The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-20

NOR was Always a welcome NlSlI0f, ana
] Nellie as a little one was his especial faV-
orite. Many were the handsome presents
he gave her, and in his generous way he
: would take a fancy to my Wifes pictures
| and nay own and pay far larger sums for
them than I honestly think they We're
! worth.
1t was in those days that one summer S
evening, when we sat far into the night in
our little garden, he told me that he was
4 never likely to marry and that he should
| leave everything he had to our little Mel
| lie. l laughed then and jokingy said that
l hoped he would live as long as any of
( us. and l told him chafiingly that some
day Miss Right would come along, and he
! would have a wife and boys and girls of
| his own.
A year later he had fulfilled my prophecy
and married, but his wife was not a wo-
man cared that mine should meet How
quiet sensible man like my brother could
ever have allowed himself to be duped by
| such a woman as Rose Girling / could new
er imagine. l knew something of her ca
reer, as in her early days she had been a
model, and when she became what is call
! ed SHOW girl at one Of the West End
burlesque houses her new occupation was
| constantly discussed among the brethren
| Of the brush.
When Frank came to me and told me that
| he was going to be married and told me
the ladys name, l was foolish enough IN
my Indignation to tell him perhaps more of
| the truth than / ought to have done, and
| he unfortunately allowed the woman to
| know that l had been his informant as to
certain incidents in the pages Of her past
l had better as It turned out, have held
my tongue, for Frank went To the altar
with her, and from that day there was a
GOODNESS between US which lasted until
| his death. ! am sure that he would have
come to see US but for her: but her inau-
ance over him was unbounded, and she
| never forgave me for having endeavored to
| prevent the marriage.
Five years after Rose Girllng became
Rose Stanmore my brother died, and by
his will he left his wife a thousand a year
as long as she remained a widow, and the
rest Of the property to the children, If any,
of the marriage. The will had been made
Immediately after the marriage took
place. and by the terms Of 1t if he died
without ISSUE his property. subject to the
payment of a thousand a year to his
widow, was to pass to me.
When Frank died my Nellie was years
old, and the child who had robbed her,
as it seemed to me, of her Inheritance,
was three years younger.
AS I walked rapidly through the keen
December air those days of long ago came
vividly back to me, and 1 pictured the
luxury with which Franks widow and
daughter were surrounded, and contrasted
1t with my poverty and misery. l won
lered what Franks daughter was like,
and if she had any idea of the injury she
nad done Nellie by coming into the world.
And then there came to me suddenly
md swiftly an idea What right had to
hesitate at any shame or humiliation,
where the life of my child was concerned?
l would swallow my pride; would go to
MIS-. Stanmore ana ten ner of M ,ruuOle,
and appeal to her out of her wealth to
let me have the means of rescuing my
child from death. If the woman had any
heart at all, or one atom of motherly feel
ing, she would not refuse.
No sooner had the idea presented itself
than l became feverishly anxious to put
it into execution. would so at once
that very morning-I would know the
Aest or the worst, with as little delay as
possible
Mrs. Stanmore lived in a large house at
Hampstead, and I could get there easily
In an hour. We were not dining till 4
in the afternoon, In order to give our little
servant plenty OF time, and Nellie would,
knew go and lie down TO rest after her
sleepless night and would not miss me;
and so / started to put my desperate plan
into execution there and then.
But when l reached the Towers-that
was the name of Mrs. Stanmores house
my courage failed me. The Stanmores
might not be spending Christmas at home
| They might be abroad. And If they were
| at home l should have to send in my
name TO Mrs. Stanmore, and perhaps she
would treat me, as she had treated me
once before, with the greatest discour-
| tesy. She would refuse to see me- and
! should have humbled myself for moth
ing.
Twice put my hand out to ring the bell
and each time l drew it back Then the
thought Of what was depending on my
courage came wildly to my mind, and
| with a desperate effort 1 seized the he'll
and drew it down.
| When the door was opened and the SER
! want stood waiting for me to speak / re-
/ manned for moment undecided What
was l to say?. To ask II Mrs Stanmore
was in and give my name, or to increase
my chances of obtaining an interview by
subterfuge? Hardly knowing what said.
l stammered out at last "Will you tell
your mistress that gentleman wishes to
see her on important business2"
! The servant stood back to allow me 10
| pass into the hall, and then showed me
into small side room fitted up as a IL
brary.
what name shall I say, sir?"
! mo name-pl-hse give nv messapa"
The servant closed the door and left me
l remained standing by the alndow for
some time looking out at the grounds
My thoughts were far away was think
| iHS VI the beautiful SOUTH where the
soft winds were blowing, and the warm
sun was shining, and life was waiting for
my darling.
4e~e4..-s hnding that no one came 10
ne / began to look round the room. Me-
hanically l went to the little bookcase
and examined the hooks. recognized
most OF them as my dead brothers. MANY
II them had been our fathers. and as /
9oked at them the days OF my childhood
anne back to me. The bottom shelf was
He'd with the large books. There was The
'oNs Book OF Martyrs with the Chamber
II Horror illustrations with which W,
,sed to curdle our young blood on sunda,
+tternoons; there was Knights London
n -FOUR volumes; there were the state
irlals;" and there, thrust into a dark cor
.er, was our family Bible, in which our
randfather and father had entered the
ames Of their children.
| l tried the bookcase doors and found
| 1em unlocked, and so without thinking
What ! was doing took the old Bible GU,
nd opened # at the family register.
The last entries were in my brothers
landwriting. He had entered the date OF
Is marriage, and underneath he had writ
en- something In which there had been an
| ~ A4s I .a-f. 4