The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-18

hpdlneu Dy q narrow, CTOOkeO DIloet,
which in the pony's quietest moments Bes-
sic had always considered quite a feat OF
craftsmanship TO successfully cross. The
water ran dark, and rapid. and deep. All,
If some great, strong, brave rescuer would
only come, how grateful, she would be,
There was a man sitting under the trees
below the bridge, fshing-a fine looking,
stalwart young man, who when he heard
sprang to his feet and over the fence and
out into the roadway, waving his fishing
rod frantically and hallooing like a Ber-
and dashed forward and seized the curb
with a grasp OF iron, forcing the pony back
embankment. And. all me! this was not all
that this stalwart young man did; he
stroked the poor little beasts black muz-
whispered into his ear, and 10, the pony
hung his head and whinnied In shame and
ders. tRis truly 'p pro;viG TGafGrS y oRDe man man
turned the cart around, a difficult task even
under the favorable circumstances OF an
to go home. Miss Clavering,'' Jumped in
ana drove soberly up the hill. and repeated,
on, SO kindly, in its frequency. Never
tears coursing down the pallid cheeks he
threw the reins between his knees and
"I do think, aunt" declared Bessie, when
she was tucked into bed according to the
invariable old-fashioned remedy, II do think
that Stubbs is just a lovely name; 1t Is so
manly"
And this was the beginning Of II, and one
lovely autumn evening, when the air was
heavy and golden, and gave TO the walk by
the brook the vistas Of paradise, when Bes-
sic and the schoolmaster walked slowly
with arms entwined, and he told OF his
dreams and hopes and far-away prospects,
how he was studying nightly at the law,
how, before winter, he would seek his for
tune in the city, and how that fortune
meant rapture, and that rapture meant her;
this, then, was the ending, the ending, yet
what a bright and hopeful beginning, too.
Aunt Griselda was so pleased when they
d~uttfully told her all about 1t, for she had
ideas of her own. had Aunt Griselda, and
ideals, too, and faith and love were the
strongest of them. There were tears be-
meath her spectacles as she uttered her
words of encouragement. and the demure
kerchief across her breast rose and fell un-
wontedly. All, well, perhaps in those days
resignation, had been her lot, those ideas
and ideals had become motives that had
ever since guided her feet on a lonely way.
And the lovers were SO happy together;
their joy was so single, their ambitions so
limited. In that quiet village they could al
ways hear the call of birds and the muir
muir OF the brook. but over the mountains
and the meadows never came the din of
feverish, artificial life. They were alone, as
If in Eden, and from the grandeur of SIM
plicity and tranquility there came to them
both, and especially to Bessie, a share in
natures wisdom.
And so one day this young girl stood
flushed and indignant before Aunt CHI
seida- Il nate wealth and position and
all, l hate the Clavering vase" The cause
OF this outburst was a letter which Bessie
letter hsla q Mas yro G1in S { md IN her Mira hang Ree4 ThI5
Clavering, and was couched in that ma
irons most. mastery forensic style. The
sharer In its consequence, namely, Mr..
AdolphuS Cephers, sr., that Bessie was
tic pq I'm IIfe as Of to what Ihfim was ds Ssst to her x sta,
a person accurately described by the i'm
possible name of Stubs" Since it had
come to pass that a child of the house had
thus proved recreant to the obligation of
the vase, only one course remained Let
Bessie return at once to the roof, end. if
and her brother Lionel a portion of tie
lofty, ancestral spirit which animated them.
On, aunt" exclaimed Bessie, didn't you
nate that old vase when you were a grip
I'm sure you did"
Aunt Griselda smiled curiously. my day
was before the days of the vase" she re-
piled:
why, auntie, aren't you ashamed to
make yourself older than the hills? Why,
RElshard Occur de Lion was nothing to that
Yes. and that vase was nothing to Rich
ard Occur de Lion. Listen, my child; love
has so transformed you that I may now tell
you something that will prove serviceable
Claverings were poor country people. poor.
but honest remenber; there's nothing TO be
father would not speak of him. He was a
very erratic young man, SO nearly allied to
genius as to be thought mentally deranged
by some folks. There was nothing he
couldn't make, from a steam engine toto a
vase. But he lacked balance, and frittered
sand mad pranks and IpSracticaiS jokes. Now,
your father was vastly different, a ShreWd,
practical man, intent on riches; And he
an enterprise perfectly legitimate, perfectly
honorable. but of which he grew ashamed.
Your mother. my dear, was ambitious;
she realized her own powers, and she deter
mined that they should be untrammeled by
prejudice. Some of the family thought her
success always stirs up such feelings In
families. 1t was then that your Uncle
Charles produces the vase; where he got
things were made in his workshop. He re-
lated the tradition with a mock serious air
who, as the head Of the family, claimed the
heirloom, and has ever since thoroughly be-
lieved in it. 1t is so. easy, my child, for
people 10 Deiieve 10 their own aSgrandize-
ment; half the gauds in the world are
mere tinsel. He asserted its genuineness
and no one dared to contradict him. He
moved away, and your Uncle Charles died,
and now no one remains that knows the
truth of it except q poor old woman that
doesn't count. But remember this, there
your uncle was ingenious, and hid q mean
ing in everything he did. l fear if it should
be broken your fathers pride would in
some way be shattered"
You are not a poor old woman assert
ed Bessie. And you do count above ev-
erybody. I'll remember this story; perhaps
it may help me in the struggle I shall
surely have. But Oh, l love you most dear
ly for having taught me the value Of kind
hearts and simple faith
So Bessie returned to the city and was
frowned on by her father and glared at by
her mother and disdained by her sister
and pulled at by her brother. Daily she
was led before the vase to recant; daily
its story was reiterated for the stirring Of
her pride. But Bessie was strong and en-
dured. with patience awaiting the winter.
for then that stalwart, fine-looking young
man, so cool, so resourceful, would come,
and all would be right.
One cold, bright afternoon there was con-
sternation in the great mansion of the
turned from a walk, bringing a young man
with her; they were together in the parlor,
and it was feared that his name was Eras-
tus Stubs.
'TH kick him off the front stoop."
growled Reginald. the father, who vas
irasCible and red-faced.
No" advised Mrs. Reginald, that won't
do; we want a determination, not an i'm
preston. He must be forced to compre-
is an affair OF the entire family. Let us
one ard all present ourselves before him,
and through the moral weight of our pres
cree, backed by the inherent virtue of the
vase. crush out his audacity forever"
1t was a sublime sight, truly, that con-
fronted Erastus Stubs as he sprang to
his feet on the entrance of the family. No
wonder that he felt BeSSie'S little hand
tremble against his arm no wonder that
that arm involuntarily responded. There
was Reginald himself waddling pompOusly
no hn hold tho N-nCn nlnfr. fhara xyno IfC