Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-06-10
BEAUTY'SSECRET
By ALAN MUIR
Author of "Vanity Hardrdre, Golden
Girls" Etc. @--
CHAPTER ".

THE RECTOR AGbEES WITH AhSs IE4PLk
I. Ter flying wheels next ceased their swift
revolutions at the door Of the rectory, and
the little woman alighted with the stop of
fiYe-and-twenty She shook her head as she
marked how the once brilliant flower beds lay
neglected, and the stone steps, once white as
porcelain, were turning green with neglect
Dead leaves strewed the path; the blind OF
the dining room window hung awry; what
eTer she saw told her that the enchanter Gold
had wandered off with his wand to other do
mains, and that his successor, Poverty, had
already marked all things for his own.
n should Just like Sophia to see this place.
our moralist said. at would be lesson for
her" She spoke ns solemnly as IL she had
been the pensive and didactic Mr.. Hervev
waIking among hls tombs "A few months
ago everything was trim and shining with
money; now-and this is poverty, pious pow
ertyp she said, with inexpressibls scorn in
her face, Il hate poverty
The door opened, and instead of the man
Bervant of other days. well clad, well brushed
and obsequious, there stood before her an i'll
dressed girl, whose skirts, tucked up ON one
aide and loose on the other, told of work
hastily left. Mrs. Barbara Temple noted the
red bare arm and the dirty finger nails; she
lost sight of nothing and oil 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 Whit
from the kitchen tickled her nostrils, but not
gratefully.
aEoup, suppose" she murmured again
SWell, i have not to eat it, so need say moth
ingp
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 ad-
vanced to meet her, and tried to put on his
old CHEEKY smile, but the conspicuous failure
made the attempt more dismal than plain,
honest sigh. Mrs. Barbara conyersed with
her usual spirit and gayety for a few minutes,
until the question came naturally:
HHave you any news Of your sonp
GNone since the vessel was last heard Of"
he answered IAt that time he was tolerably
well"
NJ 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 its" Mr..
Brent asked, with faint smile.
GHow kind OF you'll" she thought; 9you
have said just tho word wanted"
GThat question" she answered, "is one
which cannot reply to as readily as should
wish. We know what young people are;
there is always great deal Of sentimentality
about them. 1t amounts to nothing. In time
it wears off. While it lasts, however, itmakes
their management difficult. OF course, you
are of my opinion, that the keeping up Of
this engagement, even ia 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 soP
II do,' the poor clergyman replied.
He had no spirit lett Never man of in
dependent will, he was now reduced to
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
Snow you can help me to put an end to this
affair. You only can put an end 10 it, but
you can do So" z.
u can, can II" he replied.
@Yes; tell Sophia that you do not approvs
Of it, and that you consider it likely to be in
furious to Percival, which it surely viii be-
Say with perfect truth also-you can-that
you are tolerably certain that even IL she re-
mained constant to him he would not remain
constant to her. Just fancy, Mr.. Brenti a
young man at the most impulsiye 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 true"
He sat before her, passive and receptive
agreeing to everything, promising every
thing. But, indeed, If the proud Sibyl, and
the infexible Goldmore, and the intellectual
Caroline had bent to her will, little wonder
IL our poor rector bent, too, broken as his
nerves and will were by the one terrible
storm of fate. Whenever she asked him, "Do
you think so?" lie answered, II think So"
Whenever she said, "Will you say so to
Sophia2" he replied, II will say so" And
thus she faced him, energetic, full of plot and
will, talking fast, and with frequent action
driving her meaning home. An onlooker
might have thought the scene a private mes
meric experiment. and Mrs. Barbara Temple
the 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.
aSo," said our little mother, when this task
was done, ayou 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,
Ishall hem you in, and force you to yieldp
q