The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1886-11-04
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of stately woods.
She was eminently beautiful, highly
accomplished, and possessed a good
and kind heart. Her being an heiress
also added to her great attractions.
She loved a poor cousin, Henry Nor
land by name, who, at al early age, had
been left an orphan, and whom Ellen's
father, Sir John Vernon, had brought
up and educated. From their earliest
years, at intervals, such as his holi-
days and college vacations, the young
people had been, in a manner, brought
up together; and as their ages were al.
most alike, and Harry was a we'll.
made, handsome fellow, possessing
considerable mental and personal at
fractions, their assimilation of taste,
as much az anything else, had con-
tributed to waken up feelings between
them that neither had as yet given
vent to in words.
Henry loved his beautiful and
wealthy cousin to distraction. But
the sense of his own dependence kept
him from advancing his claims.
Sir John Vernon had the most per-
feet confidence in Harry's honor. Not
thinking that there might be the slight
est danger in permitting the young
people to be together, he continued to
regard them both with the same ten
der solicitude as ever, as though they
were in a manner brother and sister.
1t was "Leap-year," and the vaca-
ton VIII ich Henry spent at the hall
proved on this occasion to be to him
q source of pain and agony. The
beauty of Ellen, her artlessness, her
afectionate manner, and her frank
ness, raised his affections to such a.
height that the very excess of his
love magnified his difficulties, and
made him look with a sensation
Of fear upon his passion,
which once or twice prompted him to
speak, and by consequence become an
Migrate to his benefactor, to whom he
owed everything in the world. He re-
solved to die rather than to incur the
displeasure of his uncle, the sting of
his W reproaches. and the possible
rejection Of his suit by Ellen. This
thought beyond all others was most
pregnant with pain. He therefore
Stunned her presence as much as he
could, and spent whole days in the H.
brary brooding upon his lost pros
poets.
Ellen noticed this change, and, with
a woman's tact, comprehended the
reason of it. With a mixture of grief
and pleasure she engaged herselfin the
execution of a plan, which was that
OF awakening his jealousy, and driving
him into a confession to which she
was only too willing to listen. A ru-
NOR was accordingly spread that a.
sporting baronet of the neighborhood
had not only determined on wooing the
younglady but also of winning her, hav-
ing laid a very heavy wager upon the
result. Henry's passion was Instant
lly aroused, and rage, and vexation and
love by turns tQrmented him. He
would have called the insolent rival
out, having accused his cousin o fplay-
ing false, forgetting that she had new
er plighted faith to him; he accused
the world of unkindness, his uncle OF
tyranny; in fact, like a lover utterly
beside himself, he would have been
guilty Of q thousand extravagances.
but the intolerable idea came, what
was he to her, or she to him? What
right had he to dictate or to question?
and thus he was as far off as ever.
Ellen found that her plan of awaken
Ing his jealousy had been effectual
enough, but that no other result at
tended it. She also fonnd that her
poor cousins sadness and. detection
Increased, and it's melancholy began to
communicate itself to her.
1t was therefore absolutely neces.
sary for the happiness of both that
matters should be brought to q crisis;
for, in addition to the annoyance she
felt at Henry's silence, the marriage
which was rumored in jest began to
take an aspect of serious earnestness,
a proposal having actually come, from
q rich and estimable man in every
way, to her father, which proposal
Sir John Vernon had just communi-
Gated to her.
Holding in her hand the letter which
had been sent to Sir John, she one
morning sought the library, an her
heart beat a little strongly as she re-
6ected that she was about to press
her cousin, so that he should either
be compelled to declare his passion at
once or give her up forever.
"Ellen," said he, 'let me beseech you
to tell me what is the cause of this
agitation; you alarm newly areyou
"Do you behold this letter." asked
Ellen, tapping it, accompanying the
action with a mysterious look.
Henry glanced upon it with increased
m%isgiving, bat merely said, eyes"
"And can you guess it's contents? No,
you cannot; you who have ceased to
be interested in me, cannot divine it's
nature.
"Spare me the reproches that Ihave
not merited, Ellen" said Henry, in a
tone SO mournful as to make her re-
greet fireworks she had used in q mere
Jest. IF you knew all, he continued,
"you would be inclined to be more
| lenient towards ms. I do not say