Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-01-31

Win d niue as We cd4lCu H.
borrowed of my shipmates, / rugged
myself up enough, l thought, to pass
muster. | accompanied Mr.. Elliott,
that was his name, to the one large ho-
tel the island could then boast. There
I was introduced to the daughter, Miss
Helen, who, save that her face was
rather pallid, looked as if nothing had
happened to disturb her. But 0, what
a disappointment awaited me- | had
fondly imagined that l was ab)u, to be-
come acquainted with a beautiful girl;
for during the excitement of the rescue
on the previous day l had not noticed
how Miss Helen looked. Instead of see
ing maiden most fair to gaze upon, |
beheld one OF the most homely creatures
| had ever CHANGED to meet. She was
almost bald-headed, having only a few
scanty locks of hair, coarse and yellow
ish. She was fearfully freckled in the
face. had a crooked nose, a coarse ON
plexion and muddy looking eyes. Fur
thermore she was afflicted with a bad
catarrh and had a grating voice without
a note of music in it. | was shocked,
and | vas quite sure, much to my NOR
tifcation, that she noticed that | was
surprised and disguised. There were
only two redecming things in her that /
could discern. She had a trim fgure
and a good mind. In fact, she was cute
and shrewd, as you will discover before
l have finished my story.
"'Well, | recovered myself as well
as | could, and endeavored to be agree
able, | comforted myself with the
thought that ] should see her no more
after the call; but to my great sur
prise, as | was going away from the
hotel, old Mr.. Elliott waylaid me, and
in spite of my earnest p~rotestations
against taking a reward, made me ac-
cept an elegant gold watch. During
the conversation | ascertained that his
home was on the outskirts of Brooklyn,
n. Y, it being a half country anda half
city residence, so to speak. further
learned that he wished to hire me to
take care of his horses, attend to his
garden and act as a general assistant to
him during his declining years. sus.
pected his design and saw that, although
eccentric, he was a shrewd me-. He
knew that Helen was SO homely that
her chance of getting married was
scarcely one in ten thousand, notwith-
standing she was an heircss; but Provi-
dence had ordained that | should rescue
his daughter from a watery grave, and
| being poor, he believed l would be
willing, in consideration OF the money
would obtain, to consent to a union
with that most u~nlovely specimen Of
w%omanhood. | was far from being a
willing victim, but what could | do? II
would be ungrateful and brutal in me
to tell him my suspicious; and, finally,
not being able to offer any objections
that he would listen to, / consented Il
go with him, trusting that my conduct
toward his daughter would be so re
spectfully Indifferent that he would
gradually give up the hope that would
marry her.
During the next year / faithfully
fulfilled my duties at Mr.. Elliott's home
and, although he more than once skill
fully limited that he wanted me to brace
up and marry his daughter, l pretended
not to understand what he was driving
at. He often arranged it so that
should take Miss Helen out driving ant
be alone with her for several hours.
found her very intelligent in converse
ton, but she was so horribly homely, 81
si~ngularly u~nattractive in appearance
that the very thought Of marrying he
made me shudder. / could see that thu
girl favored me and was a secret ally o
her father, although she was yer!
proper and ladylike. My relations will
the family became more awkward ever.
day and | began to think that ! coul'
only get out Of the predicament by al
ig%nominious flight to some distant local
ity. But at this critical time, Mis-
Helen announced that she was going t.
Philadelphia TO spend the winter, ant
in a few days she departed.
Toward spring her cousin in Phila
delphia, Miss Elvins Pepper, whom,
had been told, Miss Helen had been Wis
ting, suddenly arrived at Mr.. Elliott
home, unaccompanied by Helen, who
she said, had come with her az far a
New York and would remain there tw
Oh three weeks visiting friends. Mis-
Elvina in further explanation said tina
she was 70 anxious TO see her dea
uncle, Mr.. Elliott, that she herself coul
not tarry in New York and had hast
ened to Brooklyn.
"'Miss Elvina was a beautiful youn
woman, such a wonderfully fair CON
; plexion, such rich, dark, glossy hail
> such red lips and sparkling eyes, such
handsome form as she possessed, ! ha
! never before seen, and ! at once fel
desperately in love with her. Strang
) to say, her voice, while much sweetel
seemed to be like Heleh's, and ther
: was something in her appearance tina
continually reminded me Of Helen. Blu
! ! explained the mystery by remember
y, ing that they were near relatives, an
! by rejecting that II was not singula
! that they should bear some resemblance
: to each other. Strange TO say, alst
: this beautiful young lady encourage
my at first difidcnt and then ardent al
!, tentions, and, stranger still, Mr.. Elliot
: himself evidently favored my suit. M
. only explanation Of his course was tha
/, he dcspaired Of my eve marrying hi
: own daughter, and, u he had taken
! great liking to me, he was willing
: sAould wed his niece.
= 1T was not long before ! asked e
:, VIVA 7 marry me, and, to my unspeal
: able rapture, she swcetly consented.
claspcd her In my arms and felt that
y was In Heaven.
y Presently she said: "cau you fol
: give me for practiolng . littre harmless
~ Deceit toward youi"