Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-14
HER INHERITANCE.
ran the Year Round.l
CHAPTER I.

r. house woman lay asleep on a sofa,
i ond man sat near Der with an open letter
In his hand II was longing house sit
INT Furnished apartment" which Is
10. to he enaced or disguised without
,"n,h care and skill and tins room bore
.,tcn of mother one nor the other. IL was
November afternoon, and the rain had
j been falling al day with that duh, dreary,
d,nrcssing persistence which Is character
;s.'c az November rain IN London; and
th,nrh IL was only o'clock the room
n ,o. hrbtcd rather by the Pickering FIRE
A then NV the light from without, which
Il only seemed 90 intensity the dreariness
vithin. as it hrooded over those corners in
n Winch DO still ruled, seeming 20 keep its
4 br,ghior rival At bay.
The shabby specimen of the fhard. Slip
81 rol,. horsehair-class of sofa on which the
II ,,.unan Law was drawn up close 20 the fire
II and tno dancing flames threw their uncer-
q ,.,n leht full on her face. II was so white
4 tast even the red glow faded 10 give it
Il color. aud ~ she Law sleeping there her
4 only egpreSsion one Of pain and distress, 10
4 WAS ,npp,Nble 30 tell whether in health
q pal animation she might or might not have
n boon pretty. II was young face-not
n more than nineteen, apparently framed
ln pale yellow hair which fell somewhat
Il lullIy about IL, and II was worn with
'afu and Illness: the mouth was
n strength, As was the delicate chin. The
fading daylight grew fainter and fainter,
4 tho freight triumphed and TcigDed IN
every corner, and still she lay asleep, and
fiI.l the man set motiouless by her side
As be watched her be saw her face lose the
strained look Of pain and happy smile
curve her white lips. What WAS she dream
ing Of An. he know well enough that her
dreams were always the same; he could
almost coujure up before hls own eyes, AS
Dee sat there in the dosolate room, tho
scenes IN which she WIS rosmlng 80 hap
pills ia droamland. Had she not told him
of them again and again Were not those
dreams the happiness OF her lifel
She is standing at a easement window in
the early morning light. She has Just
jumped mp from the little wooden bed
stead standing in "a corner Of She room
behind her, and opened the window. that
the sweet. pure air may TIL the little room,
rs she turns 90 the oak bureau and dresses
herself On the wide windOw-ledge are
pots ~ swect-smelling plants-scented ge-
ranium. lemon plant. and musk, and
round the window climbs q rose, whose
buds peep in on her as she throws back The
easement. As she stands there looking out
she sees directly underncatha quaint farm
house garden. its trim. clOse-cut grass. its
rpst--red. white. and pink-its old-fash-
toned swect-williams, stocks, and sweet
peas. all fresh and dripping with the morn
INE ifW. NIfHrT AWAY, Olil anu mus
tIncf IN the mist which the sun has not vet
had time 20 dispense, She sees green corn,
and fields, where haynaklng IS already
going on and as the scent Of the
hav and the song Of rising lark come to
her through the cool. sweet, morning air,
she hears her mothers voice cry, Do
Tothv D0rOthyi"
This is the low. oak -beamcd room where
she learned her lessons and sat at her
mothers feet 20 learn the mysteries of
plain noedle-work. There are her little stool
and her book the leg of the table still
bears the marks made long ago by little
kicking feet. How often she has watched
the pictures IN tho fire, sitting there IN the
old oak settle Into the VIDE, low entrance
hull now There IA the large oak chest IN
which she used 20 hide and up and down
those shallow stairs She has passed day 10y
day Tor eighteen years. All, here at thor
head rs her own little room. Here. and
under the willow down by the brook
which flows through the farm, she has
looked al her 10y and sOrrows in the face
SINCE first she had any sense Of JOY or sOr-
T1w. The position of the furniture, the
pattern Of the paper here. the sound of the
r,-fIug willow leaves. the look of the
clean blue sky as IT shines through-these
are woven into her very life, Tor they
have associated themselves with her deep
fst mental experiences. II was in this lit
Fle room that She shed the first bitter tears
Of her hfe-tears Tor her dead mother. II
Was under the willow two years later that
she heard the words. Dorothy, love you.
N3ll YOU b. my wife z"
II was ia this little room again-
The figure on the sofa stirred and moaned
little aud the man bent forward and
watched 1t anxiOusly as the distressed eX-
preston returned to the pale face.
Never To come back again! Never TO
see my home any moro. Oh, my home
MY home! Ohin
rhemoan became = cry. the thin features
were conyulsed with pain, and the man
knclt down 10y the sofa and said softly:
Do ,thy. Dorothy !"
She woke with start, and opening her
large blue ewes which shono with a wild,
hungry light, she stretched out her thin
hands toward him and cried;
Philip. Philip, has 1t Gomez Has he
answered? Will he let me 90 homer"
The man made no answer. He gathered
che trembling hands 20 his own and kissed
them tenderly.
may go home, Philip
Ny darling, try 10 be quiet-try to be
brave. There is letter. but
He says-nof"
He says-nO."
he was gazing INTO her eyes as he spoke
with hcart-sick anxiety as TO the effect Of
I'm. words A little shock seemed 10 pass
across her face haylng II gray and drawn
and She fell back painting a little, her
eyes StIll fixed on him, but with their light
gone.
Dorothy Oh, my poor love!"
Read me the letter"
mo. no. Dorothy"
Read me the letter.
lie obeycd, aud by the uncertain light Of
the fire read.
"SIr-You ask my permission TO bring
your wife 20 my house on the plea that she
J. .1n No lp
and that in her present state Of health her
life Is ENDANGERED thereby. Failing my
consent 20 this you ask me 10 satisfy her
sick fancy by promise that her child
should IL suTvive-shall be allowed to
learn 10 know and love its mothers home.
In acceding 20 either of these requests l
should break the word which passed TO
riv stepdaughter when she became your
wifc-that neither she nor hers should ever
cross my threshold again, am, &c,
JAMES FARMER
As he finished reading the man crushed
the letter in his hand with gesture Of
utttS loathing and contempt, and, turning
again 10 the woman beside him, he took
her into his arms.
Dorothy. my love. be brave. Don't |
look like that, Why did | ever come into
vour life? What can do for you? Doro- |
thy. Dorothy Is my love nothing to
your
She looked mp at him with strange,
warming expression in her blue eyes-the /
look of an animal that cannot understand /
or explain its feelings, and only knows that
IL suffers.
"Oh. Philip, yes - she said. "You |
know, You know Only my home! Oh, if
7 were strong IL would be different hut
living here thinking. thinking all day long,
i cannot keep my mind from my past life
my childhood, my mother and my home
When sleep 60 back there always in my
dreams: and when 1 wake-oh. Philip, /
cannot understand myself. | cannot put
r. into words. love You, dear, indeed in |
for my old home"
Her weak voice rang with a despairing, |
yearnng cry; and the man who loved her /
and who was impotent 10 satisfy the sick |
craving which he had seen for months eat /
ing away her life knelt by her side ia the |
now dying hrohght. and with his lips /