The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-07-08
BEAUTY'S SECRET
BY ALAN MUIR.
Author of Vanity Hardware" Golden
Girls" Etc.
CHAPTER III.
ARnuT MISFORTUNE.

the rector threw himself upon him, and, sob
bing like a child, called out;
II am ruined man, Percy--a ruined manP
The explanation which followed this an
nouncement was in all its main features new
to Percival who had never known any par
ticulars of his fathers affairs. The facts,
which may be briefly told, were these; Brent
senior was the son of father who had mar
ried twice, and the rector had now half
brother nearly twenty years older than HIM
self. This brother, under his mothers mar
riage settlement, had inherited all her prop
erty, which was very large. The father mad
a life interest in it, but at his death the whole
passed absolutely to her only child. Rector
Brent's father had ever been careless ana
imprudent man, who, having married lor-
tunately, lived on his wifes money. After
her death he married again, as has been SAID,
and his second wife died in the same month
as himself; but his reckless and improvldent
character was plainly seen by the state in
which his affairs were left. He might easily
have saved, and saved handsomely, for the
education and maintenance of his second son,
our rector, but as a matter of fact he died so
deeply in debt that even his furniture had to
be sold to satisfy his creditors. Young Brent
was then at Oxford preparing for the church,
but it SCENE as if his whole future must be
altered. At this time his brother came for
ward, and although he had never been kindly
used by the second Mrs. Brent, he now, with
great generosity, resolved to help his brother;
and he made him an ample allowance for his
university expenses. Under these clrcum-
stances a very cordial friendship sprang up
between the two, and this friendship had
hitherto been unbroken. The elder brother
did not marry, being studious; and if not
a woman hater, certainly not a woman
hunter As time went on, and the younger
brother's position and requirements grew,
the ED increased the allowance he
made i'm, and now for several years he
had been giving the rector fifteen hundred
per a num- This, he promised, should be
continued to his death, when an ample pro-
vision would be made for himself and his son.
This arrangement had gone on for many
years undisturbed, but a short time before,
to Rector Brent's great astonishment, his
brother, then over seventy, told him he
meditated marriage The facts were soon
out. A strong-minded Irish widow, of good
family, with file Of tall, hungry, penniess
sons, had marked him for her own. There
followed, in the usual artful sequel, fiattery
and amiable persecution. The old man was
cajoled, managed and, in the last stages Of
the affair, bullied, until, without his brothers
knowledge, he was actually married to the
triumphant widow, who wrote to the rector,
explaining the haste and secrecy of the tran
saction by the state of ''our dear Henry's
nervous system" The elder brother assured
his Junior that the marriage would make no
difference in his allowance or his subsequent
md tXua he
ise was kept But the old man WAS growing
feeble, and his wife impatient Her sons
were expensive and she wished to secure
everything for them. By what means could
not be ascertained, but she spirited her hus-
band away to the south of France Under
the plea of bronchial disease and nervous
prostration, she shut him up from society;
and when, a few months before, the rector,
growing uneasy had gone to Cannes to see
his brother, he was not admitted to the house,
being comforted by the assurance that every
thing was being done to restore, or at least to
compose ''dear Henry's nervous system 10
tell the rest in few words, on the morning OF
Sibyrs marriage the poor rector received
letter, written by his brother himself, in
which, after some vague sentences about "loss
of money" failure of investments, and in
creasing expenses" he plainly said that he
inclosed the last check which he would ever
be able to send The letter closed with
postscript, in which the rector was reminded
that already great deal had been done for
him. which genial stroke was due to the die
tation of the accomplished Mrs Brent So
our unhappy rector found himself placed in
the position of the holder of a benefce worth
scarcely hundred year, after outgoings,
costly establishment, luxurious habits, de-
clining years, and a son who had been led to
expect fortune as his inheritance
The little clergyman behaved with singular
dignity and straightforwardness He told
the whole story frankly, and seemed to de-
velop fortitude for the trial We were
pleased to hear now from his lips some Of
those phrases about trust in God and resigna-
ton to the dispositions of providence at
which we had sometimes felt inclined to smile
when the sleek little fellow spoke them in the
pulpit. Indeed, so deep was our commisera-
ton for the rectors misfortune that we-who
are neither church nor, fear, very chari-
table people-summoned a meeting of lead
ing parishioneTs, at which we resolved, by
annual subscriptions, to raise enough to pay
the curates; and thus, without directly pau
perizing our clergyman, we hoped to enable
him to hold his living. In this way Rector
Brent was put in possession Of about three
hundred year-not a bad allowance, you
may say; but consider how he had lived
hitherto. The carriage must be put down;
the gardens must be laid out in grass; the
cozy dinner parties must be given up; Rector
Brent must, for the rest Of his life, walk the
ways Of genteel poverty.
f1,o H,,st I,ao,. I,l ,,e,,-- ,,,o.
Mrs. Barbara Temple. That excellent little
woman had a maxim for every change and
chance, and upon hearing the tidings she re-
marked that such was the world-up and
down. off the ups were always up" she
continued, straying for an instant into philos-
ophy, "the downs would never have chance.
There was only so much money, SO much ease,
90 much luck, going. What one lost fell to
the lot Of another" At the same time shsex-
pressed and felt genuine sorrow for Mr. Brent |
and for his son, who had always appeared to !
her most promising young fellow.
Shortly after hearing all this, Mrs Temple |
rang for her maid, and sent for Sophia, who :
came in with light dancing step, rare with !,
her; her face was full of glee
u know what it is, mamma; you want me !
70 look at your dress. But saw it before you |
did. Frightful, it isl You shant wear it, !
dear; noe if I wear it myself"
"Sophia, you look very pretty this morn
ing" the mother said with much fondness
and admiration, and touch of sorrow too,
as she thought of the disappointment the girl !
was about to have. "Never mind the gown;
have something to say to you"
Sophia looked wondering into her mothers
serious face, as she took a seat beside her.
"Life is full of trials, Sophy," the kind
hearted little wording began mo one is At |
to live who is not ready to meet small vexa-
tons and disappointments that perhaps at
urat don't seem small. and meet them with a !
fneerful face One great thing is to remem-
ber-what is undoubtedly true-that most !
cisappointments have bright as well as !