The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-09-09

petite Tor the world luseu was departing.
She no longer cared to hear the talk of the
town Her beloved Morning Post would lie
day after day unopened. The little meals,
which she used to take with the eagerness of
one who is determined to overcome illness,
were now languidly put aside to another
hour She slept more frequently, and every.
thing showed plainly that she was quitting
the stage Of the world, where, popular
actress indeed she had so long and so bril-
liantly figured.
i CHAPTER III.
SOPHIA HAS THREE CoUNsELoRs.
Nor was Ioor Sophia left alone with her
sorrow. We have all friends in this world
some who wish us well, and some who wish us
nothing Of the kind. Ill wishers and well
wishers sometimes are equals in making US
uneasy And thus it was with Sophia, for
while she was shut up with her mother in the
sick house various persons found opportunity
to disturb her with counsel or warning The
indefatigable Mrs. Hands, who had fully
made up her mind that the young woman
must and should marry young John Done,
managed to work her way into the house
several times. Sophia now feared and hated
the widow in equal parts, although she could
not deny that, in telling her the truth about
Percival, she had acted the part of friend.
"My dear Sophia" this energetic dame
said, 81 hear that Brent is coming home
bankrupt, they say; character and cash both
gone / should like to see you comfortably
settled before that time and in a position TO
treat him as he deserves Now, while your
mother is still living, and able to be COM
forted, settle yourself, Sophia, settle your
self. My dear, I know one young man, at
least, who would be at your feet in an hour
after the time told him there was a hope
that you would change your mind and say
yes | know the young man"
"Thank you," Sophia replied, hastily.
Her cheeks were ON fire at the bare idea Of
seeing Percival again. "I shall stay with
mamma to the last; and am not going to
marry any one"
"Certainly not man who has treated you
badly" the widow said, resolved to pledge
Sophia to this much, at least
II am not going to marry anybody" Sophia
repeated, tartly.
She had a other counselor Egerton, hav-
ing heard that Percival was returning, ven
tured to advise Sophia on the whole sub
ject
"It is not his being a little wild, Sophia
that I would so much object to-" he said
ave are all that sometimes. mean all
young fellows, not girls, though l said we
More solemn and weighty words were adj.
dressed to the poor heart-sick girl. Goldmore
no sooner heard that Percival was coming
back than he became sincerely alarmed fol
Sophia's future
81 tremble for that girl he said to his wife
one morning, "llind, impossible, virtuous as
she is. I wish she would accept Prender'
gast, who is as much in love with her as ever
and to whom fortune will make no difference.
fear-I very greatly fear-that Sophia will
be very poor at her mothers death. Every.
thing points that way. But she is the sweet
est of girls, he added in tones of solemn ap
proval; "she is a sister you may well be
proud Of, and she shall never want brother
while live, Sibyl She shall live here if she
will make this house her home"
II don't know that Sophy would care to live
here" Sibyl answered curtly "She is fanci.
full and quixotic Perhaps she will marry
Percival BRETT after ALL"
"Not after his improper behavior" Gold.
more remarked with the solemn morality of
Great Briton
Sibyl laughed little "Women forgive
that sometimes" she said.
Accordingly Goldmore, in fear of some
thing which he could not quite dc fine to him
self, resolved to give Sophia the benefit of his
experience of life. His kindness and his good
intentions were undoubted, and his words
were those of man who "llnows."
"Don't be deceived by that soft forgiving
heart of yours into marrying profigate,
Sophia" he said. "A young man may fall
into many errors and come out of them, and
be as good as ever, but profigate neJer re-
turns to the state of his youth He may seem
respectable, but he is never truly restored.
He has lost that which he can never regain
There will always be hardness and coarse
ness about him, and he may any hour relapse
into evil ways. Such mer make pretense
Of reforming when they want to marry, and
perhaps even believe themselves reformed;
but, Sophia, profigate can no more reform
and be what once he was than man who
has lost an eye can see again as perfectly as
when he had two. Be firm, Sophial Be true
to yourself. Hear nothing the young man
says"
Poor Sophia began to cry
II am not saying this thoughtlessly, my
dear GIRL" Goldmore continued, taking her
hand. IL admire young woman who loves
a man and will make sacrifice for him, and
/ may take the liberty of assuring you,
Sophia $50 great is my interest in YOU, that
/ had resoly ed, had the young man been hon
orable, that no little difficulty of a pecuniary
kind should have stood in your way. But
now, Sophia" Goldmore said with all the
magnate Upon him once more, ~ must inter
fere in quite another sort Of way"
Late that night, when weary Sophia stole
back to her mothers room, she found it dark,
for the lamp ha, gone out.
"Are you awake, mammal
as that you, Sophiap the old woman
answered, in a clear and sngularly collected
voice. "That girl in blue is here again, you
see."
"What, mammal Wherep
aHere, at the end of the bed, and that
young fellow with her. They have been dane
ing, and came here afterward. They have
not spoken to me, not a word. Only they sit
there kissing and laughing. don't object to
laughing or kissing either only they should
not choose this place. where so many people
are passing up and down. But, Lord! how
young people will go onl'
Time after time during several days the
old woman would imagine that the bedroom
was ballroom, and that the girl in blue and
her lover were sitting at her beds end, hirt.
ing and misbehaving themselves in way
which ticlSled the old woman; for she often
laughed aloud, and said over and over again:
="Lord how young people will go onP'
At last, on Christmas eve, Sophia was sit.
ting beside her, and she spoke all at once in a
low, penetrating whisper:
"Sophy, know who that girl is now"
"Who, mammap
"MyseD myself" She uttered this
in whisper of secrecy, low, but intensely
clear. 4I saw the face just this moment
And that is jack baltimore Spider jack
we used TO call him, he was so thin; but he
was clever and so handsomel We stole ou'