Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Nev. County, Ark.) 1885-1???, 1891-04-16

lawn, and smiled. Why had Cap
tain Vaughn chosen to build his pal
ace so near her home: Why had he
built at all, at his time of life, with
no family to inherit and no wife to
do its honors? How lonely he must
be, in the spacious mansion, with no.
| body but the servants to speak with.
Why had he never married! In the
humility of her heart, Miss Esther
never dreamed that ii was because
she would not marry him. That had
happened so many years ago, before
he and Paul Arson bad sailed togeth-
er in the "Water-Sprite. > How an
CRY he had been then, how jealous of
Paul! How bitterly he had sworn
that the day should come when she
would give her heart blood to recall
the words when she would regret
her folly in dust and ashes But, of
course, he had forgotten all of that
the raving of an untamed nature. He
was only sccond-mate then, with no
property; to-day, he was Captain
Vaughn, with the world at his feet
the richest man in town, perhaps.
You might have been mistress up
there, Miss Esther" he had remind
ed her, one day, pausing at her gate
way after the house was done; 'but
you took your choicc-yon took your
choice. And" laughing, 'thcy
tell us that 'beggars shouldn't be
choosers.
From the very first, Captain
Vaughn had raised a hue and cry
about the old tree. 1t seemed as If
he had selected the site to tease her
as il he wished to strip her of ev
erything she loved, since she de-
clined to love him.
Il have bought the most eXpen-
siye spot in town." he said, land
spared no money in order that |
might open my open early every
morning on my beloved sea, and YOU
refuse to sacrifice a tree for an old
friend and neighbor.
Captain Vaughn" she said, ''you
have my word, once for all: the tree
shall stand 50 long as | am mistress
here There need be no more words
about it"
mo more words, but deeds" " he
answered, And a wicked, angry
light famed in his eyes, such as she
had seen there once before.
The subject dropped, as she be-
lieyed. He did not mention the tree
again. "He has given it up" she
thought. "'Hc makes a great noise
when he can't have his way, and then
forgets about it," But Miss Esther
did not do the Captain justice. One
evening, rs she returned from a
neighhor's, it gave her curious
shock to see her ward, Ina Earle
talking to Captain Vaughn, over the
hedge which separated the grounds.
'See, dear Miss Esther. she
cried, 'see what basket of roses
Captain Vaughn has brought u.s.
And might | go up to The Towers
tomorrow, with Mrs. Buff, to see the
preety nowers;"
Miss Esther could hardly refuse.
Why should she: And Ina returned
in ecstasy over the medieval furni-
ture, the Persian draperies, the car
pets like woodlawnmoss, the Orien-
tai rugs, and the skins of tawny lions.
Its just lovely" she said. 1T
makes home look squallid and mean.
1t makes me low-spirited to come
back Why did YOU let me go; And
the oak tree does interfere with his
view, more or less. But what of
that? He can gallop to the sea IN
half an hour. Such horses! I've
always longed for a saddle-horsc.
Captain Vaughn promised to lend me
one"
And, day after day, he brought his
horses around for Ina to try, or left
flowers and fruit--or, perhaps, gath
cred the young people together and
gave a fete under his trees; and,
sometimes, Miss Esther was obliged
to chaperone Ina, and sit, faded
wall-nower" in the house of her
old suitor,
II wonder why Captain Vaughn
never matried?' said Ina, after one
of these gatherings, II wonder how
it feels to be 50 rich--to have no
worry about money, to"
Ina" warned Miss Esther, ''you
care too much for money There are