The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-08-18

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he said. II often wonder if you really
mean it.
81 am afraid do" Anna sadly replied.
"Would you care to hear my history, Mr..
Vanbruton7 1t is not particularly inter
esting or cheerful one, and am a very
commonplace heroine; but still it will
show you that have a little excuse to
grnnlble."
Indeed, should like to hear it." he
this bench"
They sat down, aud Anna proceeded
with her story, gazing dreamily at the
lake as she told it, and never suffering
her eyes to meet his.
1--WE were never very well off," she
began. 'sBut I remember q time when
we lived happily enough in a small sub
urban villa at Norwood. My mother
died when was quite young; she had
been great singer, and her death made
a good deal of difference to us, as il
was her earnings which had enabled US
to live fairly comfortably. My father
wrote for the papers and some periodi-
Gals, and know now must have been q
weak sort of man, but how loved himi
was his constant companion, and would
sit up with him night after night, quietly
reading while he wrote; he used to say
that it inspired him to have me in the
room with him, SO there / used to sit,
when other girls of my age were in bed
and asleep hours before. When / was
10 1 received my first blow. My father
married again. His second wife was a
widow with small property, but oh!
fearful temper. think he married her,
hoping she would retrieve our fallen
fortunes, instead of which she dragged
us down deeper and more hope
lessly into the mire than we had
ever been before. Poor old Dad, he
saw his mistake too late, and / think
he fretted for our old happy days Be
fore long his health began to fail, and a
cold settling on his lungs killed him, and
| was left desolate--so very desolate!
My only brother was ranching in Amer
lea, but l had a bare pittance to live
upon, and at once left my step-mother
andysought for situation. was lucky,
as thought, and became companion to
an invalid lady, whose husband was in
India. We began to be sincerely at
tached to one another, and for a year /
was very happy. Then, one black day,
the husband returned. He was brute,
and treated her badly, but she loved him
devotedly, and never owned he could do
wrong. How can ! tell you what next
happened? He turned his odious atten-
tons towards the humble companion,
and tried to make love to her almost be-
fore his sick wife's eyes. How hated
him! and one fine morning told him
SO. He was mean and revengeful, and
made out to his wife many wicked lies
about me. She believed him, and would
not listen to anything had to say, SO I
was dismissed with ignominy. What
was | to do then? Fortunately Dick,
my brother, in the mean time, had
returned from America. / went to
him. and he gave me shelter until
/ had found another engagement. This
time was with a lady / had known in
the days of my comparative prosperity;
she was kind, but / had many hardships
to put up with. I remained with her
s. \ L
came engaged to be married to a man
who was frequent visitor at the house.
He was well off, young, and not bad
looking, and / thought at the time that
loved him very much. A month before
our wedding day, threw up my s.situa-
ton" and went home ito my brother's)
to make preparations and get ready my
small trousseau. Everything was ar
ranged, even to the minutest detail of
our wedding tour: when, just week
before the suspicious event was to take
place, my adorer disappeared, leaving
me polite little note saying that he
feared he should never make me happy,
and that he was on his way to Australia,
and, heard afterwards, in the company
of another lady. After this cheerful ex-
perience, abjured matrlmony, and felt a
genuine hatred towards the male species.
Well, struggled on. sometimes with
good luck, more often with bad, and
here am, having reached the mature
age of Internationally, with nothing
very brilliant to look back upon and
nothing very joyous to look forward to-
There, have finished my tale of woe.
Have you been edified?"
As she finished speaking, Anna rose
from the bench, and they began to walk
quickly towards the cathedral.
''Thank you very much for telling
me-" said her companion, and added
eagerly, his fair face flushing and his
voice trembling, 'You say may be your
friend. but / seem to be SO powerless to
help you in any way"
'.Have you not learnt by this time, :"
said she sadly, "that woman is not al
lowed to have any friends belonging to
the opposite sex? 1mean no real friends
who could ever be of any service to her.
The world does not recognize any such
thing as purely platonic friendship. If
one of us happens to take an interest,
however slight, in man, or is remarked
upon as seeming to enjoy his society, or
he ours, the world instantly exelainas,
with its usual disregard of the charity
that thinketh no evil How shockingly
Mrs. A. or Miss B. is carrying on with
that Mr.. Dr. This same idiotic world
cannot imagine that a man and woman,
having instincts in common, and fine
sympathy one with the other. NAV be