The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-29
CHAPTER VII.
u AZ / Lft III.
SHE RECEIVES DREADFUL NEWS.

She hELElN Is DhEADF IL NEWss
The weeks went by. Day after day I
eagerly expected TO receive letter from
Tom, making sure that he would grasp
chance to send me his love and blessing and
al the news about himself from those high
seas on which he was still afloat But no
letter reached me. simply because" Mr..
tombstone explained, your Tom has not
been fortunate enough to fall in with a
homewRTd-bOund ship. Y0u NAV often sail
for many days upon the sea, so I've heard
your father say. without sighting a vessel
When you hear from Tom it will be from
Rio"
Bat how I missed him. We had been in
cessantIy together for nearly four months;
the weeks m ght rOl by; but there was no
magic IN the ;ime they contained 10 weaken
my sense Of loss. l lived very quietly. was
much in nv own home. where l sought to
pass the hours by reading and drawing; |
took kind of dislike 10 company and re-
fused q number Of invitations to quadrille
and card parties and the ike; Ii was my de-
light to shape my conduct and habits by the
fancy Of such wishes as | knew my sweet
heart would express were he with me. Ny
memory OF him, my love for him, lay In a
spirit Of control upon my heart; allimpUlse,
all desire was governed by the many gentle,
noble coUnseis he had wrapped up ia our
long, sweet quiet talks together, when we
Tanb led in the outskirts or took oars upon
the river. Never was man more truly loved
than was Tom. My aunt particularly no.
ticed the change in me and said that Toms
eourtship had done me very great deal Of
good.
"You NJ longer roll Your eyes" said she,
"When YOU argue. and redden and strut and
heave up your breast when | venture 10 OBJ
Jet to your views. You have become thor
oughlY gpnteel. my dear, In your tastes and
ha bits. Your captain VIII have treasure
in you. Ana it IS very well that you did
certain that his influence as a husband would
not have been so considerable as il has
proved as a lover. Both he and you are
now having plenty of leisure for thought,
and when you come together at the altar
you Will now exactly what you are doing"
IL the month Of November my little STEP
sister died Of perItonitis. / offered 10 nurse
her Nhen 1t reached my ears that she was
Ill in BID; Nh Stanford thanked me; and
while ] nursed her | learned TO love the
poor. delicate creature, and my heart re-
preached me for the uncomfortable cold
ness l bad ever felt toward Ter when [
stopped and kissed her white face in death
and beheld a faint copy Of my mother
there. / cannot tell. to what degree Mr..
Stanford was affected by his loss; his color
less countenance BETRAYED but little of what
might pass Ia his mind. Had | found his
grief very great, then the loneliness Of his
state would have pleaded. and / might have
forced myself into some show Of clVillty.
But here was nothing In his behavior after
bis chid's death 10 appeal, and We speedily
passed again into our cold relations Of sepa-
rate existence and fixed dislike of him on
my side. as fellow who had imprudently
thrust himself into my fathers place
The nursing Of the poor child. however,
together with my grief at her death and my
secret fretiing over not hearing from Tom.
made me look i'll If did not feel so. Ny
aunt was concerned and insisted upon my
seeing her mPdic9f adVIcpr ph IN
mended her, spite Of its being winter, to
take NE TO the seaside. II was the month
If FebTuary-hard. cold weather NY aunt
knew and liked Ramsgate and proposed
thattown. IhitheT we went and took lOdg-
ings in Wellington Crescent, pleasant row
of buildings Immediately overlooking the
English Channel.
After we had been in Ramsgate few
days felt so poorly that | was obliged to
keep nv bed. My aunt called in doctor.
who said that l was "0ut." He sent me
physic, which / did not take. and told me
TO keep my bed till / felt equal TO rising.
Nv bed was so situated that when my
blind was up | saw the ocean. II the day
was clear | could family spy afar upon the
horizon the delicate golden thread of the
Goodwin Sands. I'd watch the sh, slowly
floating past this side of the thin line like
little clouds Of powder smoke gliding ball
shaped from the mouths Of cannon, and
listen to the faint thunder Of the surf comb
Ing the beach under the chalk cliffs, and
find meaning for the voice Of the wind as
1t shrilled with Kissing as Of steam past
tie easement or sang in the interstices or
muttered in the chimney. The slght-of the
sea brought Tom very close to me, closer
thar ever he could lie upon my heart at
home amid streets and the rattle of cOaches
and carts.
One morning while / was confined to my
bed my aunt did not come to my room as
was her custom after breakfast / inquired
OF the servant how she was, and was told
that she was pretty well, but that she had
passed IN uceasy night l ASKED If there
any letters, for | was always expecting TO
hear from Tom under cover frOR my maid,
whom / had left al home; the girl replied
mat Mrs. johnson had received one letter
and that there was none for me.
IL was not until after II that my aunt
came 10 see me- She looked ill.,, and there
was peculiar expression of distress in her
lac. She came 10 the foot Of my bed, and
gaZed a me earnestly and aske1 me how
felt. | said that / felt better, aud hoped to
find strength TO rlse for O few hours toward
evening.
You are not looking well, aunt"
81 am not feeling well, Marian"
II hope you have not received bad news
from home p
Il have had broken night" said she
turning away and going IN tile window and
speaking with her back upon me.
Have you news Of WHIP"
No. no" she cried quickly, still with her
back turned. There is no news Of VIII.
| believe you are better, my dear"
And then she asked me what I could
fancy for dinner, and so changed the sub
ject with a readiness which quoted the
m;sgivng her looks had excited.
She came and went during the day as she
bad heretofore done; but she was more
silent more FeSarVed than uSual aud oflen