Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-07-17

HOW can you say SO, CllffOrd Z!
would you rather not walk with me p
"Nonsense!'
VERY well. I will wait for you. and II
you give me the slip. deep will be my
wrath"
Il have no such intention" and she
vanished into the cottage.
Marsden walked on in deep thought
his brows knit, his handsome face firmly
set, all the smiling softness of his ordi
| nary aspect gone and replaced by a stern
older.
When Nora had read the better part OF
newspaper to her old protege, and dis
| cussed some of its contents, she perceived
the odor Of tobacco waited through the
open window, and guessing that the squire
was waiting, she bade the blind woman
goodbye and went to join him.
"Will you tell me-" he said, throwing
away his cigar, when they had gone a
few PAGES, what is the pleasure of going
into n stuffy cottage to read to n stupid
old woman, who would probably preIey
being left to sleepT"
1T is not very great pleasure, GER
tainly, but assure you l like reading to
old Betsy. She is very shrewd, and.
though don't profess to be an angel. we
ought to help each other sometimes. 1t
is not much to do for a poor soul; think
how lonely she must be. We should be
rather worthless, If We did only what we
like"
'Hum! That has been the only rule
have ever followed"
II do not believe you. People would not
like you so well, If you cared for nothing
but self: you must have some heart"
II begin to fear 1 have" said Marsden.
as if to himself. II assure you," he went
on, ''it is impossible to me to do what l
do not like, and equally impossible to re-
,sist snatching at what l desire, ay! and
getting 1t, too. by some means or other"
What a bad character!' cried Nora.
'If any one else spoke of you in that way,
should have been quite angry"
"And would you have defended me"
"Yes, of course! you are my kinsman.
and good friend"
"And you are very pearl of cousin"
They were silent till they reached n
turn in the path, from which the dull red
towers of Oldbridge were visible; the sight
of them perhaps prompted the abrupt
question:
What has become of Winton? Is he
here stili?'
NO; he is gone to Devonshire, think. ="
"Ha! and how has he been prospering!"
"Prosperins? How? In what pray:"
with your step-mother. / expected to
hear that their engagement had been an
nounced when came back. Why has he
let the grass grow under his feet!'
Nora was too amazed to reply at once;
but memory swiftly unrolled her picture
of the past few months. and showed n
ID
roborated Marsden's startling assertion.
~ suppose l am very stupid" she ex-
rlaimed, as soon as she could speak, but
| never suspected this. Helen, too, is SO
frank, she would surely have told me-"
Il am not SO sure of that! Pray, what
do you think kept a man like Winton in
such dull hole as Oldbridge, and brought
him day after day to Brookdale? Your
self, eh? A very natural supposition!
You are sufficiently magnetic. sweet cou.
sim"
"Indced-indeed," began Nora. eager
~, but Marsden went on smiling. and
shaking his finger at her.
at is soothing 10 Sc imperfect feilo"
as myself to find out n little weakness|s
tinge of vanity in such an admiraple iir
man as you are. | don't doubt that
II,
fallen to your spear: but, you see. he wat
Mrs L'Estrnnyc's lover in bygone ngef
when they were boy and girl. and afteI
Il know all about it. l fancy Wintoh
when he first came home from lntia. wal
not too anxious to take Helen Landeli
back with him. | remember her, sadi
eyed, timid creature, under the thumb
l should say thumb old Mlsi
Webster. She was soft, taking HttI}
thing then. she is very charming womali
now, and Winton is well off. 1t would %
a comfortable settlement for her ana hef
little girl, for they are, think, quite DC
pendent on you"
At the end of this long speech, during
which Marsden watched his companion
face, Nora was quite prepared to reply. ]
"If they are fond Of each other. l shall!
be very pleased. Helen has been real
mother to me, and like Mr.. Winton I'm.
mensely You don't know what q hard
life Helen has had. If Mr.. Winton will
be kind and make her happy-and now
you have opened my eyes, l think he IL
fond of her-I shall be glad. But. as td
her dependence on me, if l die before
am twenty -one, of course all possess wiz
go to Beatrice, and as soon as ever an
of age l will settle half my fortune or
Helen, to go to Bea after her"
but, Nora! you must not be Quixoticj
make some provision for your father'a
widow, but not half of your fortune
cried Marsden. looking at her with sur
prise.
"Oh! il Helen is married, well, l shall
make the settlement on Bea only. l have
always considered it an oversight on my
fathers part not providing for her, ar
ol-a
Her tone was perfectly easy and nat.
ural; nor did il express the slightest con-
sciousness of doing more than a simple act
of justice.
Marsden walked on in silence for few
PAGES.
"You are right, 1 think" said he. at
Is a horrid nuisance to know that people
belonging to you want for anything: but.
at the same time, you are acting with un..
usual liberality. When shall you be OF
age? if l dare ask such a question"
1.-The fifteenth of February next,
Shall be twenty-one."
"And suppose you marry some sting!
fellow before that dateT
Nora laughed merrily.
81 do not fancy l shall run away with
any one between this and February, and
if l marry sobcrly, conventional!y, the
lawyers can devise the means of carrying
out my wishes, or, if the suitor likes my
poor little money better than myself, why,
he may CO." she waved her hand with ar
expressive gesture.
II wonder what sort of woman you
will develop into, Nora? 2" said Marsden,
his eyes fixed upon hers as II brooding
over some somber thought.
"Am not developed already, sQuireT