Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-05-22
Margaret Elliot seturned the new
comcr's greeting.

AAS" w AAs Nv w. ~ASeSA'
"Why, Margaret and he are to be
married next month.
"Tho deuce! I beg pardon, but
gave my pet corn a most unkind knock
against o stone. How dark it is to.
night"
''Do you think so? l haa just been
remarkins how brightly the stars were
shining"
"Had you9 But surely Mr.. Vernon
is n great deal derthan your sister. y
eyes, certainly. He is nearly sixty
md she is twenty"
"Whut an awful difference. con
slider such unequal marriages ought to
be forbidden. They are horribly
wicked and wrong. How can you al
low it, Roberto
"Well, you see, the circumstances
are rather peculiar. Vernon has been
fond of her from u child. Many years
back he did my father great service,
60 when he died, eighteen months ago,
he made Margaret promise to marry
him."
''And what are her feelings? Does
she like him ?"
81 think so. She seems quito re-
conciled and happy. For my part
think her very lucky girl. Vernon
is immensely rich. Besides his estates
hero ho has house in town md O
shooting box in Scotland. Then he
comes OF good old family, and will
spoil and indulge her to her hearts
content.
"Oh well, I shall turn in now. Good
night"
Six weeks later in my studio, at Ken
sington, I read Tho announcement OF
the marriage OF "William Gallo Yer
non and Margaret Alice Elliot."
The sun was sinking down from the
bluo vault of o cloudless sky. The sea
lay ripping and glistening, each Lit tic
wavelet rejecting separate sparkle.
I haa been on tho bench all morning
skctching in q dcsultory sort Of way,
and was now returning to the hotel in
search of some solid refreshment.
Brighton was unusually full-that is to
say, if Brighton can ever be unusually
full-and the Kings road was throDged
with fashionable crowd.
I was in m extremely lazy mood
and even with the hotel in sight sat
myself down on scot facing the road,
and fell to idle scrutinizing the folks
as they won't by. All OF onco my at.
tention was engaged by O group OF
threo. They had passed beyond me
before I had observed them; but !
could perceive that the occupant Of
the bath chair, drawn by man in liV-
cry, was gentleman, and that the
lady who walked by his side was young
was evident by tho carriage of her
shoulders and the contour of her form,
while from the poise Of her head ]
further concluded that she was good
looking.
Somo subtle attraction impelled me
to rise and follow them with langour
and fatigue forgotten, I set out in pur,
suit:
slackened my speed as I came up
to ttem, and turned slightly so as to
catch view Of the lady's face.
"Mrs. Velnon!"
The color in her cheeks deepened by
ever so faint tinge, and for one brief
second there was flicker of some.
thing in her eyes that sent IN odd
tremor through me. But the next
moment, she e-was- -the>well-bretl won1an
of the world again, as she smiled and
extended her hand.
From her i turned to the occupant
of the bath chair, and my emotion
was simply one Of shocked surprise as
I recognized her husband in tho frail,
emaciated frame before me.
When I saw him two years before
he was hale and hearty, with hair
scarcely touched by the frost of time
but now his limbs were feeble md
shaking, and his scanty locks white as
driven snow.
"My husband is o great invalid,
came the quiet remark, Us though in
answer to my pitying astonishment.
Mr.. Vernon looked up quickly.
eyes, but ] hayo no cause to COM
plain, for my dear wife makes my
hours of pain and sickness so bright
with her care and attention That ]
found more happiness in ill-hcalth
than during my long life OF health ana
vigor.
That chance meeting led to many
others, and I WIS speedily on terms OF
friendly intimacy with them. They
wcro living very unobtrusiveiy, the
doctor having enjoiuod strict seclusion
and qnietudo as necessary to tho re-
covery of his patient, who but short
time previously had been smitten by 6
stroke of paralysis.
Mr.. Vernon always accorded me
cordial welcome, and it soon became
customary for me to spend & coEple o.
hours every evening i'll t]:elr apart
ments.
When we were aloro together hi
conversation had but one subject.
Margaret's goodness and accomplish
mcnts, and on this theme I was ever
IN attentive listener.
Ono evening our discourse had taker
the usual direction. There had beer
silence between rs for q while, wher
my companion broke it suddenly:
cit has frequently occurred to me,
and more persistently during my i'll
ness, that I ought never to have OIL
lowed Margaret to consider herseli
bound by her promise to her dying
father. I ought to have known thai
such discrepancy in age was too great
and unnatural ever to be productiv
of happiness.
"But," demonstrated, "Mrs. Yer
non appears to bc happy"
eyes," he said, sadly, his face re
nccting tho glow OF the sunset sky,
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