Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-05-08

stairway Here. setting stsntOr free,
Uncle Francois lifted TIE little vehicle
In his arms and bore IL triunphanriy,
amid bursts Of laughter and applause
and the mad ganbois Of stentor. into
our crowded dining D ROOM
Judge of our surprise-nay, our
wonder and bewilderEaent, upon draw
ing a beautiful wicker basket from be-
meath the blanket and carefully remov-
ing tina soft silk and wooden wraps
which swathed up its contents, 70 come
upon the tiny. rosy body OF female In
fant about six months old Tied 10 its
little wrist by dainty pink ribbon was
an envelope containing securities repre-
senting fifty thousand francs
=. Some child of love- said my IA
Their, graveiy, whose mother takes this
means Of intrusting it 10 the care OF
Christian family. Shall we open our
house and hearts TO it. wife? he asked.
turning TO my mother.
"sYes. yesP cried mother. joyfully.
This Is the holy feast of the Epiphany.
What tender reminder OF the coming
Christ child
and .hereupon our interrupted
gayety broke out anew with more
spirit than ever. The child was chris
tened Claire, but from its earliest
years IL displayed a temper so sweet, a
disposition SO loving. that it earned and
received the pet name of Pearl Father
made very wise investment of the
little fortune, and by the time Pearl
was sixteen 1t had more than doubled.
She was now a maiden OF rare physical
loveliness. For several years / had
been watching the unfolding Of this
fair bud, and had resolved. como
what may. 10 make Pearl my wife. My
love for her was not an ordinary attach
soulful yearning. ! could not put 1t in
words / was afraid to speak TO Pearl
was afraid I'd brighten her. and so
went about with this thorn in my heart.
''Uncle Francois had died year
previous TO this time, and now father
was stricken with apoplexy. / was
hastily summoned To his bedside. His
speech was thick and broken, but,
o God. understood him only too well.
Sony dear son-I have long been
aware Of your love for PEARL he
gasped, but il must not be- cannot
tell you al-Pearl-your wife-must
not
with this terrible 'muet not on his
lips he relapsed Ito a stupor and never
spoke again
my mother was left by win with full
power Of distribution. To disobey her
meant disinheritance. She was Is
pitiless as father had been
pearl was sent to q convent Imar-
ried shortly after, and upon my mothers
death my wife and / asked Pearl to
make her home with Us. and she did.
coming to us with that old-time smile.
90 sweetiy sad. loving and caring for
our children-a real Pearl in our house
hold. As God lives, / thought that love
was dead within my heart; but month
in and month out awoke to find it still
there. Struggle as l might. could not
rid myself Of It; it would not 60! Thirty
five years have not killed il. It will
never Diet viii never dier' sobbed my
poor cousin piteously.
took his hand and spoke few COM
forting words 10 him, and then asked:
''But why did Pearl never marry?"
'She did not care TO marry, she said. I"
replied my cousin mo one suited her
exactly, although she had many offers.
Gaston's wife now called rs, but his
eyes Were so swollen and red that il
was impossible for him to return to the
drawing-room- hastily poured q
basin Of cold water, recommending him
to battle his face and compose himself
while rcjoined the family.
need not tell you that Mile. Pearl
now more than ever awakened a sym
pathy within me strangely tender and
sweet. could not keep my eyes of
her. The delicious sadness lurking in
her large round blue eyes enthrallcd
me. l followed her from room TO room
invcnting excuses to speak her name. ]
longed with a yearning that oppressed
and panied re, To look into her heart,
70 know II she really had loved CASTOR
so deeply, so fervently as to say: Thou
or no ope!'
At last we were left alone in Gaston's
work-room, q charming little den, quite
shut OF from the rest of the house.
Never had Pearl seemed more delicious.
" gentle and feminine. There was a
playful melancholy in her manner that
drew me towards her more strongly
than the witchery of o maiden OF
eighteen. Unjust have kissed her hand
with moro artior than allowable, for I
was aroused from my dream by feeling
her Juggling TO getit away from me and
heoring hersaQ.
"Oh. Monsieur Julesl Monsieur
Julesl'
"Ah. Mile. PEARL" exclaimed, ''ii
you could have seen Cousin CASTOR
weeping this norningl II you could
have heard his confessioni"
She caught her breath, her waxlil<c
face grew whittier and her clear, blue
eyes lost their summer-like serenity.
''Secn him weeping?" she rcpested In
n tone of wondermeDt.
"Yes. yes" said I; this morning only
short while ago. upstairs when we
were all alone"
But why7" she almost whispered,
"what has hsppencd7"
"Ah. PEARL" I replied. taking her
hand. still strangely young and girlish,
II know all-something did happen
many years sgo-Gsston has told me
of his love- know the secret of his
lie"
But a look at Pearl silenced mo. A
desthlilse paIlor had overspread her fsce,
her eyes we're closed. she had risen and