Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-05

posing, - WISH 10 speAk TO you ICF
moment. They re going TO clear away
the tables for dancing. l won't keep
you many moments.
without asking Mr.. Mayhem TO excuse
her departure, the girl rose and followed
Ashton, glad TO get away from her I'M
welcome companion. She nodded to An
ME Farrimond, and smiled at Mark as
she passed him, and then she and mine
host of the "Star'' made their way into
q snug little room on the upper floor of
the inn.
"Do you know, Nellie,' said Dan,
as he poked the sleepy FIRE into a bright
blaze, "that have always taken great
interest in your
She nodded, remembering many little
acts of Kindness he had done her in past
years. As child she had received num-
berless oranges and countless ha p 'orths
of coffee from him; whenever he had en-
countered her playing in the streets, or
going to and from school, he had stopped
her and patted her on the head.
''Since l first set eyes on you that
morning in the entry when you were ly-
ing asleep in your dead mothers arms,
1 took to you somehow, and l like you
still, Nellie. -
The girl said she was glad he liked her,
and he continued in quiet tender way
she could not quite understand.
''Poor woman! poor woman! 1t was
a hard thing to die like thai. Then he
added, rousing himself, 81 suppose you
often think of your mother, Nellie, and
wonder what she was like?''
every often, - the girl said gravely.
"Would you like to see a picture of
her?''
"Oh! How much! But you are not
serious, Mr.. Ashton. There is no PIC
ture of my mother anywhere.
''There isl have one. I'll show it to
you in a minute.
He turned to an old set OF chest Of
drawers which stood in one corner of the
room, and fumbling in his pockets for
his keys unlocked one of the upper re-
ceptacles, drew out a miniature picture
painted in oils, and framed in a pretty
setting of chased silver. This he handed
to Nellie without word.
sis this my m0ther?' the girl asked
in an excited, eager way as she glanced
ct the portrait OF the refined, beautiful
face she held in her trembling hands.
''Look in that looking glass and then
you Will be satisfied!' Ashton cried.
''The picture you hold might easily be
between you and your mother is 30
great.
She glanced in the mirror on the man.
tie, and then back to the picture in her
hand. She was satisfied then. AS Dan
had SAID, the likeness was so plain that
no one could have missed noticing 1T.
''But how did you get this? Where?
When?"
''You may have heard he replied,
''that Mr.. Willard, the photographer,
took your mothers likeness before she
was buried, and few years agoI got
copy of it from him, thinking that you
would Iike-when you grew up-to see
what your mother was like when alive. -
''But this is palnting-nota photo, -
she replied quickly.
eyes. I got man in Manchester to
paint it for me, Nellie. l told him all
about the dead woman, so far as 1 re-
membered-the color of her hair and
eyes, and so forth, and he made a capl-
tai job of it,
''But why did you take all this trouble,
Mr.. Ashton, if I may ask?''
"WelI, weu,' Dan faltered, "I
thought of giving you a pleasant sur
prise when you became woman. That
was all, assure you
cit was very kind of You-very kind, -
the girl said in quivering tone and with
dim eyes. "sPoor MOTHER she lifted
the picture, and touched il lovingly,
reverentlY with her lips-''I shall never
know now who you were. -
''I suppose, - said Dan, coughing to
hide his confusion, ''that you would like
to keep the picture?'
'Oh, so much, Mr.. Ashton,'' she
exclaimed, turning her moist eyes upon
him.
"Then keep it, Nellie, intended all
along to give it to you'll had it painted
for that very purpose
This was hardly the truth, but Dan
was not too scrupulous, as the reader is
aware, and he had reasons for wishing
to get into the girl good graoes.
She thanked him, and he said that he
would wrap it up, and she could take it
away when she went home. He put the
picture back in the drawer, re-looked it,
and then turning to her said:
81 think, Nellie, you are satisfied now
that take great interest in all that
vou?''
"Oh, yes, or else you would never
have prepared this pleasant surprise for
me. -
"'You know that couldn't do any
thing-w ouldn t advise you to take any
steps unless I thought it was for your
own good
She nodded, not at all diyining the
idea he had in his mind.
"And you will allow me to speak
plainly to you?''
"Certainly, Mr.. Ashton. -
"'It's about young Mayhem" he be-
gan, somewhat uneasily, despite her as
surances, "that 1 wish to speak. May
1 do so?''
''Of course-why shouldn't you?''
"You know that he will be a very rich
man some day-will own his own faoto-
ries and all that sort CT thing. He has
only come here to learn the business. -
$50 he has told me!' she said, with
a peroeptible hardening of her voice,
and her face set itself more grimly.
"Wouldn t it be worth your while, -
he limited, ''to show the young fellow
little favor?'
Her curling lip was Nellie IS only re-
Spouse to this.
"'He seems very much struck with you.
You may ride in your carriage yet if you
only play your cards right.
81 am never likely to ride in Walter
Mayhew's carriage, Mr.. Ashton, if that
is what you mean,'' Nellie said with
half contemptuous laugh. 81 don't
like him, and think 1 never shall. -