Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-02-12

the eyes to discern the traces of fatigue
and anxiety on her face; it takes a lover
| to do that. When man looks at his sis
Ger he thinks of the past; when he looks
at ms mistress he thinks of the present
and the future.
''Why, but you're great swell law,
aren't your Ed continued laughingly.
His temperament varied quickly, and
without any moral reason, between ex-
tremes of depression and jovislity. 81
had no idea my little sis was going TO
come out on the top of the heap this way.
I always said nobody could beat you
singing, though, and nobody can, though
Vera is perfect in her way, too"
"VeraT" she repeated, glancing up
quickly.
That's her name--Vera Mariana. All,
my dear, I've got heap to tell you about
her! By the way" he said, laughing,
people here, suppose, think you know
more about Mariana than any one else.
Well, you do look little like her
that's what first made me look at her.
But want you to know her; I'm certain
you'd take to each other. She's the dear
est woman in the world, and as gener-
GUS and good as she is lovely"
"Goodr' repeated Beatrix, whose face
during this speech had run through a
gamut of expressions and now rested in
bewilderment.
"Goodl 1 should think so. Do you
imagine I'd want you to know her if she
wasn't everything lady should be, and
great deal more? You ought to have
heard the way l sailed into poor old dad
just now for calling her names. guess
he won't do it again.
Beatrix clapped her hands together I'M
der her chin with a cry of almost hys-
teric joy, and instantly embraced her
brother again with all the added
ardor that can be given to affection by
remorse. She had wickedly wronged
him by allowing herself to imagine, even
for moment, that he or anybody con-
nected with him could ever be anything
but patterns of honesty and virtue. For
fear of making bad worse she forbore
to explain to him the cause of her sud-
den demonstrativeness; he should be
made conscious of her repentance only
by the tenderness and observance which
she would lavish upon him. The thought
came into her mind also that, by her
love for her brother, she could in some
degree compensate herself for the loss of
her other love-for she told herself that
it was lost, and had been repeating the
statement with tenfold diligence ever
since learning that Godfrey had re-
turned to New York.
Ed, who was never particularly OBJ
servant of the feelings of others, except
when his own feelings were bound up in
them, passed over all this little tumult
of emotion without any suspicious, and,
in response to his sisters eagerly ex-
pressed interest in the subject, talked
about himself and his affairs to the
hearts content of both speaker and lis
tener. He no longer felt the humiliation
and helplessness of his position so keenly
as an hour ago. The companionship of
this sister, whom he had so recklessly
impoverished, and to whose energy and
genius he was under such weighly obi
cations, insensibly began to put him in
better humor with himself and his pros
poets. 1t is not difficult to take reas-
surfing view of our conduct when our
natural bias thereto is stimulated by the
sympathy of one who emphasizes the
significance of all the favorable features
and brushes out of sight all the ungainly
ones.
Ed gave his sister picturesque and
stirring account of his first meeting with
Mariana, their mutual captivation, what
she had said, what he had answered,
what she had answered, and what he
had said. He made it appear plainly
that his spending a hundred thousand
dollars was proceeding rather meritori- |
GUS and self-sacrifcing than otherwise,
inasmuch as it would have been I'M
worthy Randolph not to make SPLEEN
did appearance in the eyes of the woman
he loved, and amidst such rivals as those
with whom he had to contend; and, |
moreover (as he truly observed), he him. |
self was the worst off of any of the fam |
lily when the money was gone. "And |
of course" he added, 81 had no idea at |
what rate l was going it; declare, sis,
l never was more foored than when dad |
wrote me that we were ruined by my |
extravaganza as he put it.
Besides, we shouldn't have been ruined |
at all if he hadn't gone laundering down |
into Wall street. That's the way the |
money went, after all, and 1 can't help |
the old gentleman is as much |
to blame as L am"
''Well, dear, that's all right now; and |
I'm glad the money was gone, since it |
gave me chance to help. But, Oh, Ed
do you think Mile. Mariana minds much? |
She can't think worse of me for doing it |
in that way, macmillan do of my |
self; but what should we have done,
you see, if hadn't done if?'
81 don't blame you bit, sis-remem-
Der thatp her brother replied. "Pm
proud of you; there's not another girl in
the country who could succeed as you
have. And it's great deal pleasanter
for me to come home and find the bills
paid than if I'd found you all living in
the poorhouse-which was what ex-
pected. All I'm sorry for is-however,"
he broke off magnanimously, ''that can't
be helped. It's only my luckT
Dearest boyl do tell me everything"
Ed heaved a sigh The sense of his
dispelled for time by the
of his self vindication and
anecdotes, now returned upon him. "Pp
the most unlucky devil alive, and there's
no use talking about it." he declared
despairingly.