Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-02

the proper time, the sight Of the closely
scrubbed yellowish square was sweet,
indeed, to her. though the foreign stamp
showed how far off he was No. not
10 far to-day as when he wrote 1t, y she
ssid 10 herself, as with smile that
meant u protest against her folly she
softly kissed the attempting morsei OF
paper.
Soft gray eyes, with your shadows and
brown fringes wise, sweet mouth OF the
pink coral hue Of health; firm, oval
face, with the straightforward look OF
trusty soul how often you had been
pictured in tho long nights OF sickness
and the short hours OF rest between
work, loathesome and holy, done IN that
stricken city OF Naples
Dat Of tho. wreck OF very bright
painted, ight-winged ship OF life but
two. dearer thsn herself, had been saved
TO Anastasia Garnham.
These two were her little sister bottie
and "her humble and loving servant to
command" Csmund Questin.
Ho had, indeed, been this and more to
the dueen-elect OF his heart two years
back. and this he had quietly, without
any hot oaths, declared he would ever
continue to he, though bis gouty old
father threatened 10 hold the door against
the bride as long rs he lived and be-
aueath him a shilling when he died If he
ventured to cross his stubborn will even
then.
mr. Questin, ST., had put it plainly to
his son, who was his only living child.
Had his own father started with bod
and trowel, or had he not Had he
built ND for himself an immense for
tune? Had he left it all to him, cutting
of his elder and younger brothers be-
cause one smoked and the other parted
his hair down the middle, or not? Was
il likely that he, having cherished this
massive fortune and lived always in view
of his responsibility toward it, should
deliberately cast it into the hands OF one
of that butterfly spendthriit, irrespon-
sible LOT, the Garnbams p? Nay, the
daughter of that very man who had
ignored. snubbed, aud otherwise nj
fronted himself personally Osmund
might marry any other girl he chose,
but he would hear no more OF any earn
ham, be 1t the prettiest lass that was ever
born TO that handsome, worthless family.
Osmnnd's mother had been q lady OF
GOOD blood. but home-stayiDg and sem
sible. let him look out for such an
other.
Having said that no Garnham could be
worth her salt. no spoken evidence in tho
world would have made him alter his
opinion. He was not a vulgar old man,
but on the contrary, well-read and
highly respected afraid of no man, cur
rying favor with none, and Osmund had
q strong affection for him. This made
matters moro difficult, because be had to
aim at the reconciliation of two impossi-
biities.
Having been to Cambridge, he decided
that there was enough to DO III the world
for a willing man with brains and health
without crowding into one of the over
crowded professions. "What is mine Is
yours, my boy" said his father, until
the question Of marriage arose.
OF all girls Osmuud naturally set his
/ heart upon the one his father most OBJ
/ iected to, the elder daughter of the late
/ ruined Squire OF tho Warwickshire
Parish, in which Questin Hall, his own
place. was situated. And now came the
/ deadlock, because even il Osmund had
been able to find anything to do, which
he bad not. Tasia would have refused to
marry him against the will of his father
that Is, without giving the jealous old
man plenty of time to change his mind.
a letter next time, not postcard
that any one can read, thought Tasia,
but, to her surprise, post after post went
/ by without bringing 1t.
Lottie. for the sake Of whose school
/ ing they lived in London, had a supply
of explanations on hand to comfort her
sister, but one night Tasia heard her sti-
/ fling sobs, and she made the confession
/ in the dark that she believed that wicked
old ogre, Mr.. Questn, had by some
great exercise of tyranny got his son to
swear TO break with them forever" with
us, sobbcd Lottie, claiming her share
/ in Osmund.
Disloyalty on the part Of the lover
who had never vexed her soul with the
! trihing crueties common to the race OF
/ lovers appeared impossible to Ansstasia,
/ whose own faith was entire so that the
blow which presently fell upon her was
/ like thunderbolt from clear sky.
When she was sick with hope deferred
there came letter from Paris so con-
strained in tone, and dwelling go hope
lesslv upon the barrier raised between
them by his fathers opposition, that it
needed not the brevity for which he ex-
cused himself by saying that he had hurt
his hand, to show the poor girl with
cruel distinctness that she was virtually
forsaken.
Horrible blow TO her love, her pride,
her hopes-nay, it destroyed even the
past that had worn so false q sweetness,
/ for it proved his heart to have been I'M
sound, his mind wavering all through.
For Lotties sake she tried to rouse
herself, but succeeded indifferently.
Dragging herself to the task, she wrote
TO free him from the engagement, and
read the answer, which came by return
of post, with bitter contempt that only
added more cutting pain to the wound.
Doubtless he had fallen in with some
woman who had had so strong fasclns-
ton that his old, dear, admiring love for
her had shrunk into passing fancy.
And yet how could any sudden attrac-
ton have so deep and true an existence
as that gradually developed affection IN
which all the hest part OF his nature had
been called ont
Slowly covering her incursble wound,
she looked around her-ah the world
was full of inexplicable wrongs and
transformations she wondered sue had
never noticed it before, and ceasing to
wonder at her own share In them she
resolved to guard Lotsie from such
treacheries. Lottie should be hard
hearted and give all her love to learning.
for books betray not, knowledge GER
tainly rewards its lovers and she would
rather see her in spectacles, with short,
unkempt hair, than wasting her heart on
man, who is unstable IA water.
And so, with gallant strivings to fill up
the rent made by falsehood, with wis
dom of practice and learning, Tasia
learned to creep through three long
months with lion yoke instead of wings
upon her shoulders. Neither the first
| Al loct -, xory truth hut II taEaa