Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-06-18
CHAPTER III.
SOPHIA HAS THREE coUNsELoRs.

S41 L1A oLbNN bAE pa ~ -
"My dear Sophia" this energetic dame
said, II hear that Brent is coming home
bankrupt, they say; character and cashN
gonel / should like to see you comforta
settled before that time, and in a position
treat him as he deserves. Now, while your
mother is still living, and able to be corr
forted, settle yourself, Sophia, settle yoj
self. Ny dear, | know one young man,
least, who would b. at your feet in an houN
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. II shall stay with
mamma to the lasty and l am not going to
marry any one"
Certainly not a 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 another counselor. Egerton, hav-
ing heard that Percival was returning, ven
tured to advise Sophia on the whole sub
ject.
1T is not bis being a little wild, Sophia,
that / would so much object to-" he said.
ave are all that sometimes. 1 mean all
young fellows, not girls, though l said we
| had what we call an affair with Miss john.
son at that glove shop myself many year
ago, and it vent so fer that once or twicA :
were Oh the point of going out walking.
gether, and all that's sort Of thing-you know
what I mean, Sophia; but it was the time for
the equinoctial gales, and the weather got
unsettled and that stopped it; and then get
engaged to Caroline, and she was such a TIRE
m%endously fine girl that she steadied me. l
don't want to find fault with Percival Brent,
who is not half a bad fellow, / think. Bit
you are not the woman for him, Sophia, that
is where it is-you are not the woman for
him. In every case a woman ought to 20
the woman for a man. A man Of Percivas
sort ought to be engaged to a woman with a
whip in her hand. Some of us-I mean the
fellows with 'go'-want to be influenced, and
things to be brought to bear on us, and We
want forcible feminine character about Us,
and the rest Of it, and in such cases there is
nothing like a woman with a whip in her
hand" y
More solemn and weighty words weread-
dressed to the poor heart-sick girl. Goldnore
no sooner heard that Percival was coming
back than he became sincerely alarmed for
Sophia's future.
II tremble for that girl" he said to his wife
one morning, "kind, impossible, %virtuous as
she is. / wish she would accept Prender-
CAST, who is as much in love with her as ever,
and to whom fortune will make no differ
/ fear-I very greatly fear-that Sophia w.,
be very poor at her mothers death. Every
thing points hat 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 a brother
while l 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 CURLY. "She is fanci-
full and q~uixotic. Perhaps she will marry
Percival Brent after ALL"
"Not after his improper behavior" Gold
more remarked, with the solemn morality of
a Great Briton.
Sibyl laughed a little. "Women forgive
that sometimes" she said.
Accordingly GoldmorS, in fear of some
thing which he could not quite define to him
1elf, 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 a man who knows"
"Don't be deceived by that soft forgiving
heart of yours into marrying a profEigate,
Sophia" he said. "a young man may fall
into many errors and come out of them, and
be as good as ever, but a profligate neUer re-
turns to the state of his youth. He may seem.
respectable, but he is never truly restoF
He has lost that which he can never row
There will always be & hardness and a q
ness about him, and he may any hour rSIhN'
into evil ways. Such men make a pretennse
of reforming when they want to marry, and
perhaps even believe themselves reformed.
but, Sophia, a profligate can nc more reform
and lie what once he was than a 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 mar
says"
Poor Sophia began to cry.
II am not saying this thoughtlessIy, my
dear girl" Goldmore continued, taking her
hand. Il admire a young woman who loves
a man and will make a sacrifice for him, and
I may take the liberty of assuring you,
Sophia $50 great is my interest in YOU, that
l had resolved, 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, II 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 had gone out.
Are you awake, mammal"
"ls that you, Sophia" the old woman
answered, in a clear and singularly collected
voice. "That girl in blue is here again, yod
see" nm
"What, mamma? Where?" {
"Here, at the end of the bed, and thar
young fellow with her. They have been dane
ing, and came here afterward. They have
not spoken to me, not word. Only they sit
there kissing and laughing. l 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 viii go on!7
Time after time during several days the
old woman would imagine that the bedroom
was a ballroom, and that the girl in blue and
her lover were sitting at her beds end, airt-
ing and m~isbehaving themselves in a way
which tickled the old woman; for she often
laughed aloud, and said over and over again:
S."Lord! how young people will 90 on!n
At last, ON Christmas eve, Sophia was sit
ting beside her, and she spoke ali at once in a
L., YNonafuaki~- 49,