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
subsequ ently pursued. s ~,
.sAftersa lapse of several years, spent
i 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 a 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 a few months
/ her health seemed to be materially inn
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. -'.a IN
''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 Maynard's attention now APP
peared to be wholly withdrawn from
| Miss Hilary and concentrated upon
| North.s story. Her hands, clasped to-
| eetl1er closely, lay motionless in her
! lap: her eyes were fixed upon No1th'sl
face: she listened with almost breath
| less attention to every word that he.
| spoke,
AS if.influenced by this change in her,
| North's manner altered: its lightness
vanished and his tones grew earnest
| and sympathetic as he proceeded.
| '.For a few months all went we'll,
Annie was happy in her college life,
winning friends and popularity, and
| little dreaming of the blow that was 4
soon to fall suddenly upon her. When
at last summoned by the telegram
! which. like thundcrbolt from clear
sky. had startled her ont Of the routine 4
of her busy school life, she reached her
home on the Hudson. she was too late
to receive the loving farewell OF the
one who had been her dearest earthly I
friend. "a!
| ..The end had come almost without
warning. but it seems that the lady had
felt a presentimcnt of her impending
fate. and had sent for her lawyer IN 4
order to make every provision for
/ Annic's future { Unfortunately he was
absent from home and could not re--s
spond to the summons in time to re-
ceiye from her lips herl;tst instructions.
The. only 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 dliring
all tl,~ir long wanderings in Europe,
was the only one of the present house
hold who knew the history Of the I
adopted child: it was she who received
the final directions of her mistress con-
corning Annie's welfare. How these
instructions were treated, the sequel
will show.
T1,,,+;,,ne5 IN m orr, aiorhf