St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-14
MASTER AND MAID.
An Old.Time Tale.


Fifty years ago young man and
woman stood in the garden of Master
HapwelPs home in Virginia. Their
names were Alice Fairborn and Edwin
Ashburton, and they had met to bid
each other long farewell.
Alice was an orphan under the guard
ianship OF Master Hapwell, rich
planter; Edwin was about to make a
long voyage, and their parting was
sad one.
Il shall see no fairer face than thine
while j am gone," said the young man,
gazing at the lovely girl.
Nor | a brayer," she replied, and
they kissed each other softly in the
moonlight. Young Ashburton rode
away, and Alice returned to her cham
Der. A moment later Master Hapwel
came out from behind the grapevine,
where he had been listening to the con-
yersation. His hands were elenched,
and he was eursing to himself.
Foolish boy, to think that he can
steal her from me-" he cried, shaking
his fist at the departing cavalier. 81
and no other shall wed the fair Alice"
Time passed, and Alice heard nothing
OF her lover. who should now be safe in
India. She grieved herself into a
shadow, and not even Master Hapwell's
Kindness could console her. She wasted
day by day.
One day man was announced who
brought news from India. ''If you
have news from Master Ashburton,"
Intercepted her guardian, ''tell US, for
we would be glad to KNOW"
II come from India" said the man.
"a sailor goes to many places; but
thence last. And [ saw a Master Ash
burton there. who came from America,
and he told me to give his reverence and
duty to Master Hapwell and his family.
And all was well with him. And he
was soon to marry rich young widow
an Indian widow with vast fortune.
| saw her, She shimmered in the sun
with jewels. and though she was as.
brown as berry, fancy he was con-
tent"
Here is something for thy news"
said Master Hapwell, putting money in
the fellows hand. and he went his way,
And then Master Hapwell came and
knelt beside poor Alice.
"Thou didst love this fellow" he
said; thou so fair and sweet, and he
will laugh at thy love with his Indian
widow. And people will say that he
has Tilted thee. My little girl, let thy
pride rise up; put it out of their power.
Marry before he does. l will kiss the
hand he throws away. Marry me. l
to save thy pride ask it, though /
have hidden my love for thee for
years."
He had taken the right way. Mis-
tress Alice gave him her hand to kiss
and let him marry her when he chose.
There was great wedding, and she
was as lovely a bride as ever had been
seen in the colonies, and afterward
good wife TO Master Hapwell, though
never gay and merry. And so ten
years passed by, and at the
end of that time Master Hapwell
fell ill. His life was in danger and
his wife nursed him tenderly, and only
left him for half an hour each day at
sunset to breathe the air in the grape
walk. There one evening, as she walked
slowly up and down, a man stood be-
fore her. His dress was worn: his face
was worn also: he was changed. but she
knew him for Edwin Ashburton at a
glance. And she drew herself up coidly
and looked at him with diSdain. He
also looked scOrnfully at her.
$50, L think, you know me-" he said.
"YOu have thriven better than /. You
made your neSt-not in poor mans
heart, but in rich mans house."
Il married a man who had been kind
to me-" said she. master Hapwell is
old, and man who heedS money; but
at least he did not try to win a heart
and then leave it. Was l to wait for
one who wrote me never letter? OF
whom the first news l had was that
he was wed to an East Indian Widow?"
'Alicen' cried Edwin, Il neither
wooed nor married any woman l wrote
thee often. / sent thee gifts, and when
ill fortune fell on me | hoped for thy
sympathy, but news came that thou
vert Master Hapwell's wife, and all
that while no letter in answer to mine"
what gifts didst thou send me?'
asked Alice.
"a rare shawl, an amber necklace and
a fan of peacock's feathers set with
pearls" said Edwin.
And then Alice cried out: 81 had the
gifts, but Master Hapwen said they
were from himself"
And then the two spoke at length,
and knew that Master Hapwell mad
hidden the letters and bribed the sailor
to lie, and that thus he had parted
them.
When Mistress Hapweli returned to
her husband a change for the worse had
trken place. He never spoke to her
again. He died and was buried. But
his lady wore no widows weeds, and to
the horror of the whole place she mar
ried Edward Ashburton one month
from the day of his funeral.
No one knew her story. II will say
no ill of the dead.' she said to Edwin.
Let them think ill of me. But for ten
years-nay, eleven. we were sad, be-
cause of his deed. We will be happy
now, though the world think i'll of u.s."
And so they seemed. And they left the
land together, very soon, leaving goSsips
to say what they pleased.
But later in her old age, think, the
woman told the story; for her descend
ants tell it still in the house that stands
where the Hapwell mansion stood-and
show her portrait on the wall, and the
fan of peacock feathers, set with pearls,
that Master Ashburton sent to Der from
India.
FORTY-FIVE MILES AN HOUR.