The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-03-29
Brave Janet King
How a Fair Girl OF Old Barnegat
Saved Her Husband, Though
She Thought Him False.
By ]. II. Connolly.
lc0pnsal.t-Au Rights RessrveI.l

I anu Qlu not WISH 20.
"But it is the eminently correct thing
that you should, . argued Selden Range
". II always live in hotel, and would
have to pay board somewhere else il not
here. Iwant to stop here few weeks
anyway, and could not think of doing SO
at your expense. I would not be able to
rid myself Of the idea that / was tres
passing on your hospitality. So l insist
upon being allowed to pay you at the
same rate would pay at my hotel in
New York.
So he had his way, and the sum thus
fixed by himself was so liberal that it
fairly took away the beach mans breath.
Large as it was, David King accepted it
at first with reluctance, but very soon
began to find it quite pleasant to receive
weekly the bright gold pieces that his
guest drew from an evidently abundant
stock in heavy leathern money belt.
Gold was at no time SO abundant on
Barnegat beach as to be viewed with in
difference even by the Kings, who were
"well to do fol:<sD there. But, incred-
ibIe as the fact was, the stranger did not
seem to care fori They concluded that
she must have slathers Of money" and
an estimation Of that sort at least does
not generally tend to render its subject
unpopular.
Janet was fascinated by the handsome
stranger himself, quite independently of
his wealth. He was really the first edu-
Gated, gentlemanly man of the world she
had ever met, and, by contrast with the
young men she had known, seemed to
her quite superior sort Of being. The
wonders of the big, active world far
outside the stagnant pool of Barnegat
beach life, concerning which she had
only vaguely dreamed, his conversation
brought wildly before her, and she list
ened to him as If in an enchanted dream.
Sometimes, in the solitude of her little
room, the thought rushed upon and over
whelmed her that she knew SO little and
he SO much that be must despise her for
her ignorance, and she cried herself to
sleep. So unsophisticated was she that
she did rot yet know beauty to be more
than wisdom or strength or even wealth.
An old guitar hung upon the sitting
room wall twas relic of some wreck
and simply decorative, for nobody upon
the beach could even tune it. But Sell
den Rangely's slrillful fingers evoked
from it the most enhancing melodies
and witching chords that, blending with
his strong yet mellow voice, thrilled her
strangely when he sang of love. Lowell
Not until now had any one ever sung or
said aught about love to her. But he
did both. He told her that he loved her
with all his soul, and vowed TO do SO for
ever, and ''a new heaven and new
EARTH seemed to open before her. No
question of his sincerity disturbed her
happiness, for her love for him was as
perfect as that which he professed.
Her parents looked obviously upon
the fine gentleman's attentions to their
daughter, but he had captivated the
brothers, and they with Janet made
majority in the family council, so there
was hardly Q shadow OF opposition on
the part OF the old folks to the mar
rage of Eelden and Janet, which took
place in the month of February.
About the middle of April Selden
/ Rangely announced that it would be
necessary for him to go to New York
on business, but his trip would be brief.
His programme had been fully dis
cnssed with his wife He would draw
some money from the bank, buy some
things he deemed his wife should have,
replenish his wardrobe, order an agent
to buy and furnish house, and within
a fortnight he would return with the
great surprise for Janets father.
David Kings cherished dream of the
unattainable, as he frankly admitted it,
was the ownership of big first class
schooner. on which he should be the
master and his two sons the mates That
dream Janet's husband vowed to her
should be realized. Nothing would be
easier for him. Had he not more than
sufficient money for it lying idle in the
bank for lack Of opportunity for profit
able investment? He would simply draw
out the necessary sum, bring it home,
and put it in the old mans hands as a
great surprise.
Secretly Janet felt that she would
have liked dearly well to accompany her
husband and see the great city, but as
AtO ttA@ 11Se IA Op~cO t4&ctt bLi6 40 50
she was too proud to seem to force her
company upon him when he did not APP
pear to want it. And her love readily
found excuse for him. His business
would demand his attention, she said to
herself; naturally he would find it in
convenient TO be bothered with a WON
an-one who knew nothing Of the ways
Of city life, and would be wholly depen-
dent upon him for direction and COM
partnership If he went alone be would
come back all the sooner within fort
night, he said. So, assuming Cheer
fulness that she was far from feeling,
she kissed him good-by and he departed.
The fortnight passed, and more fort
nights after it, yet he returned not. And
no letter came from him. He certainly
should have written. Even if none of
the King family could read writing he
might have known they could get some
friend TO tell them what was in his let
ter. That was what David King said.
But Janet excused him.