Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-10-03
CHAPTER VII.

started for London. from thence ht
purposed making his way 10 Bou
logne, where at least he would De free
from the grasp Of enraged creditors
Then Lefty set herself TO face her life
brayely, as It was her nature to do.
one of the least of the many peas
ant things this loss of fortune brought
Lefty. was the loss of Mrs. Atherton.
That lady's salary could no longer be
paid for and she was not one to stay
q single hour for nothing; She even
grumbled and lamented as though
this ioss was her own personal griev-
ance. and 50, indeed, it was In one
way. She made no pretense of sym
pafliy beyond a few commonplace po
liienesses, that were worth less than
! the puff Of breath that gave them sub
stance She commenced without my
delay to get her properties together,
and they had increased vastly during
her stay In that house, and then,
! when she had all her preparations
completed, she kissed Lefty Oh the
cheek and drove off 10 the station,
Mr.. Leigh escorting her.
That was the last journey the
pretty little trap ever went while Mr.
Leigh was its owner, for three days
after he sold it, and the gray mare
that drew It, The cottage he had
bought and he would neither dispose
of It, nor Of any article of furniture
however costly, however ont Of place
and useless it might he; and so father
and daughter went back to their
former humble way Of living, their one
servant, and the thousand and one
petty troubles that genteel poverty is
heir to.
Gladly would poor Lefty have
worked to procure money. but work
{ IRE was none for her to do. She
could not toll meanly, for she was
gentlewoman; teaching. tar
source of destitute Responsibility, was
barred to her, for she had none Of the
SNOWY accomplishments that the gov
esnesses Of the present day are eX-
pected - possess and transmit to their
pupils With proper zeal for the munih-
cent stipend Of, say, twenty pounds
per annum.
IN the first bleak days Of the early
March Mr. Leigh could not leave his
room. he seemed to shriyel up and
fade as the days grew longer and
brighter, and before the May BIOS
sonlS Whltened the trees. he lay under
the green sodS Of the little churchyard
on the hill. Then Lefty stood alone
in tie world, with but Il very small
annuity to keep actual want from her
door.
The greater part Of Mr. Leighs in
come died with him, and on the scan,y
remainder Lefty had to learn to live.
A proud girl would have gone in her
poverty away from the place, and
from the people who had known her
in different circumstances. But
Lefty WAS more loving than proud,
and she chung tenaciously to the spot
that hid seen the dawn and the dark
enfng If her brief loyc-dream,
The sultry summer had ripened into
autumn, the corn stood high in the
meadows stretching round Letty's
home, and the purple blooms OF the
ferns were Ia full Insurance The
FIRST rending pain of her loss was over,
but the weary void Of her heart was
untitled, and often, sitting In the
warm haze Of the August days, look
ug ont on the shifting sea, she would
mink with a half sigh that perhaps
She WIS wrong, after NIL. In casting
lWay Ernest Deyercux's love SO read
.ly And yet she felt she could not do
otherwise, We're lie to come and offer
i sain. OF the one love that would
have been 50 precious to her she had
given up all hope; aud any other
however true, however tender, could
be but an empty name TO her after
thnt b.
lie weary days erawlad away till
spfiagfime came again Lefty, stand
ins IN he ehurcAyard ny her fathers
grave. 3aked down. through binding
leafs 81 the green sodS that had been
lad taep s. smoothly Just one little
leaI before
! Nae fagf April day, made up ot
ltaHs suites aau showers. ana the
ifehle notes ef the birds mingled.
slfi.IiI sweet with the rush ana the
Fsas ID 1e Incoming tidc The nar-
fa5 saHd lefi hare by II WAS
s3i.s.as lId cleaning like molten
@.'11 III 4e saasa1Aei ana as Lefty
tsH ted AWAY #FaNQ tllf lD0nly ,rlavn