Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-10-28

comfortably in his arm chair, and his
companion said
"Ah, yes! The romantic story OF tue
Rayne estate. have not forgotten that
promise.
"Yesl Odd genius, Rayne' We
went to college together and were always
good friends. When he went abroad,
after his father died, he gave me charge
of all his affairs, for he was wealthy.
The house aud grounds we passed this
morning are part of the old estate, the
house one of the oldest in this country.
There are some bits of English furniture
there, brought over before the Revolu-
,tion, that would make a collectors
mouth water. 1t was an old.fashioned
place when Paul Rayne's father died, and
as Paul had handsome house in Phila-
idelphia and large income, it was not
Surprising that he dill not care to burg
himself at POoleville. But he married,
and lost his wife and two children with
a malignant fever. Then he came back
to the old place. He was not alone.
Herman Rsyne, the son Of his brother,
long dead, came with him, and also his
wife's sister, a terrible cripple, whose
mind was enfeebled and body mutiIated
by fall.
"Not to weary you too much with de-
tails, this was the family ten years ago
when Paul Rsyne died.. Paul himself,
Miss Henderson, the crippled sister-in-
law, Mrs. Clifford, the hOu'ekeeper, two
servants aud last, but far from least,
Lottie Henderson, an orphan niece of
the late Mrs. Rayne. Herman was In
Paris, finishing his medical studies.
"For years before his death, Paul
Rayue was a recluse, a student from
love of knowledge for its own sake. He
wrote no books, sought no opportunity
10 share what he learned, aud seemed
70 have no interest in life outside of his
home. But in that hone he made it
one aim OF his monotonOus existence to
train Lottie in intellectual pursuits.
Bless my life can see that baby now,
before she was seven years old, sitting
at the great library table, studying Latin
Grammar. She would slip away when
/ engaged her uncle in conversation,
and the next time l saw her would be
rolling pie-crust for Mrs. Clifford or
knitting socks, on the porch.
.sshe was the loveliest little creature
4 ever knew, aud Paul Rayne loved her
az if she had been his own child. Yet,
with the stran e fatality so Often met 10
my profession, he kept putting of and
putting off making new will aud
leaving her independent. He often
talked of 1t.
HsOf course, | want Lottie to marry
Herman, he would say; but shall no!
make any conditions. | will leave her
this house and thirty thousand dollars;
and poor Clara'-that was Miss Hender-
son-'must have life income out OF
the estate.
'sBut one morning, when Lottie was
ouly nineteen, Paul Rayne was found
dead in his study-chair, and the only
will in existence was an old one, made
before Lottie came to POoleville, leaving
everything to Herman Rayne.
al suppose l must go away, the poor
child Lottie said to me, after the funeral.
:. wait until | hear from Paris,
SAID for hoped Herman Rayne would
carry out his uncIe's intentions. He
was wealthy man from bis fathers share
of the Rayue property, aud | hoped he
would not let Miss Henderson Or Lotiie
suffer for his unc'e's neglect.
al was not altogether pleased with his
letter, but Lottie was delighted. j..