The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-05

rather quantity
which she gave me the following bit Of
history, which is interesting enough tc
bear repeating.
Some years ago." said she, II was q
pupil at a well-known school in the
bluegrass country. While there, the
'Rarmest and most lasting attachment
/ formed was for a young girl, abou,
my age, from the interior of Georgia
Eva Ray was her name. She was not
favorite among the girls, being ex,
ceedingly quiet and reticent, which
many wrongly attributed to pride; and
think it was the lonely life she led
that first interested me in her and
prompted me to make sons over
lures toward friendliness. These over
lures, somewhat to my surprise, were
promptly reciprocated, and, to the
amazement of the other girls, we be-
came warm and constant friends.
When came to know her intimate
~ found that she possessed some very
lovely traits of character. A painful
sensitiveness and the unhappy circum-
stances of her life combined to hold her
aloof from most persons, although in
my case she gave her full, unreserved
confidence. At an early age Eva had
lost both father and mother, and was
left to the cold charity Of an only
uncle, who had sternly refused all as
sistance to her mother since her mar
riage, which he had strongly opposed
This uncle had SO far relented as to
place his orphaned niece at boarding.
school, and she had gone from one to
another until the present time, having
seen her kinsman but once since her
education began
"She described him as morose, &C.
centric man, yho, though wealthy,
lived in a manner almost parsimonious.
He had great passion for diamonds
and, though he never wore any jewelry,
possessed some valuable gems A few
Of these, recently purchased, he had
shown her during the visit, bnt nothing
beyond what actual necessity required
was granted her. and she returned to
school with no very decided longings to
make her homo with him, as she would
probably ave to do after graduating.
This was her final year at college,
and the thought of the dreary, aimless
life she must enter upon at its expira-
ton did not tend to enliren a DISPOSE
ton inclined to melancholy. 1 sincere
ly pitied her, and frequently mingled
my tears with hers when she looked
forward to the near, unattractive fu-
ture.
There were other events at work,
however, which were liable to effect a
change in her plans. Great difficulties
arose between the north and south,
in a declaration of war.
Not long after, my friend received
communication from her kinsman ad-
vising her. to remain at college another
term, as things were at that time in SO
unsettled condition in the south, and
inclosing sufficient sum for the term.
The dark clouds of war grew more and
moro dense, and threstened to over
shadow the entire land Eva received
no further news for many months from
extremely difficult.
''At the close of vacation, as no letter
came, she deemed it advisable not to
return to school. as the sum that had
been sent her for the next session was
all the means she possessed. and the
chances for a REIN bursement were
seemingly uncertain. Although I gladly
offered her a home with me until
brighter days should dawn, she CRATE
fully declined, nor would she be con-
tented to remain idle; but she secured
small school and began teaching.
About this time letter came from
the south stating that her uncle was
a bout to leave his plantation and go to
where he could receive the
medical attendance his rapidly declin-
ing health required. She wrote at once,
asking permission to go to Atlanta and
assist IN nursing him, but no answer
came to this, nor TO several other let
ters which she wrote, so that she dared
not make the attempt on such uneer-
tainty. At the close of the war, after
numerous inquiries about her uncle,
she learned that he had died in Atlanta
and that she was sole heir to whatever
property the sad devastations of war
had left.
Not long after, Eva married clever,
energetic young man, who had been
paying her close attention for some
time, and as soon as practicable, after
peace was declared, she and her hus-
band went south, intending to make it
their future home, if they found il adj
visable.
'.Eva's first letter to me was not a
very cheerful one, at which l cannot
wonder, considering the state of things
that she found. OF her unele's death
she could gain but meager information,
as Atlanta was at this time a city OF
ruins, and its inhabitants were scat
tered broadcast, while the plantation,
like hundreds of others on every hand,
had Jared but little better. Every
building had been burned, with the ex-
ceptlon OF one or two cabins, and Simon.
the faithful old servant in whose charge
the place was left, had died lust few
months before the arrival of its new
mistress. His niece and her husband
were living on the plantation. and do
ing what they could to care for il until
its proper owner should come.
Their hearty welcome was the
only reassuring thing we met with
Eva wrote, and then went on to say:
'Simon's niece produced, from some
secure hiding-place, an oil painting,
which her uncle had most zealously
and which he had repeatedly
told her was 10 be placed in no other
hands than mine. 1t was of great value