Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-10-26

| sHE LISTENED WITH ALMOST BREATHLEss
ATTENTION
er health seemed 10 DC materially I'M
proved. Encouraged by this favorable
/ change, she decided 10 wait little
| longer before making known TO her
adopted daughter the secret Of her true
parcntnge, seeming 10 shrink with an
| instructive dread from making the dis
| closure.
annie was now sixteen, and very
| finely accomplished, having been since
the age OF five years under the care Of
govcrncsses and tutors who had taken
: great pride In fitting their pupil for the
social position that she was destined 70
occupy Anxious. howrrcr tnat her
daughters educn'inn should be AS
broad and =, ,.- possible, the lady de-
cidcd e. .yc her the advantage OF
| - ugh collegiate training; and Il few
,eeks after their return TO America
found Annie Dupont at Vassar."
Mrs. Mavuard's attention now APP
pcarcd 10 be wholly withdrawn from
Miss Hilary and concentrated upon
North's story Her hands, claspcd to-
gethcr closely, lay motionlcss In her
lap. her eyes were fixed upon North's
face. she listened with almost breath
less attention to every word that he
spohc
As II influenced ny this change in her,
North's manner altered; its lightncss
vanished and his tones grew earnest
and sympathetic MS he proceeded.
For few months all went well.
Annie was happy In her college life,
winning friends and popularity, and
little dreaming Of the blow that was
soon to fall suddenly upon her When
mt last, summoned by the telegram
which, like thundcrbolt from a clear
sky. had startled her out of the routine
Of her busy school life, she reached her
home on the Hudson. she was too late
TO receive the loving farewell Of the
one who had been her dearest earthly
friend
THE end had come almost without
warning but 1t seems that the lady had
felt a prcacntimcnt OF her impending
fate. and had sent for her lawyer In
order 10 make every provision for
Annie's future Unfortunately he was
absent from home and could not re-
splnd to the summons in time TO re-
ccivc from her lips her last instructions.
The only person who was with the lady
az her death was the girl whom have
already mentioned This girl who had
been with Annie and her mother during
all their long wuuderiags in Europe,
was the only one Of the present house
hold who knew the history OF the
adopted child; II was she who received
the nna directions Of her mistress con-
| J.
instructions were treated, the sequel
will show
"With the full knowledge that IL was
the last message she should ever send
her darling, the lady wrote long let
ter to Annie, giving her n full history
Of her past, her parents death, her
brief sojourn in the orphan asylum,
: her subsequent adoption and every lit
tie incident relating thereto. Then,
having told where all the papers CON
: tanning the proofs Of her identity
5 were to be found, the writer closed
with most touching and affcctionate
! farewell Before the ink was dry on
/ the paper the hand that had pcnned
$ these loving lines was cold in death.
p Had Annie Dupont received this let
5 ter II would have changed the whole
II: current Of her lifc but she was not dcs-
. tined thus to learn her romantic his
. tory II CHANGED that the first person
l who approached the desk where the let
1 ter lay was this servant, now the
Q houscSccpcr and n woman of thirty
G years She read the letter and II in
5 creased her luminosity toward Annie.
0 She determined that her rival, as she
1 still absurdly considered the girl,
1 should never be known rs Annie Du-
i pont, never inherit her aunt's wealth;
r and she also determined, II possible,
A TO prevent her from inhcriting the
y smaller estate OF her adaptive mother.
r In that desk. jealously guarded for
4 years, were all the documents on
u which Annie Duponts fortunes de-
!, pended. the papers that declared her
S identity as Hamilton Dupont's daughter
l. and Mrs DunlSirk's niece; the adop
d ton papers that made her the lcgaI
Y heir of her kind bencfactrcss; the viii
IS Of that lady In which everything u
II which She died possessed was be
E qucathcd to her adopted daughtcr-al
10 these precious papers lay within reach
e and only one living person know o
a their existence And that one person
e, because She hated Annie Dupont auC
10 regarded her good fortune with u jcal
N ousy rs implucabc rs It was unrcasona
1t blc-that one person, unawcd by tn,
g presence " death, and too ignorant L
III fear the legal consequences should he
n decd be discovered, took possession o
le those papers. and also the letter 10 An
re ME. and hid them away, cNultiug in tn
" belief that she was thus avcnging he
" own wrong and dieapp
~ 'ln her haste - secure these impor
tant documents the woman had over
H. looked another letter which, lying o
m the Gcsk sealed and directed, was fcun
We by the lawyer when he called n fc,
,g hours later This letter was addrcsse
ne ,u "a lady In New Nurl; with whom Az
err MICS adaptive mother had long bee
n been acquainted, asking her TO assum
IT. the guardianship Of the young cir
II, The lawyer posted the letter immcd
OF utely, and in answer 10 1t an cldcrl
at lady came down to the villa on the da
a IT the funeral. to signify her willing
he ness IN grant her late fricnds dying n
quest With this new guardian Ann
nj Dupont went to New York, whore sh
IN remained until her marriage five yeul
rs later
AT Inquiry naturally arose Us to the di
To- position which the lady had made
oy her property As thore was no will
III -