this sort from the outside
"My daughter has wild romantic attach
ment to your son." Mrs. Temple continued.
Nov you can help ME to put an end to this
affair. You only can put an end to it, but
you can do so.n
Il can, can II" he replied.
"Yes; tell Sophia that you do not approve
Of it, and that you consider it likely to be in
jul iodS W ciIlNdi, WHICH II surely Will De.
Say with perfect truth also-you can-that
you are foierably certain that even if she re-
manned constant to him be would not remain
constant to her just fancy, Mr.. Brent! a
young man at the most impulsive period of
life, thousands of miles away, and with no
hope OF seeing her for years, Constant, in
deed! Why, in fairy tale it would be too
absurd to be truei'
He sat before her, passive and receptive,
agreeing to everything, promising every
thing But, indeed, the proud Sibyl, and
the infeyible Goldmore, and the intellectual
Caroline had bent to her will, little wonder
if our poor rector bent, too, broken as his
nerves and will were by the one terrible
storm of fate. Whenever she asked him, ado
you think so7n he answered II think so"
Whenever she said, "Will you say so to
SophiaF' he replied, q will say So" And
thus she faced him, energetic, full of plot and
will, talking fast, and with frequent action
irving her meaning home An onlooker
might have thought the scene private mes
neric experiment, and Mrs. Barbara Temple
he strong and resistless operator, and poor
Mr.. Anthony Brent the helpless subject
around whose volition and reason another
mind was coiling itself in swift and powerful
folds
$50" said our little mother when this task
was done, 'you are to set before Sophia the
facts of the case, and its probabilities You
are to tell Sophia that Percival ought not to
marry her if he could, and that, in time, he
would not marry her even if he ought In
terest, duty, affection, probability Sophia,
l shall hem you in, and force you to yieldl'