The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-06

40 rAe OOWu CO WTlCe Cu9 uOC6 BOm0EQ1OQ
made him accept.
He was not q happy man. Through
all his great success, due so largely to
that wonderful violin, there had been
the skeleton at the feast. and now the
doctor was dead and his daughter I'M
provided for, living, it seemed, on charity.
en-. Drascovy-Miss Manifold" said
Mrs. Vincent.
EIe saw tall, queenly woman, with
lustrous brown eyes and bright, fair hair,
dressed in q deep black gown, relieved
by the least touch of white about the
throat. Her movements were slow and
very graceful, and when she spoke it
was in q low voice full of melody. She
was very beautiful. He could hardly
take his eyes off her, and yet, if she hap
pened to look toward him, he started
and cast down his eyes. Ho could not
sleep that night. He knew there was
only one woman in the world for him.
and shc-was the daughter of the man
he had robbed! 1t was well, or i'll, for
him that he could not see her next day,
sitting by q couch on which sick man
lay, one hand in his, the other stroking
his hair. Patience, dear heart, pa
thence" she whispered, 'things will be
better soon. 1 shall get introductions
and pupils through Mrs. Vincent, and
then, dear, twill be all right You must
be content to wait till then, for you know
I shall be always true and loving"
"But it is so hard for you, Nellie.
cannot tie you to cripple, to a life of
toll for one so helpless as 1 am. Oh, it is
hard that this should have happened to
me, when six months ago was strong
and vigorous"
Maybe it is better, dear; it should
bring us closer together, and in years
you may recover, perhaps. And now
will read to you, or we will talk to-
gether." And so the brave, strong
woman helped the man she had loved so
long and still loved, even now that he
was condemned to lie OH couch for his
lifetime through an accident in a Lon
don street. He was poor, and so was
she. The working and waiting would
be very hard, but she would persevere
and conquer. Drascovy was often to be
found at Mrs. Vincents house during
the next fortnight, and one afternoon, to
his great delight, he found Mrs. Vincent
out and Miss Manifold alone in the
drawing room.
Ten minutes later he had told her he
loved her-had asked her to be his wife.
She hid her face in her hand and babe
him be silent.
"You do not understand; how should
your" she said. II cannot think of what
you ask, for if ever l marry it will be to
some one very different to yourself-to
one who loves me, whom. too, love. and
who is now Il helpless invalid on his
couch. You are rich, and he and l are
poor, but l am going to work hard, and
some day shall be his wife if We are
ever rich enough, for you see it will be
an up hill task getting singing pupils.
You understand now, do you not, and
will never ask me any more!"
She looked mt him and saw his dark,
handsome face working convulsively.
II am sorry if have given you pain"
she said, for no did not speak. "but YOU
will soon get over it. You are rich and
have the world at your feet; all that
fame and fortune can give YOU"
Except yourself, the only gift that
can bring me happiness. All, child, you
little know of the curse there is OH INV
fortune, OH my life itself. But you shall
know, though I cannot tell you now.
Goodby; forgive me if you can"
He hurried from the room, and pres
emily she heard the hall door bang. She
sat still for IL long time, bordering his
strange words and distressed manner,
wondering what he could have to tell
her.
That night the mystery was solved.
BY the last post there came registered
letter, thick and bulky. She slipped il
into her pocket to read in her bedroom.
for she know it was from Drascovy.
For Il long time she sat before the fire
that was burning brightly and her beau
tiful eyes were full of tears as she
thought of her poor crippled lover AMI
asked herself why she was so poor, WHY
some people had so much wealth and
she so little that she could not help and
live for the man she loved so well. The
tears fell one by one down her cheeks.
and as she put her hand in her pocket
for her handkerchief she encountered
Drascovy's letter.
She broke the seal, and found to her
amaZement that besides closely writ
ten letter there were go bank notes, each
for el00. She was too utterly aston
ished even to conjecture the meaning or
cause of this. She could only gaze at
the notes until she remembered the let
ter
What need to go into details? 1t was
simply a complete confession of what
Drascovy had done to obtain the Stradi-
varius, begging her forgiveness and flu
ture friendship and inclosing notes for
$4,000 as payment for the instrument