Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-01-27

know, lnslStsu Jhe giIl uetChSSslg' ~
is very unkind, her delicate lip quivered
az liked him so much"
In her childish, reckless unconscious
ness she was showing her love to Vim
cents sister as undisguisedly as she had
confessed it to himself.
Mamma asked me this morning il l
didn't want to go to Europe, " Nina went
on. "If Mr.. Dilkley won't give me any
more lessons and 1 am to be bored to
death here all summer, shall say yes.
And we shall sail IN a week. ~
Barbara looked at her. How lovely
she was, how pure, and sweet, and good
in her impulsive innocencei Must Vim.
cent, who loved her so, who was SC
nobe and so manly, so fit TO make any
woman happy, give her up because she
was rich with untold wealth aud he ab-
iectly poorl Was there a necessity foi
IBIS sacrifcel Oh, the bitterness o.
fate
Something in Miss Blrbara's face
struck Nina with a new meaning
"Why is it that your brother won't
Gomez" she reiterated, but with less as
surance than before. Then, as there was
no answer, she rose and went to Mis-
Barbaras side.
"Is-is it" and her voice grew faint
and charged with a consciousness tt
which it had never vibrated before. "ls
it-becausc he is poor-and l an richF
81 think so, dear-yes."
The color mounted in a deep wave
over Minas delicate neck aud cheeks.
TEL him." said ihe poor child, still
lower than before, "tell him that l dom
mind And, selling her hat, Nina fec
from the room.
An hour later a little note came:
..Would Miss Barbara, it said, "tell
Mr.. Dilkley that Minas mother, Mrs.
Wilton, would be glad to see him at
dinner the following evening"
Poor little Nina.
We'll did Barbara Dllkiey understand
the meaning Of this rash yet pitiful lit
tie missiye. II Vincent would 90 aud if
he would speak-then all might be well
with them. II not, there was that yoY
age Nina had spoken Of. Barbara in.
stinctiyely felt that this was the turning
point in Vincent Dilkley's life.
Vincent, she said tha, night, after
a long silence, during which he had
stood staring motionless out into tho
sereae beatty Of the summer moonlight,
.'shc loves you, YOU love her. Ga, /
know YOU do! Why cant you be happg
Wha; is wealth orpoverty that it should
stand between you so, It is your pride.
lie turned from the window almost
icrcely.
"Barbara, Birbara, don't tempt me
sol Don't make It any harder Is bad
enough. Pride? thi1k I need all the
pride have. What right have l to take
that young girls love1 What have to
offer ber' Can I drag her down to my
leyel. Can live on her money
"You will be famous some daT, per
haps, said Miss Barbara.
Her brother laughed. There was nc
mirth in the sound.
"You may say so, Bah, to keep ne
from sinking too low in my own eyes.
But you know, and l know, that a me-
diocrity I am and will remain to the
end Such fellows as have no right to
think of such creatures as Nina Wilton
She is young, she is beautiful, she has
all that life can bestow. was not made
for such as she, bless her" And hil
voice had dropped very low. "No, )
shall not 90 there tomorrow.
Nor was fate to give him the oppor-
tunity Of changing his decision.
The next morning a dread repor.
reached the village and like wild tire
spread in an hour through all the coun
try round. Mr.. Abel Wilton, million
are, owner Of town house and country
house aud yacht and blooded horses, had
been found dead il his libiary-dead
and with a small vial in his tight
cleuched hand.
The reason for the deed! People
asked each other with horror ssric lea
faces. 1t was unheard Of, incomprehen.
sible.
Not so unheard Of, not so incompre
hensible as the day wore on. The first
vague rumor OF business troubles hac
grown and now the truth could no
longer be concealed. Search had been
made, papers found. Mr.. Abel Wilton,
millionaire by no rightful title, had beer
such now these many months. The tow,
house and country house, the yacht and
the blooded horses - frauds, hollow
r ,ckeries. Flowers twined over til,
TOP of precipice, hiding the yawning
depths beneath, even perhaps from tn,
man himself, who still wildly hoped foi
some impossible chance to avert the bloa
Of fate.
It was a rainy, dreary afternoon, and
Vincent Dilkley had gone up to the
beautiful country house, now inexpressi.
bly, dismal and soon to be the Wiltons
no longer.