St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-07-20

out OF DOORS
And Donald, who had been brought
up in luxury and idleness as his grand.
fathers heir. chose the latter alterna.
tive. and left his home. He came
straight to David Hillburn, and told
his story in a manly fashion that won
instant sympathy.
Il have not come . beggar to ask for
your heiress." he said. ..but to tell you
my plans. My mothers brother, in
San Francisco, has offered me q situa.
ton in his counting-house many times.
My grandfather scof1ed at the idea o!
my leaving him. but now l shall accept
the offer. In three years l will return
to tell you. if my prospects will satisfy
you, that l can support a wife. May
see Lorna?"
The last request, timidly offered. was
granted instantly, and the lovers part
ed with mutual vows of constancy.
l must own that I was greatly sur
prised, when the interview was desc~ib-
ed to me. that David Hillburn. loving
his child as he did. allowed Donald to
60. Surely. thought, out Of his great
wealth he could establish his son-in-
law in some business near home. and
see Lorna happy.
But six months after l understood
better why he was silent. Even in that
hour he was q ruined man. Specula-
ton after speculation had failed. and
he was struggling by still more desper-
ate ventures to retrive his lost fort
unes. When the task was hopeless he
took his own life.
Was it strange. in that time Of agony.
that /, his brother in love. il not in
blood. stepped forward to sustain the
heart-brOken widow. the desolate
child? Without one selfish thought /
worked over the ENHANCEMENT OF the
estate. only to find debt inevitable-to-
tai ruin certainty.
Mrs. Hillburn. though her life had
been one of perfect ease. was no baby.
to fold her hands idly. and though past
fifty years OF age. she accepted her
position with quiet resignation. The
handsome house on the outskirts of the
city was claimed by the creditors Of
the estate. and one was taken in good
locality. to be opened for boarders. I
was the first applicant, leaving the
hotel l had called homo for thirty
years to occupy two Of Mrs. Hilburn's
rooms.
If had loved Lorna as a child, as
gentle maiden. my love took c new i'm
petus in due respect. as l watched her
wOmanhoOd develop in her hour of
trial. She had borne Donald's absence
with . patient submission that Was
very touching In one whose whole life
had been flooded with sunshine. aud
now she took up her share of the new
burdens with courage and willingness.
Her proficiency in music was sufficient
for her to form class OF pupils very
soon after her fathers death, and she
was thus enabled too add materially to
her mothers means.
But it cut me to the heart to see
how both mother and daughter dropped
under their burdens. In spite Of their
brave. patient resolve to live an inde-
pendent life. earning their own sup
port, they were utterly unfit for the
weary struggle. Delicate women,
reared in luxury. they showed plainly
the physical strain in their pale faces
and heavy eyes.
And while all this sorrow was still
new. q newspaper paragraph recorded
the sudden death Of Donald Ennis in
San Francisco.
We feared Lorna would die. in the
long. dangerous illness that followed
the reading of this news Her mother
found her insensib.e. grasping the
paper, and she came out of her long
swoon only to rave in delirious fever.
We learned. in her grief. how strong
her love had been. and wondered at
the cheerfulness that had covered q
heart SO sorely tried. But she came
back to life. . shadow OF her old
bright self. patiently taking up her
routine OF duty again, though pale and
sad as she had never been before.
For year watched her with all q
lovers interest. seeing her hold upon
life weaken visibly. until the family
physician whispered to me that only a
speedy removal to q milder climate |
would prevent consumption.
Then l spoke. Then for the first |
lime l told the love / had hidden for |
years. and asked Lorna to be my wife.
told her frankly that did not expect
her to give me the love she had given
Donald, or even that she could forget
him. But I would DO satisfied il she
would continue to love me as she had
lone all her life. only giving me the
light OF husband to replace her in q
home of wealth. and take the necessity
II bread-winning from her frail hands.
And she consented. Once betrothed,
he grew SO winsomely loving that my
lcart filed with delicious content it
lad never known. 1t was as il the
,ratitude she felt to me was merging
title by little into love; true, wifely
owe. And believe then, and believe
low, that it was. ] believe that as my
vifc, Lorna would have learned to love
ne. and me alone. had We married.
The wedding preparations went for
Fard briskly. for Mrs. Hillburn and
vere both anxious to have Lorna ready
o so south in September. and escape
ny danger from winter winds.
Upon the seventeenth we were to bo
and the seventeenth dawned
right and clear; q day to mako the
eart glad. How glad mine was when