Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-07-28
Nothing" replied Winsome. Moth

Nothing" replied Winsome. Moth
ing"
Why don't You come to breakfast"
cried Phil. I've most done"
Go and play then" said Miss Pencil
ope nervou>ly, anxious to be rid of the
child that She might talk freely.
Can l take my fairy tales to show
Black SAM" asked Phil.
"Oh, yes Anything" cried Miss Pc
nclope.
Phil scamlcrc'l away over 10 the Ran
dOlph mansion. of course. The two wom-
en- We're left alone.
Nothing" repeated Miss Penelope.
"You will give no answer To such q let
ter as this. The man loves You as you
ought to he loved, Winsome: he would
make y"u happy wife"
Cousin Penelope" Winsome said, 81
know that he could make NE happy.
know he loves me truly and tit those
feelings thought dead within lne have
only slumbcred. love him Us well Us
he loves me. dear Penelope, and that is
why | cannot answer him. | cannot
utter falschood. must fly from him.
You must take Us away again. You
must hide ne fro:a him, for know not
what i.:A. Ii .i..c'i Ives, am still his
wife. If You are right. my shame shall
never fall upon this noble man. even if
his love could make him overlook it. For
me there remains only the comfort Of
knowing have done my duty"
AS she ceased speaking 4 shadow dark
Randolph stood there. In his hand he
held the book Phil had carried away to
show the little negro. a volume of fairy
tales that had been his mothers in her
childhood. He held it open at the fly
leaf, across which was written: ITO
Winsome Douglass. From her Cousin
Penelope"
His face was pale; his eyes were glow
ing like diamonds. He advanced toward
Winsome, seized her by the arms, held
her from him for moment, then cried:
Have been mad that did not know
you, even though thought you deadY'
and Winsome. looking into his face.
screamed:
Jack" And Penelope-why she never
knew-ran away and hid herself.
An hour later Winsome sought for her
and found her.
phil is with his father, Cousin Pen"
she said. II must tell you all about it,
tho mama first Pap1oJ,,b ,,,oc l,;Sv,o1a.s
name. He took it when he came into
the family. 1t was one of the conditions.
And as for the rest, when he left me,
Pen, loving me as knew he did, he went
on board the steamer. They had stormy
weather and were delayed SO that there
were New York papers waiting for him
on his arrival.
I'm one of them Che showed it to me.
Penelope) was an account of the acct
dent to the Butterfly. The date was
wrong, the facts were wrong in every
particular. and it said that l was
drowned. 1t described me perfectly to
my dress and gloves, and it said that
you, after praising me and lamenting me.
dropped dead upon the spot. 1t gave
the names of the neighbors: it was some
thing that no one could doubt. When
he read it, it almost killed him; he faint
ed; he was ill Of fever. Meanwhile
his tutor. to whom in that moment he told
the truth, cabled to the Office of the pa
per to ask if it were true. Tho reply
was: Too true. We regret to say. Our
own reporter was on the spot And so
my poor boy has mourned me ever since
and has been true to me. And, oh,
Cousin Pen. am so happy! Why do
you look ut me sou for Penelope had
risen and was pointing to her own hos.
ON as if she were II ghost in a tragedy.
"Winsome." she said. 1--WE loved you
all your life. I've meant to do we'll by
you. but Tn the cause Of all. When
thought you drowned, gabbled all that
to the reporters nice young man and
80 sympathetic and then l tainted
They thought was dead. l am the
cause Of all. Neither Of you can forgive
me. never can forgive myself. and l am
not quite sure of heaven forgiving ne for
such awful mischief"
Yet you may be sure that she was for
given, and in the happy years that fol.
lowed Winsome and Jack honored and
cherished her as though they were her
children.
They made no secret Of their story,
and true Virginians love romance.
"The happiest couple in the county.
sir" says Captain Peyton Of the hotel
when he tells the tale to strangers. "And
no lovelier lady in Virginia than Mis-.
tress Jack Randolph. I assure you. As
for their boy, we are proud Of him. As
for Miss Penelope Douglass" continues
the captain. at Is said by those who
know her that she has after much per.
suasion been brought to consider the
matter Of changing her condition in life.
and that she will shortly wed Professor
Milton Mills, once Mr.. Jack RANDOLPH
tutor and still his esteemed friend. II
will be Q match in every way suitable.
We all are delighted with the idea"
THE END.