The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-06-01
MARGERY'S LOVERS.
Twas 40 a ago.

II jail was tJ u ill@ilSicb, itld blidu
night was to decide which Of the two
brothers Margery was to choose. Ferdi-
nand and Dan Allston, by one OF those
strange caprices of fortune and of the
blind boy, had, unknown to each other,
formed the acquaintance of Margery Blen-
helm and had beth fallen in love with her
winsome face and dear ways. By an equal
ly capricious turn Of Dame Fortunes
wheel the brothers had a week ago surpris-
ed each other by meeting the object of
their alteration at the house of a common
acquaintance. 1t needed no words to show
to the n brother that the other was
equally in love with Margery, but the
most jealous Of glances failed to reveal to
either who was the preferred one. So, like
men, they had, by an understanding made
of those half words which speak more elo-
quently and are more purposeful than
agreements resulting from elaborate dis
cussions, come to this ball prepared to
abide by the fateful words the young ar
bitter of their destinies might speak.
Dan had whispered to his brother as he
passed them on their way to the conserva-
tory, go i'll and win, old man" His
brother paused with Margery on his arm
and hesitated a moment as he looked Dan
in the eyes, and then with a slight nod
passed on, and amid the palm leaves spoke
the words which brought from Margery
the trembling Eyes"
The erect head and proud smile of Fer
dinand told their story to Dan, who had
from q corner of the ballroom watched the
entrance from the conservatory. A hearty
handshake and a"Make her happy, Ferdi-
nand," was all that passed between the
brothers that night as they separated.
The wedding was fixed for the follow
ing day, yet the bridegroom in his room
alone was haggacd and worn, and thoughts
of death rather than Of life and love must
have been uppermOst, for a loaded pistol
lay on the table. He ang1ily tossed aside
some papers and reached his hand out for
the pistol. The door opened sharply, and
in came Dan from a dinner at his club.
He threw himself in a chair and laugh
ingly said, Il am afraid l am hit rather
heavily by that sharp fall in Fries" Fer
dinand looked up quickly-he had slipped
the pistol under some papers "You take
your losses gayly," he remarked. "Well,
what's the odds. Signs won't bring the
money back, y and he laughed again. His
brothers laughter irritated Ferdinand,
and he ENORMOUSLY replied, "What, laugh
liz d8dlU! DuCHI SOUu JOhE. L UOlQ
the fellows at the club that l was SO harl
hit that they would next hear of me in
Canada, and, by George, they half be-
leved me, I 10 declare" and Dan burst
out in a good natured guffaw. "Well, I'm
of-sorting bachelor correspondence, Ell,
old man? That's wise. Well, good night"
The wedding passed off as merrily as the
proverbial wedding bells, but the gossips
the next day had more exciting news to
talk of than what the bride wore, how the
groom looked or the number and value of
the presents. The startling news had
spread that Dan Allston, the trusted cash
Ter of the banking firm of Silpher, Bullyon
& Co., had absconded, taking with him
$50, 600 in cash. The wiseacres quickly put
two and two together, and soon every one
knew that the unfortunate man had lost
heavily in Fries. The bride and groom,
with becoming feeling, so all averred,
abridged their honeymoon journey. They
took their places in society and save with
a passing reference to that "sad scandal
connected with a wild brother, you
know, !" the ~absconding cashier was com
pletely forgotten.
On a bright summers day two years to
a day after the marriage the husband lay
uN1 llS Ill LIS ptl. I1ODS IIBu USSH gwen
up, and the end was now but a question
of a few hours, possibly a day or two.
Lovelier than ever, Margery entered the
room, holding in her hand a letter marked
important and immediate. Should she
deliver the letter? The dying man saw
the letter M her hesitation. He reached
out his hand. She gave it to him. AS he
saw the writing the flush came back to his
face, the light to his eyes, the nerve to his
arm. He opened the letter, from which
there fell on the eoverlet a cream colored
check. He read the few lines. Then a
strange stiffness spread in the room, with
a sudden awe in her face the wife ran to
his side, and the sharp anguish of her cry
brought the Nurse and physician in the
room. The end had come.
From the stiffening hand they drew the
letter which had fastened death. In the
glorious summer afternoon, the brother of
her choice dead on the bed, the wife read
the letter from the brother she had reject
ed:
MARGERY's MINE, Cal, June, 1858.
DEAR envious rogue has
shot me down, and I am told / cannot live
till sunset. I hasten, therefore, to send you a
draft on New York for $4,000. Replace the
100000 you I tok from my safe, with interest,
and put the rest in trust for Margery. The
mine here is scarcely worked. Don't let the
rogues here get it. Send some trusty man out
here to look after it. l called it 'Margery's"
from the first, and now I've left my viii with
the bankers here. Goodby, dear boy. Never let
Margery know. 1t was all for the best. She
could not be allowed to suffer. I'd do it all
over again for her sweet sake. Goodby, good
by forever. DAN.
AS in her fearless anguish she looked
out toward the west, Margery knew now
how the gamblers losses had been made
good and knew, as women often know too
late, that she had chosen the wrong broth
er.
Twas but last summer I saw her as a
gray haired woman She sat by the same
window reading a faded letter, but out of
which time lad not taken the crumpled
creases, and with the letter in her lap she
looked toward the west and said, "'Twas
40 years ago."-Exchange.
Lord BYRON. brilliant. heautiful and nm