The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-31

iirious condition They were taken at
| once TO the hall. and father and Mrs
Hart nursed both back to life again.
After this Walter Hart and Thomas
Hatton were friends closer than broth
ers; and this friendship was drawn still
closer the following Christmas, for then
father met Alice Hart, my mother, and
| fell in love with her. Their course of
true love ran smooth enough; it was a
suitable match on both sides, and the
next summer the match took place in
Undercliff; for the Hattons have been
married in the old church of Underclif
/ for six hundred years, and there seemed
no reason to break SO long and pleasant
/ a custom.
unfortunately. soon after my birth.
my mother died; and father had scarce
~ recovered from the shock of his great
loss when Capt Hart was ordered to
the East Indies. His friends urged him
to sell out, bat this he would not do,
neither would Mrs. Hart consent to be
separated from her husband. All, how
ever, agreed that the boy Walter must
be left; he was old enough to go to
school, and it would be fatal every way
to take him to Calcutta This parting
was a great sorrow to father; and in
the very first year of their Indian life
both Capt. Hart and his wife died from
fever. Then father took Walter from
school, and henceforth Hatton hall was
his home.
so, you see, Walter and l grew up
together. True, be was nine years
older than /, but ! think that was
favora bic circumstance / was a little
creature to be loved, and cared for, and
protected; and he carried this idea OF
me 50 firmly in his heart that when he
came from Oxford at the end of his last
term and found me young lady he
was quite amazed.
''He liked it. though. and during that
sweet summer vacation we learnt the
dear old story together. Father was
delighted Walter had always been
very dear ever since the hour he had
found him dying and nursed the patient,
grateful little fellow back to sfe again.
II seemed really as Il no possible
trouble could come to darken our affec-
ton. True, Walter would have to
leave NE in the autumn, for he had en-
tAred into partnership with a large firm
eugagcd in the Turkish trade, and it
was stipulation that he should go to
Constantinople for year Or two and
obtain on the spot practical knowl-
edge of the business. But 1 was only
seventcerS we might well defer our
marriage year or more, and when one
20 h,v
time
Father approved the whole arrange
ment If Walter could not be a
landed gentleman, then the next best
thing, he thought, was to be a great
merchant 1t was by my fathers adj
vice Walter had invested his little
fortune in the Turkish trade, and he
thoroughly believed in men knowing
all about their business. So one morn
ing Walter bid us hopeful 'good-by,'
and went to look after his fortune. He |
was to go to London first, and iInmedi-
ately from there to Constantinople. He
promised to write to me from London, !
and then / anticipated having to wait |
for any further news until he arrived |
at his destination.
How often counted the days that
must elapse before 1 could have a
letter! l was sure Walter would write |
the moment he arrived in London. and
counted first for that. l was disap-
pointed. Then l made allowance for
him missing post No letter Then
supposed business, sickness. every
thing but that it was possible he could
forget me- When ! had been disap-
pointed for week, even father began
to be anxious and angry. He wrote to
the firm in London, and Immediately
received a reply stating that Walter
Hart was in perfect health and had
left for Turkey several days previously.
"Su ddenly it struck father that Wal
ter must have written, but that per-
haps nc had given the letter to some
careless person, who had either lost or
forgotten ii. and that we should surely
hear from him as soon as possible after
his arrival in Constantinople. This
seemed so natural that we
both expected it without a doubt. Fa-
Their went happily about his usual en-
Payments, and l amused myself by
counting the days that must elapse be-
fore the first letter could arrive. Fa-
Their said counted too closely, and so
he counted also. leaving what he called
2 margin for delays and accidents.
Yet | could see that he had really
expected letter by the same post as
did. and that, when none came, he
shared fully in my miserable disap-
pointment.
Days grew into weeks, and nothing
came to lift this singular and unnatur-
a. silence. My father wrote again to
the London firm, and also to Walter at
Constantinople. The letter to the firm
was promptly answered; Mr.. Hart was
doing excellently The house was par
ticularly obliged to Squire Hatton for
his influence in securing to it such an
efficient aid.
But his letter to Walter brought
back no response. Then his wronged
affection turned into bitterest anger
He hunted up all Walters college
scra pes, and founded on them the very
worst suspicious He convinced me as
well as himself that there had been