The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-04-02
HER INHERITANCE.

llLlt lltllLllll hllOL,
"If any relatives OF the late James
landlord, some time curateof Widston.
be still living, they may hear Of some.
thing to their advantage by applying to
Messrs. Dodd & Son, solicitors, King
street."
Barbara Reed set down the paper with
jerk. ~ wonder if that means me-"
she said, thoughtfu!ly. "My grand.
fathers name was certainly James Hand
ford, and / know he was a curato, but !
did not know there was any money in
the family"
III you think it worth while go to
Messrs. Dodd & Son and find out" sug.
gested a sharp-fcatured, elderly lady,
who was stitching at the table opposite.
"Of course, I will Why, there may
be 5000 waiting for me there"
Cor s5 more likely" supplemented
the stitcher.
Barbara laughed.
"Id rather think Of the thousands,
Mrs. Stewart; they would be very much
more to my advantage"
~ know Of something that would be
moro for your advantage than all the
money you are ever likely to get from
advertisements, il you had but the good
sense to SEQ it," returned that lady, sig
%niticantly.
Barbara flushed as she left tho room
to get her cloak and bonnet, and set out
for home. She was the music mistress
in Mrs. Stewards school, and had been
one Of the most promising pupils in it
before that; she was almost alone in the
world, except. for a distant aunt with
whom she lived, and after school days
ended it becoming necessary she should
do something towards keeping up the
little household, she had been very glad
when Mrs. Stewards proposal to retain
her Tor the younger girls music lessons
saved her from applying to strangers.
Still, Notwithstanding her obligations,
there were times when Barbara felt
strongly disposed to protest against
that lady's authority, which was pretty
much as it had been in the days when
she was quite a child" as Barbara
often phrased it to herself. "She never
seems to remember that 1 am grown up
and able to manage my own affairs. 1t
does not follow that because I was her
pupil once she has any right to inter.
fere in the matter now"
She was marching down the road,
herrhead well up, while she argued the
y,,oyfar hNYt to how ~, y cotScfnnftNp
when some n quietly icll into step be-
hind her. The shadow vanished from
her brow like morning mist as she
looked up.
"What are youin such O hurry for?
I could scarcely keep you in sight" in
quired the newcomer.
1t was the subject OF Mrs. Stewards
admonition, her drawing master-clever
enough at his profession, but of his in
dustry and general dependableness she
had not the highest opinion. Not so
Miss Barbara, who was fast developing
q very warm sentiment for the good
looking young artist.
~ am going home to deposit my
music; after that I think of making q
journey into the city, to King street"
"King street! That is an expe.
dition."
"Isn't it? But I have some idea Of
coming into O fortune and that is the
place l am to apply to-"
Mr.. Lawrcnce's face showed such gen.
uine interest in the news that Barbara
speedily told him all she knew, perhaps
with q little unconscious ~eXaggeration
by way OF justifying her first announce
mellt.
"You will be sure and let me know
the result of your expedition ?" he said
earnestly, with q lingering clasp OF her
hand, MS no left her Mt the corner Of her
own street. II shall be most anxious TO
hear; and no one deserves such a for
tune better than yourself"
In King street she ran full against a
plain, rather commonplace young man
coming out of one Of the warehouses.
"Why, Miss Barbara! it's not often you
find your way to this quarter" he said,
rs he held out his hand. 1t was a
brown, ungloved hand, and bore evil
dent traces OF hard service. Barbara
gave the tips OF her fingers Nrather
cody, contrasting it with the well.shap-
ed, y%ellow-gloved one that had pressed
hers q little before.
II came on some business, Mr..
Grant," sho said. 81 believe there is a
legacy waiting for me it was advertised
in tho papers, and am going to SEQ the
solicitors about it now"
John Grant laughed.
"Well, l hope you may get it Miss
Barbara. For myself, I've never had
much faith in legacies, since l wasted
twenty-five shillings once in answering
advertisements about me-"
"That may have been n very different
matter from this" returned Barbara
stiffly. II had better not 'detain you
any longer, Mr.. Grant"
Sand that is the man Mrs. Stewart
thinks is worth half a dozen OF Alfred
Lawrences," said Barbara to herself as
she walked into Messrs. Dodd & Sons
office. cit seems to be a decided virtue
in some peoples eyes to have coarse
hands and shabby coats"
Her face was several shades longer
when 'she came out again. Messrs.
Dodd 4 Son had not received her with
by any means the respectful enthusiasm
she had expected. There had been
awkward questions about proofs and
genealogies that she had not been pre-
pared to answer.
Mr.. Lawrence sympathized with her
over tho delay almost as deeply MS she
did with herself when she told him the
result OF her visit tho next day. Bar
bara was quito struck with the way he