Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-31
MONA S CHOICE.
BY MRS. ALEXANDER.

you little know!-you little knowr'
murmured Mrs. Newburgh, Thank God,
have few debtsl 1 think I have paid
every one-intending to go abroad for some
months. This has been an expensive wear.
and there was no time for you to make a
| good alliance. No time-no timeI"
''But, grannie, dear, you do not know
| what prince in disguise I may captivate.'
| said Mona, rising and drawing a chair be-
| side her. ''Penniless girls marry often.''
She would have said anything to cheer
| her.
"Ah! but no jewel looks well if it is not
| well set. Men may not want money with
fheir brides, but they are almost ALWAYS
repulsed by mean surroundings | see no
hope anywhere. Ncne-none! Everything
fades from me; yet am not imbeciIe."
mo, no! dearest grannie! This confus-
| ion is only from physical weakness. Do
not try yourself any more. l will write to
| Mr.. Oakley-to your solicitor-to come
| here tomorrow; he will put things in or
Ger, and tell me what we ought to do. Let
| me lock up all these papers and the money,
| and give you some dinner or tea Or some
thing. Thinking will do us no good To-
night I will tell you all about Lady Mary
are asleep. Hooper shall put the chair
bed beside yours. I shall sleep here to-
night"
1T would be best" murmured Mrs.
Newburgh, gladly resigning herself to her
granddaughter's guidance. Il do not
want much; but for You-ah Mona! it is
hard' You must pay Hooper and send her
away, and Wehner too; we want 40 men
servants nOw.'
The explanations of Mrs. Newburgh's
trusty solicitor were indeed a revelation
to Mona. The mysteries of the stock mar.
ket were unfolded to her wondering gaze;
and she learned that besides the consider
able sum absolutely paid on the purchase
of shares, there was q terrible liability in
the shape Of ''calls' to the full value OF
these shares; and as a banking business
was connected with the gold mine associa-
ton, Mrs. Newburgh's whole property was
subject to the demands of depositors, and
that she could not call farthing her own.
The house in Green street having been
bought by her, Mr.. Oakley advised Mrs.
Newburgh remaining in it till obliged to
turn out, as she was rent free. He was
most useful in paying and Diminishing the
servants. The German majOr-domo, who
had been for many years with Mrs. New
burgh, begged to be allowed to remain till
his mistress left-without wages; it was,
he said, a bad season to find another en-.
gagement, and he thought he could be
useful to the ladies, even while looking
out for a situation, and so he proved him
self
While these changes were going on,
Mona was profoundly anxious about her
grandmother. At times she was keen,
eager, fully alive to what was going on.
then a cloud would gather over her poor
brain, and things seemed to slip from her.
She could not bear Mona out Of her sight,
and was reluctant to let any other rela-
tives approach her. When urged by Oak
ley to acquaint her nephew, Lord Sunder,
line, with the state of her affairs, she asked
sharply what good that would do?
''He has little enough for himself, and
never forgave me for adopting Mona'
But my dear madame, some steps must
be taken to provide for the future
81 wish Nature would provide for me-"
returned Mrs. Newburgh, with a deep
sigh; 81 am helpless incumbrance now"
81 am sure no one else thinks So" said
the solicitor, soothingly. ''Is there not
some balance at your bankers that you
might place in-say Sir Robert Everard's
hand, just to secure some ready money!"
81 will see; will look into my accounts
but for the present [ am too tired to dis
cuss anything further"
X
The fourth day after her return home,
Mona was as usual in attendance on her
grandmother, and making out a list of
such necessaries as they might take with
them, when two letters arrived by the sec
Ond delivery. One was from Sir Robert
Everard-a distant cousin of Mrs New
burgh's-and offered her cottage which
used to be occupied by one of the curates
of the parish, suggesting that she might
remove some of her furniture there before
the final crash came, and adding much
kindly counsel. The other was in a big,
firm but unknown hand. Mona turned to
the signature-it was Leslie Waring"
She had almost forgotten him in the pain
full excitement of the lastfew days, though
the bitter remembrance of Isles advice
never left her. Every night when she had
read or softly talked her grandmother to
sleep, when all was still and dark, she
lived over again the fiery ordeal of that
conversation in the train, and looked.
shuddering, at the dreary, lonely future,
through which she must do battle alone
To whom could she turn, on whom could
she lean, when the man who seemed to
hang on her words-Whose eyes spoke the
warmest devotion, shrunk from her at the
first mutterings of the storm? But as to
when Mr.. Waring would declare himself,
or whether he ever would, she gave no
thought. Now the momentous question
on which she would be called to decide
stared her in the face and filled her soul
with fear and disgust.
81 cannot read this letter to you, gran
ME; could you read it yourself?"
"Why? What is it?"
at is marked private, and is, / see, from
Mr. Warning; do you remember him?"
Eyes, dol Give it to me. Where are
my glasses"
Mona sat and watched the haggard. hope
less face, as her grandmother perused the
lines, gradually growing less drawn, less
responding, while her whole heart sunk
lower and beat faster.
THANK God" murmured Mrs New.
burgh at last heaving deep sigh as she
laid down the letter; "all is not quite lost
yet" Mona did not speak. ''Monal read
it." she continued; Il suppose you know
the contents; read it, say" repeated Mrs.
Newburgh. impatienUly.
Mona took it and read with nervous IA
pidity:
DEAR Mrs NEWBURGH:-I venture TO
trouble you with letter, because L have
twice tried in vain to see you or Miss
Joscelyn. feel it is awkward and diff
cult to approach the subject on which I am
about to address you, when | have had so