St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-27
NINA'S DISAPPOINTMENT.
A True Story.


man of wealth and good social position.
Norman Sherwood had reared his
niece with the same care as that he be-
slowed upon his own daughters, and,
good man as he was, always intended to
leave her comfortably fixed, as she had
no fortune of her own.
Through SuperStitiouS notions he put
off from day to day the making of his
will. which was to provide for his niece,
and on one fatal afternoon he had
just entered his palatial residence,
when he fell PROSTATE upon the mar
BILE floor of the corridor, In fit of apo
pleXy. Physicians were immediately
summoned: but all attempts toward
restoration proved futile, and within a
few hours the wealthy and beloved
Norman Sherwood, the man perhaps
above all others missed by the poor,
was but an inanimate piece OF clay.
Unfortunately for poor Nina, she had
never been fayorite with her aunt and
cousins, they always having been jeal-
Gus of her superior beauty, and also OF
her uncle's affection for her.
Hence she knew that from them she
would receive but little kindness, and
therefore was not surprised to find that
they acQuiesced in her plans for seeking
some employment by which she could
maintain herself.
Being a deft little needlewoman.
Nina found little trouble in obtaining
the situation she sought. and accord
ingly soon found herself installed in
the embroidery department of one of
the largest fancy stores on Broadway;
and here she formed the acquaintance
OF Emerson Barstow, her employers
son, who, after short acquaintance,
fancied himself desperately in love
with Nina's large, brown eyes, her
dark, shimmering. auburn ringlets, her
red, pouting lips, her sweet. musical
voice, and, in fact, with Nina herself.
He swOre that nothing could ever
change him: that he could never love
another, and that it mattered not what
argument his father brought to bear, he
was firm and Interchangeable, and that If
she persisted i'll refusing his suit she
would be held by heaven responsible
for his death.
And then it was that trusting Nina
placed her hand in that of her destroyer
for such Emerson BarStow proved.
Nina was happy-supremeiy II Apply
for she loved Emerson Barstow as only
such woman as she was could loVe,and
that it were possible for him to prove
unfaithful to her never entered her
mind.
Young Barstow had thought it pru-
dent to say nothing to his father at
present of his engagement, deeming it
best to defer their marriage for a year
or so. in hopes, as he said, that his
father might come by degrees to look
upon Nina as his future daughter-ln-
law.
Nina had left her aunt's house when
oh anH fal-aJl II n
her abode in a boarding house, where
Emerson Barstow visited her nearly
every night in the week Tor several
months after their engagement.
But at length his visits began to
shorten, and he seemed less demonStrat-
i've in his affections, and then several
evenings would elapSe in which he
failed to make his appearance.
1t was Saturday night and week had
passed in which she had not seen him
except i'll the store, and he had prom
ised faithfully to visit her that even
ing.
Eight o'clock struck the last stroke
had scarcely died away when the front
door-bell of Mrs. AndersOn'S boarding
house rang. Nina jumped from her
chair, and stepping to the staircase,
listened with bated breath and thrOb-
bling brow.
"Oh, thank heavens she whispered,
clasping her hands and raising her eyes
heavenWard; ''thank God, he has come
at last" and brushing aside the still
undried tears from her now pale cheek,
she quickly descended to the parlOr.
ooh, EmerSOn!" she cried, letting her
head sink upon his shoulder, Il am so
glad you have come. l had almost be-
gun to fear"
Look here, Nina don't be foolishr'
and Emerson BarstOw moved uneaSily
and impatiently on his chair, and did not
press the loving head close to his breast,
as had been his custom. Don't be
foolish, | say, Ninan'
''What-what do you mean?" she
questioned. II do not fully understand
you"
Il mean, Nina, that you ought to
know it is out of the question for me to
make you my wife, responded the mis-
cradle ScOundrel, i'll a tone of assumed
bravery, land that it is time that our
little farce ended"
And, with the coolest effrontery pos
sible to conceive. the villain told his
victim that all must end between them,
for he was soon to we'd another.
Nina Sherwood neither shrieked nor
tainted when the villain pronounced
her death sentence, but stood and
gazed into his face with all almost
idiOtic stare, until the vile wretch
quailed beneath it, and sought to take
her hand, and essayed to speak.
But she quickly Withdrew it and
pointed to the door, saying in hollow
and unnatural voice:
$50, you are a villain.'
Emerson BarstOw waited not for a sec
ond invitation, but was glad to make
his escape from the presence of the
woman he had so wickedly wronged.
Now that he had gOne-gone from her
forever, the poor girl. whose nerves had
been wrought up to their highest ten
sion, sank insensible upon the floor.
where, an hour later, the kind-hearted
1andlady found her.
Removing her to her room, she had
summoned physician, who found her
delrious and suffering from an attack
of brain fever. which babe fair to be
actually terminate her existence.
Consequently the poor girl was sent
to the city hospital tthen situated OPP
posite the city halD, where for days she
fingered between life and death.
But at length her fine constitution
won the race, and she was pronounced
out of danger; and when kind-hearted
DR.. Brown, the house-surgeon, informed
her that she would be discharged within
a few days, she buried her face in her
hands and wept aloud, and murmered
between her sObs:
s'Oh. doctor! why did you not let me
die? Why did you strive to bring me
back to all this misery?'
Poor Nina! her health was shattered;
her strength and courage had fOrsaken
her. She had, as it seemed, neither
home nor friends, and he who had
promised ever to love her had proved
unfaithful.