The Washington critic., 1889-02-09
MYRTLE'S MARRIAGE.

Digby Lawson, a young traveller,
was driven TO take shelter during q
snowstorm in lonely house. There
were two women there when he en-
tered, one elderly and sulen-looking,
who prepared his supper for him. and
a slender, blaok-eyed creature, rocking
slowly in front of the fire, whom the
former addressed as Myrtle.
He found out in the course of the
evening that the younger of the two
was the step daughter, and That she
was insane. There seemed to be
settled antagonism between them, and
Lawson could not help wondering
what the mystery WAS OF that lonely
house, and If the step-daughter really
was insane.
When he was with Myrtle alone a
few minutes he questioned her and
found she spoke nationally and sen
sibly. The step.mother returning
again she questioned him eagerly
about what the daughter had said to
him, but he only shrugged his shout
ders, for he did not like her looks.
Before he drove away he was intro
duced to the woman's son, Stephen
Bird, q redfaced, coarse looking man,
who seemed to take great interest in
Myrtle.
He found, on reaching the village
and making inquiries, that the woman
who entertained him was named
Phebe Andres. She had been house,
keeper TO Myrtle's father, who finally
married her, and dying soon after
ward, left her guardian to his daugh-
ter and her large property.
She was now trying to marry the
girl to Stephen Bird, and twas limited
that some coercion was used.
All the rest of the journey Lawson
thought of that girls hard fate. and
pitied her. When business brought
him around again over the same route,
he could not resist the impulse of call
ing at the lonely house.
He had no very sufficient excuse for
calling, but he found it difficult to
pass. The sight Of face at one of
the sitting room windows, which
might be Myrtle's, decided him.
He got off his horse and went slowly
up the path to the house.
The face disappeared from the win
dow and presented itself at the door
before he had time to knock 1t was
Myrtle's, but 1t had grown thinner to
haggardness, and the great black eyes,
circled with shadows, seemed to have
absorbed all the vitality of the small,
slender figure,
Miss MYRTLE" he exclaimed, care
you ill2"
She laughed.
IF am, my disease is named Ste
| phen Bird. Have you come back, sir,
to test the tender Inequalities of my
stepmamma?"
II was passing. and seeing your face
| at the window, / thought would call
few moments. Aren't you going to
invite me IMP
"NotI. shall be locked up again
if you come in.
again ?"
She nodded "Step-mamma turned
the key upon me when you were here
before. That is nothing uncommon.
| People who have such timber tongues
as mine often have to be locked up,
step-mamma says
The mockery of her tone and look
was something indescribable, She
had the air of one goaded to despera-
ton. Digby noticed that her little
hands, as she held them loosely clasped
before her, trembled with nervous
! ness.
He looked at her anxiously. miss
MYRTLE" he said, 81 may be presump-
tuous, but it seems to me you are in
trouble. You have spoken to me with
! frankness for which / may be in
debted both to circumstances and your
within. But II appears to me that you
have spoken out of full heart. I
should like TO be of service to you."
The dark face lighted electrically,
and clouded again
81 don't know how you CAM she
said, gloomily.
Tell me just what the trouble is"
She glanced over her shoulder.
at is a wonder stepmamma is not
here before now. l haven't any trouble
but Stephen Bird, " she said, jarringly.
"He'll be the death of me, if i live
long enough"
''Do they want you to marry him?"
She nodded.
"And you won'G"
"And ! won't, most emphaticallyP'
Have you said so?"
"About twenty-four times day for
the past year."
why don't YOU run away?"
"Where would ! run to? Everybody
is on her side?'
II am not viii you marry me,
Myrtle-that is, if / give you satisfac-
tory evidence of resnectability?'
Myrtle shrank little, and her face
turned scarlet, but she said simply;
II like you; ] did from the first. II
would not be very hard to marry you,
aud be forever free of Stephen Bird"
''Be at the gate, then, at dusk,
will come by In carriage"
Myrtle gave him her hand on it, and
went in just in time to intercept her
stepmamma in the hall. But she came
from the back part of the house, and
had seen nothing.
AT dusk Digby Lawson drove slowly
past the Andres gate. 1t swung wide
as he did so, and Myrtle ran out.
They were married within few
hours, and the intensity of the chagrir
and amazement of Stephen Bird and
his mother 1t would be impossible tC
portray
| pROFFssOR Cooks Balm of Life will cur,