The Opelousas courier., 1892-06-11

he'd set himself to IND oLt the cause OF
your depression an | contriye to tighten
your heart before bidding you good
night. There are men whom you can
never address by their Christian name.
1t wa just as impossible to call him Mr..
Furnival after a few days acquaintance.
People who didn't know him set him
down for a fool; those who did know
him declared that he was simply the most
generous, lovable old bachelor living.
Of course he was victiimized over and
yer again. What g~ood-natured man can
escape being imposed upon2 He would
have enjoyed an independently and been
a rich man with a little seIfshness in his
disposition. Having none, he had t6
work hard to pay the taxes levied on his
generosity. A good half dozen old
women kept themselves alive through his
philanthropy and the children who called
him godfather and came down upon him
at all seasons for material support were
legion.
One morning he received a letter from
Boston. 1t ran thus
DEAR jack am about to paw the great
debtof nature. Unhappily it is the only one
which will remain unpaid. You lent me
S4UO long ago. L have never forgotten your
kindness to me-a comparative stranger.
The only testimony of a~ffectionate remem.
brance { can give is to appoint YOU sole
guardian OF my child, who will come on to
you as soon as [ am under the sod. Adleu
forever, dear Jack. Your friend,
ROBERT HALLECK.
This letter did not surprise Jack
Furnlyal-he was so accustomed to find
ing himself executor to men who could
rely on no one else to put their affairs
in order and settle up their arrears.
But it did embarrass him when some
three weeks later a tall young woman of
eighteen or Whereabouts walked into his
chambers and announced herself as the
child of Robert Halleck, and his ward.
What was he to do vita bis ward?
That question perplexed Jack Furnival
exceedingly while the young lady was
eating the biscuit and slipping the coffee
which he had i%nstinetively put before
her. She was too old to send to school,
and she was 0 old enough to put in az
almshouse. As her guardian it was hi,
first duty tC9see that she didn't get into
trouble, and how could he rest secure il
he sent such a bright. fresh, innocent,
attractive young creature as she out OF
his sighti
He solved the difficulty at length in
this way; There was a fiat above his own
to let: he took the rooms, had them
furnished and installed Miss Halleek in
them with an old woman to wait upon
her and be a companion, who was rec
commended by bali a dozen respectable
people.
But it was as impossible to keep Miss
Halleck in her room as to retain a bird
in a cage when the door is left open.
When Jack came out oil his dressing
room in the morning he found her in his
room, and he couldn't get her out
OF it until it was absolutely necessary to
go to bed. But for all that she was not
Troublesome. When he had work to do
she became so still and silent that he
wouldn't have known that she was in
room but for a glimpse of her bright
head over the back of q big chair, where
she sat reading a book selected at his
recommendation. and never stirred till
be signiied that the work was done.
Then 1t was as if a pack of children had
suddenly been set free from school. She
hiled the place with life and sound; she
was all over the room at once with
laughter, snatches of song aud scraps of
nonsense, all 50 fresh and delightful to
somewhat blase senses that ii
seemed to carry him into a new world Of
which he had had no conception. He
found time to take her out and about a
good deal-at first for her " sake.
his quiet mode of living would
weary her, and then for his own, finding
greatest happines arose from watching
aer delight in the new experiences Of
London life.
The old woman upstairs did not mur.
nur. She was pious and sleepy and
owed nothing better thaa to dog. into
Iorgetfulness over a volume of Biair's
sermons, which she certainly would not
lave been able to do had Miss Halleek
been in her rooms.
Gradually the girl altered. She be.
less careless and boisterous. She
ceased to tease Furnival and was still
mouse like when there wa nd ne.
esslty-so far as his work was CONCERNED.
hen she ceased to come down to his
ootls unasked. He tried to treat. that
; . joke, and sent an ironically formal
etteF asking to have the pleasure Of her
ompany to tea. She took the note In
4 seriousness and came sharp TO the
me be had appointed, looking pale and
little frightened, as though she ex.
ected to be charged with some fanlt.
nd u needed q rather embarrassing ex.
lanation to make her understand that
le formallty was joke.
All this troubled Jack not 4 little.
ID he tried to get at the reason of her !,
tered manners and ways. Had she
ceived bad news from Canadaa No. !,
as she getting homesicka No. Did /,
g sigh tosee her Old friends again2 !;
she had no old frieads, and the CITY
= the dearest place ID oil the world to- ,