Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-04

to his town house quite oblivious of the
awful secret he was bearing with him. His
thoughts turned with strange pain and
longing to his only child, the daughter
whom he had hardly seen. Once or twice
year she wrote him a short, affectionate
letter, and he answered it by sending some
present back from Africa, a strangely
carved bangle, paper knife, etc., and in this
way had satisfied his conscience he was do
ing all that was expected of him.
The death of his beloved wife Lucy
Egerton and of his infant son had
affected the whole course of his life. He
had thrown up every occupation, put
his little daughter under the charge of a
French goVerness of his wife's, before her
marriage, turned his back upon home, En-
gland, friends and child, and buried himself
in the wilds of Africa, hoping to stife sor-
row in life of hardship and adventure,
where he was soon forgotten by all save a
few literary friends, who watched his prog
ress and discoveries with a sort of faint in
terest, and his little, lonely, deserted child,
who passed her days in alternate monoto-
nous visits from the dull country house to
the, dreary town residence, both left by Gren-
fell Egerton's express desire in exactly the
same order as when occupied by his fair
bride-wife. As he stood on the steps Of his
old home in Queensgate square q flood Of
memories rushed over him, and on entering
the drawing room so well remembered,
though so long unentered. again he seemed
to see his wife sitting at the little writing
table, with the light on her fair hair. The
room, except for that dear presence, was ex-
aetly as he had left it; so far his orders had
been most carefully attended to. Would his
daughter be like her? 1t had always been
his fancy that he would one day trace the
features of his lost Lucy in his child's face.
With strange feeling he heard the rustic of
a woman's dress. The door opened, and his
daughter stood before him.
One glance at the girl standing timidly,
half afraid to advance, near the door, and
Grenfell Egerton felt cold wave of disap-
pointment, and his momentary afectionate
feeling died away as he bent down and gave
the girl q cold kiss.
A flush of color rose from her neck to her
white forehead, but she did not return his
embrace, and stood with downcast eyes be-
fore her newly restored father.
Many q man would have enVied Grenfell
Edgerton; the girl was beautiful A slight
but perfect figure, oval face, with dark,
dreaming eyes ringed with black lashes,
her color pale but delicate, and q wealth Of
dark hair wound in heavy plaits round q
small, vell-shaped head; her mouth was
small and sensitive, its expression was proud
and sad; her hand and feet were alike small
and beautifully shaped,a girl to be proud Of
Yet the father only felt vague unreason-
ing disappointment as his eyes took In all
the details of the girls beauty.
''You are not like your mother" he said
OF last to break the awkward pause which
followed his embrace, and has face and voice
alike betrayed feeling OF resentment II
only bis boy had lived, he thought bitterly;
what use was all this wealth to be at the
disposal Of girl, for he himself cared moth
ing for the money 80 unexpectedly be-