Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-07-18
HER FATHERS FAULT;
UNITED AT LAST.

"That Young lady whom you seem to adj
mire SO much,'' said Joe Evans, as we
walked around the ballroom. sis Diana
Evrescourt. She it was who Tilted Earl
Harcourt. The poor fellow went over to
Europe to hide his sorrow and read IN
foreign paper to day that he lost his life
during a terrific storm in the mountains.
AS / looked at the girls lovely face, so
pure in it's expression, l could hardly belleve
that she had sent poor Harcourt to his
death.
Joe left me few moments later, and l
saw he was talking earnestly to Miss Eyre
scourt was in the midst of dashing
waltz when terrible cry startled every one
in the room and I turned just in time to see
Diana Evrescourt fall heavily to the floor
in dead faint.
In an instant all was confusion. But no
effort served to break that death-like faint,
and amid murmuring expressions OF sym
pathy and curiosity as to the cause OF her
sudden illness, the motionless figure, with
it's rich robes flowing, and its golden head
dropping like broken flower, was tendeIly
lifted and borne from the room.
81 am sorry I broke it to her so harshly, :"
Joe said, as he walked home. ''But how
should l know she would care? The girl
has some heart, after all, it seems"
'Joe," l said, ''have you never thought
that some mistake may have been the
means of parting Harcourt and her? That
it might not have been her fault?'
"That could not be-" Joe replied, de-
cidedly. s'for Earl showed me the letter
which she sent him breaking their engage
ment. No girl could ever have loved
man and written as she did"
Two years afterward l was walking
through a crowded London thoroughfare,
when came face to face with stalwart
looking young man whom l could have
sworn was either Earl Harcourt or his twin
brother. At once the thought flashed over
me that perhaps my friend had escaped
death in the mountains. where he was sup
posed to have persisted two years before.
At the risk of making a mistake step
ned TO the gentleman's side and told him
that his resemblance to my lost friend, Earl
Harcourt. prompted me to address him.
He looked at me keenly moment, then
81 am Earl Harcourt myself" he said.
Sand you-yes, l remember-you are
Hugo Benton.
That night we talked way into the small
hours" and I listened with vivid interest
to the account of his great peril and provl-
Dental escape from death.
etBut why have you never returned to
America" 1 asked him at length.
A shade passed over his face.
Because he replied, "America is too
full of painful memories for me to ever wisf
to 90 back Save Joe Evans, there is NJ
one there care for; and l made up my
mind long ago Gas time went by and brought
me no word from him) that new Interest
must have crowded his old friend from hi
heart. OF course l had no idea false re
lcl bod
should have understood his seeming neglect
When did YOU see him last, and how is hep
Now had come She opportunity for which
I had been waiting. Drawing Joe's --latest
letter to me from my pocket laid it in bis
hand. 1t ran in this way-and the reader
will not wonder that as Earl Harcourt pc
rused its contents a strong agitation was
visible upon his dark face:
ssYou inquired in your last conce rnins
Miss Evrescourt. | have restoration tC
make to her. In my anger for what
deemed her cruel faleeness toward Ear
Harcourt I spoke and thought bitter things
of her, as you know. I have lately learned
that the poor girl equally with my deat
friend) was the victim of aeleverly planned
plot.
s'Her father ardently desired her marriag
with wealthy Sd itOr Whom he favored
and thinking IL the engagelnent oo1"eo'
her and Earl could be broken there woult
be no obstacle to his schemes, he himsel
initiated his daughters handwriting in tn
note which sent Earl, broken-hearte'
man, away from his native land.
SIT was through a friend, MIR. Evres
courts lawyer, that I learned the above
While examining his clients papers ate
his sudden death few months ago he dis
covered indubitable proof Of what l hav
told you, and knowing of my affection TO
Earl, and that l blamed Diana for all tina
had occurred, he felt it his duty to tell me-
the facts of the case.
"Even as l write Diana EVrescourt
very ill. l fear she is not long for thi
world; you know her mother died young.
That was all that bore upon the histor
l am relating.
AS may be readily surmised, the mex
outgoing steamer numbered Earl Harcour
among its passengers.
Though was not on hand to witness tn
meeting, heard afterward how quickly
in the refulgent light OF the love which fat
had so unexpectedly restored to her, Dian
Evrescourt's illness Of body and sadness O
heart left her.