The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-09-27

| marry meF 10 ne sure, II had been
quite certain of that perhaps | should
have hesitated to proceed further. The
far-of, unattainable and dim is dear to
the soul of man-at least till it is his
to take or leave. One day. when we
were reading a new poem together,
card was brought i'll. Tell Mr.
Chester that L am engaged and cannot
see him tonight" l overheard her say
to the servant. Mr.. Chester does not
appreciate our author" she apologized
to me, land L am not self-sacrificiug
enough TO accept him in exchange for
Browning 1t occurred to ME ut that
time that there were other young men
belonging to aristocratic families VINO
had no fear of mesalliance with a
1andlady's daughter, although to be
sure they might be simply amusing
themselves, as gilded youth were wont
to do. Estelle would never go out
with me; she had no chaperon, she
said, | wondered what my sister-in-
law would answer should l write her
to chaperon my landlady's daughter to
Lohengrin, she who chaperoned only
/ the very elect. so to speak.
One evening the conversation drifted
into the subject of marriage. MIR.
Chester and some others were present,
and led the theme. II would marry
the woman loved" said Mr.. Chester,
''if she were beggar, and my father
disinherited me on the spot"
"Beggary signifies nothing" re-
turned another. ''One would not ask
has she dot. but has she blue blood"
IAN ancestral tree, in short, with
more roots than branches" spoke a
third. "As myself, Iconfess should
prefer my wife to belong to the im-
pecunious old families rather than to
the nouveau richie. Poor Bishop, how
his world came down upon him when
he fell in love with shopgirl. with
neither blood nor bullion, his mother
especially! But Bishop stood to his
guns; it must have taken lot of pluck
to weather all he did from friend and
foe."
"You call that pluck?" said Chester.
Il call it obstinacy. in his case. 1t
was such an easy thing for Bishop to
fall in love that he might have pleased
his mother and given up the girl"
.'And what do you think, MIR. Van
Huysam?" asked Estelle.
II? | think Bishop was fool; that
isl mean-there may be exceptional
shop girls who have all the refinement
and cultivation, all the traditions of
good breeding in the world; but
Bishops choice was not one of these.
She was simply beautiful, and he was
fool to allow himself. at his age to be
hoodwinked, so to. speak, by mere
flesh and blood"
Il quite agree with you," she said.
could have bitten my tongue out
when called Bishop fool-in fact,
the whole conversation had seemed
malapropos to me, and | went away
with a sense of defeat. But how could
l tell her that although l might draw
the line at the shopgirl, marrying
landlady's daughter was quite another
affair? Every day to be sure, l made
up my mind that would seek Estelle
no more; that the difficulties in the
case were too great to be surmounted;
but every day, all the same, found me
beside her, without self-denial enough
to resign the infinite charm of her
presence, and yet too weak of will
to accept all the consequences of such
alliance.
You will say that if l could thus
judge and weigh circumstances | was
not in love. But what is it, when your
soul is saturated with thoughts of one |
being, when you seem to be not so
much yourself as another? The hero
inc in '.Wuthering Heights" asks: ''Do |
l love Heathcliffep / am Heathcliffe;"
and SO, l am sure, / felt with regard |
to Estelle. l am certain that in time |
should have overcome all obstacles, that |
the nobility within me would have got |
the better of any meaner qualities, but
every mans nature or temperament is /!
in a manner his own fate. Had not |
been quite certain at this time that !
pleased Estelle, in spite of her gentle |
hauteur, perhaps l should have been
able to overcome my social scruples |
sooner. A few weeks later | was |
called away on business, and it was a |
month or more before | found it con-
venient to return. During that time l |
had written to Estelle more than once,
without, however, receiving any reply. |
Yet was sure she was mine, that |
had only to speak; and l meant to |
speak at last-to speak so eloquently |
that she would not remember the |
silence had been long.
went first to pay my respects to
Nine. Hampton.
Il have been making my will," she
said, after little.
"Your will, madame?"
"Yes. l have other heirs besides
Estelle. who may dispute it. They
will contend that am what you may
call crank But had method in
my madness. l beg you to be my
executor"
~ am at your service, madame.
THANK you. ! leave the bulk Of my
property to Estelle."
4 w no
found your business remunerative"
She chuckled audibly. ''Ihave found
it entertaining, enlightening," she
answered. at has paid me? Yes. !
have discovered who are my friends.
must tell you that Estelle is not my
daughter"
mot your daughterP"
"Are YOU disappointed? When her |
father died abroad, insOlvent, | was al
hand. We were both drinking the
waters at some German spa. Long
ago had been going to marry Mr..
Douglass. her father?"
"Mr. Douglass9"
"Yes. Does the name offend you?
When he diedI promised to take Estelle
i'll might give her my name and money.
There was Utterly nothing of the estate
for her to live upon. However. when
l returned from Europe / returned a
pauper. so to speak. Do you follow
me? | allowed myself a little mas
querade; deceived even Estelle, but l
have never deprived her of Il luxury;
even the lace on her handkerchief is
real. She often marvels that the busi-
ness is so good. have held the purse,
and she has been glad to work with
me. But my friends were too in
dignant at my misfOrtunes to lend me
aid. What business had to lose the
money which they might have in
heritedP Aud adopt daughter? They
wanted me to place Estelle in shop
Estelle! How l laughed in my sleeve!
l am now about to retire from
business; the doctor has advised me to
make my will You will find Estelle
in the music-room.
l entered the music-room without
knocking, according to my habit.
Estelle sat with her mandolin on her
| Ian hut every chord had snaDped in