Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-06-29

patches OF color In the July sunshine;
and, ON the tennis lawn at the side Of the
house. the nets were still up.
Jem and l had been playing there the
night before, and had picked pebble
OIL the grass and put It on the top of the
summer house. remembered some re.
mark the doctor had made about the
stone remaining there until I took Il
down again-I was reputed to be the
tallest man In Clayhill As turned into
the house I saw the pebble still where
had put It. and the triaing incident
brought home to mo swift realization
Of tho words, "In the midst Of life we
aro in DEATH" had to wait a few min.
utes In the little side passage to recover
my self possession before risked meet
ing poor Cynthia. She saw me just for
o few moments.
"Your mother has been 30 good, Ger.
aldr' she said gratefully. raising her
patient hazel eyes to mine. "But can't
come to you, as she wishes. There Is
Horace 10 be thought Of, you see; he will
suffer go terribly over thisl We shall
want to bo alone together until the first
wrench is over. But you'll know I'm
grateful all the same, won't your"
Jem was right This calm, self con.
tanned grief was thousand times more
touching than cries and sobs would have
been. As she stood there, with tho tears
quivering in her steadfast eyes and her
lips set in the saddest curve have ever
seen, hut without sound or movement
about her suggestive Of the indulgence
OF grief, I felt as IL some one had sud.
denly clutched my throat in a grip OF
steel / raised her hand to my lips in
passionate sympathy, and left her with
my mother.
Before that week was out Cynthia
Debenham had need Of all tho sympathy
we could give her. When the affairs Of
the dead man wero examined, they were
found to be in an almost hopeless state
OF muddle. He had dabbled in financial
schemes; and on the day Of i,is death he
had lost about twelve hundred pounds.
This discovery left no doubt In my own
mind that his money troubles had had
large share in causing his sudden death.
Horace, when he found how things
were, wanted to offer tho creditors a
composition; but Cynthia succeeded,
after days of patient persuasion, in
talking him out of this idea. The
brother and sister came to us the even.
ing after the funeral, and discussed
their future plans in the twilight after
dinner.
Horace wanted to secure few hun.
dreds out Of the estate and emigrate,"
Cynthia told me, as we sat little ro-
moved from tho others; 'but knew II
was hopeless scheme. What do we
know about farming or sheep raisingi
We should certainly be swindled out of
our little capital, and come home at the
end OF year or SO absolute paupers.
Besides, there is our fathers good name
to be thought Of. Mr.. Sedger tells me
that, If we are satisfied to leave every.
thing for tho creditors, we shall be able
to pay them in full"
But" I demonstrated, "the creditors
themselves would not expect such self
denial as that. Itwould be preposterous
to leave yourselves without q penny in
the wouldv"
"We sha'n't quito do that" she an.
swered, with a certain quiet, gentle de-
cision in her voice which knew OF old
to bo absolutely without appeal. "We
shall take furniture enough to make two
or three rooms comfortable--the break.
fast room chairs and couch and SO on
and start housekeeping on our own ac.
count in a very humble way in town.
Horace has decided to accept your offer,
and to enter the Office at once, Gerald"
"That's all right as far as it goes; and
I'm glad Of Ill" l said grumpily. "But
what about you, Cynthia? It does boys
good to rough It bit; bu. don't like
tho notion of your doing it. You don't
know what life is like in fourth OF
fifth rate suburban lodging house, cspe
cially when you're cramped for money,
as you would be-"
Snow, don't be hard on my poor little
plan" she whispered pleadingly. "You
don't know what trouble I've had to talk
Horace into it; and, if he once gets no
ton that you are against 1t too, I shall
have all my trouble over again. ! assure
you, Gerald, it is the only honest course
open to us! AS for being cramped foi
money, that can hardly be possible with
the hundred and fifty a year you have
offered Horace and the sixty or seventy
shall earn!"
"You earn? Howl"
The tone Of her voice was more plead
ing than ever as she answered softly:
Il mean to get an engagement as daily
governess in n family"
1t Is all a pack of romantic nonsenser
exclaimed, angrily. "Why can't you
make yourself contented here with nv
mother and Jem for a few months until
your first mourning for your father is
over, and then come to tho homo will
prepare for your"
"You are SO good, Gerald! But Hor.
ace
"Why should your life be sacrificed to
Horace?' ! cried again. IF he can't
live alone on his salary, let him come
and make his home here and be son 10
my mother when am no longer with
her."
Her face flushed wildly, but she sup
pressed her emotion and answered quiet
ly enough:
"Do you think we could consent to
live on your charity like that? Even
while you propose it you know well
enough how impossible it is for Horace
to accept such an Offer"
Then let him live en- garcon in these
lodgings you speak of, and you come
here to my mother until All do, Gym
THAR cried imploringly. AZ saw her
lips tightening resolutely. 'Let me beg
OF you not to expose yourself to the pet
ty wearing discomforts Of such life as
you propose. You can form no idea Of
what it is like!"
ut is all very well for you to talk
about living en- garcon, with your knowl-
edge of the world and your extend
ed experience, not to speak of your
thirty odd Years of wisdom. Rut with