The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-01-24

castles. / have thus represented to you,
Mrs. Maynard, the peculiar attitude of
this person toward Annie Dupont. that
you may the more readily perceive a
| motive for the line of action that she.
subsequently pursued. #s
After a lapse of several years, spent
very happily abroad the lady's health
began to fail seriously, and she was
warned by her attending physician that
the insidious disease which had been de-
veloping for months, unsupported by
herself. might at any time prove fatal.
The dread of dying in foreign land
and leaving Annie once more among
strangers, alone and unprotected, in
duced the lady to return at once to her
American home, a beautiful little villa
on the Hudson, where for few months
! her health seemed to be materially i'm
proved. Encouraged by this favorable
change, she decided to wait a little
longer before making known to her
adopted daughter the secret of her true
parentage, seeming to 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
governesses and tutors who had taken
great pride in fitting their pupil for the !.
social position that she was destined to
occupy. Anxious, however, that her
daughters education should be as
broad and deep as possible, the lady de-
cided to give her the advantage OF
thorough collegiate training; and few
weeks after their return to America
found Annie Dupont at Vassar:"
Mrs. Maynards attention now APP
peared to be wholly withdrawn from
Miss Hilary and concentrated upon
Norths story. Her hands, clasped to-
getl,er closely, lay motionless in her
lap: her eyes were fixed upon North's
face; she listened with almost breath
less attention to every word that he
spoke. a@&
AS if influenced by this change in her,
Norths manner altered: its lightness
vanished and his tones grew earnest
and sympathetic as he proceeded.
For few months all went well. s
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
at last. summoned by the telegram
which. like thundcrbolt from a clear
sky. had startled her ont of the routine
of her busy school life. she reached her
home on the Hudson. she was too late 4
to receive the loving farewell of the
one who had been her dearest earthly
friend. - $.ss5f 4. SIS
THE end had come almost without
warning. but it seems that the lady had
felt a presentinient of her impending
fate. and had sent for her lawyer in y
order to make every provision for
Annies future. Unfortunately he was
absent from home and could not re-
spond to the summons in time to re-
ceive from her lips herlast instructions
. Tresonly person who was with the lady
at her death was the girl whom have
already mentioned. This girl, who had
been with Annie and her mother during
all tl>>ir long wanderings in Europe,
was the only one of the present house
hold who knew the history of the
/ adopted child: it was she who received
the final directions of her mistress COM
corning Annie's welfare. How these
instructions We're treated. the sequel
will show.
q