Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-17

with 8 sad heart, and the little group OF
! mourners chung together in the semi
| darkness weeping and walling for their
| dead, while the rain beat against the
| wIndow-panes, and the wind sighed and
moaned round the desolated home.
| The next few days were very misera-
! BILE ones Mrs Lotus wandered about
| for the first two nights unable to bear
! the burden of her anguish il she were
| still, and the consequences OF this was
| that she took a chill and was seized with
congestion of the lungs, and the bodily
| pain perhaps helped TO benumb at the
| time her great and lasting sorrow. Her
mothers illness at all events reused
/ Nancy from her first deep grief. She
! had 10 look after everything now, for
the doctor ordered that Mrs. LOTUS was
not to be disturbed, and Nancy had no
other relation near to help her.
The poor girl tried to be very brave,
but IL was a heavy task that she was
forced to undertake. Her father 5
death not only was great and terrible
blow TO them all, but it meant also loss
Of position and income, for Colonel Lof-
tus had been able to save very little.
Many kindly letters of sympathy came
to the little house in the quiet suburb
which Mrs. Lotus had taken for herself
and her children to await her husband S
return. These letters were from the Of
fcers of Colonel Lotus regiment; from
their wives; from the many friends and
acquaintance be had made during MS
wanderings, were one and all couched in
terms of the deepest and most affection
ate regret for the genial, kindly man
who was gone.
every soldier in the regiment feels
he has lost a friend, - wrote one; ''his
untimely death has spread a universal
gloom over us, - another had penned;
1--WE feel most deeply for you all, -
most tTuthfully affirmed a third.
Nancy had to open these letters, read
them, and answer them, while her
mother lay weak and sometimes half de-
lirious up stairs. And little by little
first after a visit from her fathers law
yer, which was intended for her mother,
but Mrs. LOTUS was too i'll to see him
Nancy began to understand that they
would be very poor; that there was not,
indeed, sufficient left to support them
even in ordinary comfort.
One of these letters of coincidence
mentioned their want of means plainly,
though very kindly. This letter was
from Lady Blenkensop, Gen. Sir
Charles Blenkensop's wife, and both
Lady BIenkensOp and Sir Charles were
old intimate friends of Col. and Mrs.
Lotus. 1t was addressed to Mrs. Loft
tus, but Nancy having by her mothers
wish opened it, she began to realize in
full their unfortunate position.
1t commenced by expressing the true
sorrow that the general and herself alike
felt at the loss of $50 kind and worthy a
man as your dear husband; - and it went
on in sympathising terms to regret that
Lady BIenkensop feared and had heard
that Col. LOTUS having thus been cut
off in the midst of his days, would have
been unable to leave a sufficient provis-
ion for his family.
land now my dear Mrs. LOTUS, "
wrote this plain spoken friend, 81 do
trust that if either the general or myself
can do anything to assist you in your
troubles that you will not hesitate to ap-
ply to US. l have been thinking about
your eldest girl; she is old enough to do
so. and naturally will be most anxious
TO help her widowed mother, and my po-
sition here would, am quite sure, en-
able me to procure her a good situation
in one of the families around. When
you write tell me what you think of this
scheme. You will have more than
enough to do to rear and educate the
two younger children, and then your
boy at SCHOOL, Nancy is fine girl, and
it is her duty now to endeaYor to assist.
you, and 1 shall be glad to learn that she
is willing to do so. -
AS Nancy read these words her pretty
face flushed and her breath came short
They were a shock and a revelation to
her, for though she knew they would be
poor, the idea of taking situation had
"Lady Blenkensop has no right to
make such a suggestion, - she thought.
lifting her head proudly; but a minute
later it fell. About the children she
was thinking; "and Bob at sohool-he
must stay at school, and it costs so
much -
She could not consult her mother, for
Mrs. Lotus illness had weakened her
so terribly that Nancy had strict orders
form the doctor not to say anything to
her that could possibly disturb her. So
after much thought Nancw at last de-
cided to go down to the lawyers office,
who had called upon them after the news
had arrived of Col. LOTUS death, and
who had more than limited that he
feared his late client IS affairs had not
been left in very prosperous condition.
Nancy started on her expedition in an
omnibus by way of spending as little as
she could, but got nervous and lost her
wy in the crowded city, and finally had
to take refuge in cab. When she
reached Mr.. BayfoTd's offices she trem-
blingIy sent up her card, and a few mo-
ments later was ushered into a well-fur-
nished room, where a smiling, good |
looking, middle-aged man rose to receive |
the frightened girl.
This was Mr.. Bayford himself, and as
he had been personal friend of Col. |
Lotus, he now felt sincere pity for his |
family. His manner TO Nancy, there |
fore, was very kind, but he had too |
much good sense to disguise the sad |
truth from her.
OTIS a most unfortunate case, Miss |
LOTUS, 1 am sorry to tell you,' he |
said in answer to Nancy g timid inquiries |
concerning their means; There il your |
poor fathers last letter to me-" he |
went on, opening a drawer IN the table |
before him and taking out a thin envel- |
ope, ''only written q few days before,
his sudden death, in which he stated he |
wished TO insure his life for'three thous-
and pounds for the benefit of his wife |
and family. If he had but done this;
and the lawyer paused significantly.
'And he had not done soP'' asked /