New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-29


pcton of the enterprise And now She, judith
Vanderpool, the last OF her lame, was ABOUT 10
succumb to this unherolc destiny III was De1Ver
So She would have chosen this very way OF
death il she might. She had been tortured by
one dread, and over again, during these years
of poverty and privation, and she gave llttle
hysterica laugh she remembered II now. III she
had broken down and died in the midst OF her
unsuccessful struggle she had not the wherewlthal
10 buy her funeral STROUD. NOW no one woulu
know, no one would care.
Oh the terror of il Not death. Many were
there who would know her and greet her gladly;
father mother, brother, friends of her Childhood
the only friends she had kept But that last
thought To drop out and never be missed ';,I 10
care. Why should she grievc over 1t now! one
had. of her own WILL separated herself from All
human interests; she had never cared Tor human
cOmpaniOnShip or love.
But, oh God she did care. She knew it now.
Face 10 face with this terrible ana Lonely deatn
she had come to n knowledge OF herself Nursing
her foolish pride and family traditions, measuring
all the world by false standards, she had wrongcd
herself most Of all What was it that had so
touched her in the humble home she had Just leit
breaking down the barriers Of her own reserve,
drawing her on and out Of herself. until she longcd
to claim some little part in it? what was IL Dut
the glad and sacred atmosphere oil pure Ialhiy
affection? Oh, her lite had 9een ch EN- ~ ehay
And the one human love that she might nave nae
she knew il nOw-wOuld have made her HAPPY
woman, she had scornfully rejected. On, II sne
could only live her life over if she could put take
up its tangled threads again WIN cleareu Nlsioh
T. was then that she sent up her first and only
cry for help. Hitherto she had been silently re-
signing herself to death with a calmness ana Dig,
nifty bcitting a Vandcrpool. Now prolonged ana
mournful cry went out over the marshes, when
startled the seagulls which rose ana whee,ca AIM
lessly about against the darllcning sky. The cry
was taken up and answered far out on the marshes
There sudden commotlon about the large,
lanterns flashed outside, and by their light shc
could see dark forms moving about But she
she was sinking, sinking
when she came to herself she was in her own
little room. Ii was very quiet ana c0mIortaDle:
Her landlady fitted in and out, with look OF
honest concern on her careworn race 30 inc
world was not so hard, after ALL She-the OOrgon
seemed glad that her delinquent LOGGER was
alive and said no word about the rent overdue
Somebody had pulled the lounge on which she
Law up TO the stove and there was IA fire there,
The first for many weeks for her own fuel had
given out in February. and she had been freezing
ever since-freczng heart and body And what
was that brewing on the stove, that sent hucn
delicious fragrance through he room1
Now my dear said the Gorgon pouring
something into clumsy carthcn cup, and handing
il TO her Just you take this cup of coffee and
You've been looking Tcalcd and misablc this
long time. Folks that feeds theirselves don't
fake no proper care. Pvc been thinking. this
long while, that if you'd just take your living
qlong Of me and give panny lessons 10 my Salry
Ann-but | hardly dared ask it,, You being sch
fine player and she having no instrument unless
you'd maybe let her come up and practise tunes
wben YOU was in and could watch and sec she
didn't dirty the pearl keys or spllc tt LONELY
and rough as she was, there was delicate hush
on her thin check rs she checked herself IN her
Didn't dare ask it, Miss vanderpool would
have acted as the chldS nurse, scrubbed floors,
washed dishes, if she had asked it. The backbone
Of her pride was broken. But what was the
woman saying now?
And now if you'll let me tidy up bit and
make things half way decent, for the gentemans
been waiting to sec you this long time .. -.
The gentleman! What gc2ileman p MISS
VandcrpOol was not used to callers. The landlady
answered her inquiry: -
Why, who but him that saved you Him
that brought you here in his arms, looking IKE
dead and all covered with midland pretty slgno
you were. Miss Vanderpool. And awful work 1t
was cleaning you up if you be lady!
What made Miss NanderpooPS face aiiame ana
her heart beat so? Ii might be any one OF
thousand men. There was no reason, no reason
in the world. she told herself, why it should be
any particular one.
No. not luck. Chance rarely fayors such men as
he. All that they have is won by hard endeavor'
and persistent faith, and logged watchluinesS;
Luck is more apt TO buffet them, to CAL out an
the slumbcring forces in them and show the
stuff of which they are made. lie had turned and
followed Miss Nandcrpool at respectful distance
that afternoon he had met her on the street IL
was getting late, and he had some Old-fashloncd
notions. now almost out Of date, prejudicial to a
woman's going about at night unprotected, upon
the streets When he saw the lonely direction IN
which she was tending, he had followed still
more rcsolu;cly, for he knew the character OF the
men along the water front better than she. And
who could tell whom she might meet IN that
wrctchcd place at such an hour? When she
stopped TO look seward he had gone down over
the marsh. both because he had some instruction
10 rive to his foreman and because he feared she
would discover him in turning back lie had been
first 10 hear the wild, bcsecchng cry, and to real
i've its purport; TO start out with party OF men
provided with lanterns. planiS ropes, every thlng
needful; to man a boat and row Hereby up the
slough, flooded at high tide, directly 10 the spob
where human life-so precious to hlm-was gong
out: 10 throw himself out upon the morasS brac-
ing himself on the planlls that they had brought
and finally, like the true knight that he was, to
gather the unconscious girl in his arms, covered
with mud as she WIS, and wrapping his coat about
her bear her 10 the place she called her home
But John Ashton was not the man to claim
any rccompcnse for the service he had rendered
The more serious her peril the greater the risk he
had run on her behalf the more need that he
should be delicate and distant IN all his bearing
toward her; that he should try to make her forget
ne had ever press any claims upon her lie
would not have come now had &c been his own
free agent She saw that the moment he opened
the door. and shranlS from her own thoughts He
surmiscd the look upon her face, and interpreted
IT, in his own way. SO she diSlllIcd him so much
that IL CALLED her to think that he had put her
under such obligations. Well well! If he had
had the time to consider il might have been bet
ter 10 have left II &c one Of the men, r. at least
TO have concealed his own connection with 1t.
You are feeling better, Miss VandcrpooT'
There was not nole in his voice beyond the
ordinary requirements OF courtesy Shc answered
him in kind
Quite we'll now thank you. Won't you be
seated motioning him 10 "a chair.
thank YOU BIT he still remained standing
his hat in his right hand his left hand-was it her
fancy were the fingers clcnchcd changing cas-
lily beside him.
came" he said in a matter-of-fact way,
about a matter Of business. | tried to speak to
YOU on the street to-day. You were not willing
10 listen You were right IL was not the proper
place.
You mistooll. 1t wasn't that. I preoc-
cupicd / couldn't have talked thcn-with any
one" she explained, hurrcdly, and in a low voice.
He scarcely noticed her words and did not at all
comprehend them, but went on, i'll a formal bust
ness way
a matter OF business. I was authorized TO
conduct some negotiations with you. They con-
Germ the NanderpOO estate"
Weak as che was and broken she was, she
could not suppress little laugh. only half mirth-
ful- hni WHOLLY snrcnslic. Tho Nandornnol estntel