Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-09-04
FOUR CARDS.
THE QUEEN OF HEARTS.

fortune, so that he could sleep undls-
turbed, as to money matters, in the
beautiful little estate he had bought in
one of the home counties. At FIRST he
had taken q keen interest in farming
and looking after his place, while his
daughter had endeared herself to every
man, woman and child In the parish by
her kind sympathy with the afflicted,
her perfect nursing Of the sick and
her attention to all the old people in
matters relating to snuff, tobacco, tea
and often warmer comforts in .he way
OF materials to make an occasional
grog. Her presence brought smiles
on every face. Nothing pleased her
more than to spend a couple of hours
with poor laborer's wife, helping to
put her place to rights, and to mend
and patch the children's clothes, be-
sides giving little hints about cooking
simple food in a way which softened
the workingman's heart toward his
wife as he sat beside bis FIRE after sup.
per on winter evenings reading the
periodicals provided by Miss Hesketh
or smoking his pipe.
Evelyn was twenty-five, bewitching
TO look st, without being strictly beau
tiful, and perfectly happy with her
widowed father and all her children,
as she called her poor, to look after.
And then, was she not engaged to
Ralph Westerton, who bad met her at
the home of mutual friend when she
was eighteen, and completely stolen
what her cottagers had left her in the
way of a heart.
Mr.. Hesketh had given his consent
to the engagement; provided there was
no talk of their marriage until Evelyn
was twenty.three. He should then al
low her eight hundred year during
his lifetime, and all his should be hers
at his death.
Mr.. Westerton could hardly be
locked upon as good match for Eve.
lyn, as his income only amounted to
five hundred dollars year, part of
which he derived from government
Office and the rest from his parents.
He was very looking, well man
nered and amiable when it was policy
to cultivate amiability; he had one
fault, not uncommon to the species
an inordinate and almost ABNORMAL
love Of self.
Mr.. Hesketh was not slow to per-
ceive that Evelyn would be her lovers
second thought when married and
had tried to make her see her future
husbands selfshness, but she could
not be brought to see in her Ralph
anything but perfection and as this
was the only subject that ever brought
the faintest semblance Of a smile on
her fair forehead her devoted parent
gaveup the subject, as far.thinking
parent should, for it never does any
good to find fault with the object of a
blind devotion, to the victim of Gu
pid's keen shaft.
Another year sped on, Evelyn fond.
ly loving, and Ralph amiably accept
ing, and, to the extent of his ability,
reciprocating'his financee's devotion.
Christmas was drawing near, and it
was to be Evelyn's last in the old
home as Miss Hesketh. The maria
ge was to take place in the first month
of the new year; milliners, and dress
makers were busy over Evelyn's
trousseau, while she was preparing
presents for her beloved poor. Who
would have thought that In four short
weeks a wave Of misfortune could
come across this peaceful happy vii
lage Queen of Hearts and knock her
completely over2
THE KNAvE OF CLUBS.
Ralph Westerton was just finishing
his dinner at his club when he caught
sight of Phil. Lovedale, a member of
the Junior, but q rare visitor there,
as his life was mostly spent in Near
shire, where he was agent to Lord
Broadlands, of whom Mr.. Hesketh
had bought his little estate.
'Hullo, Lovedale, you are the very
man / want to see. Sit down and tell
me all you know about the Heskeths.
Did you ever know such an unlucky
devil as l ami?
Yes, much more unlucky one.
Hesketh himself, said Philip Love.
dale, sitting down, and apparently
quite forgetting that he had come in
to have hurried dinner before leav-
ing town by the last train.
Who would have thought that old
Hesketh was such an ass as to have
all his eggs in one basket. I had no
idea Grimby's bank collapse could
have swamped him so utterly. And
then his committing suicide.
4 can not tell you how it has upset
me, said Westerton plaintively, as he
finished his glass Of very good Bur-
gundy, not without an apparent appre-
citation of its extra quality. Evelyn
has written very nicely about it,
i was told Miss Hesketh was i'll
with brain fever, said Lovedale.
yes, she is, poor creature, but her
answer to my letter, breaking off our
engagement, was written before she