The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-12-08

RN ~ tears OF mortified pride
NV = Sparkling in her eyes
"a VT ms she laid down the
frigil letter she had
~ been reading. "And
it is cruelty hard for me to be forced
to meet them without Sigismund'r
presence to sustain and uphol me.
know inst how it will be. My mother.
in-luw will look coldly and critically
upon everything / do; my epdaugh-
ter will fancy me Il tyrant, and steel
herself against me MS If were an in-
quisitor. Home will be n dungeon
and life burdeul Oh, | wish-I nl
most wish, she added, correcting her
self, with the shy smile Of happy wife
hood -"that l had never married.
But, after all, what nonsense that is,
when Sigismund is so good, so noble,
SO worthy OF wife's devotion !"
Mrs. Durell was on her way homo
from India, and, seated in the cool,
marble paved apartment at Gibraltar,
from whence the Peninsula and ORR
entail mship was to sail the next
day, she watched the palm leaves sway
ing III the breeze, tho hutter OF the
gay green and white awnings, and the
turbaned Eastern servants passing to
and fro with trays of back coffee,
deiicGtely favored ices, moulded to
initiate apples, oranges md pomegran-
ates, with absent, unseeing eyes.
Never before il I'd she been parted
from her husband, who was American
Consul at one of the Oriental ports.
but q sudden call had arisen for his
presence many hundred miles back in
the mountain country-a wilderness
to which it was impossible that he
could take his delicate young wife
There is no tcliin how long ! NAV
be detained among those semi -savages,
Octy,' he ha said to his wife, and
can neither take You nor leave You.
Go home to my mother AMI nuke
friends with little Eulora. 1t is pos
sible that | may follow you in IA few
months, ii all goes well. But, at all
events, shall feel safer ii YOU are on
American soil. Benson, your maid,
is nm accustomed traveller, and Leon
ard, who commands the Pacifica, is
my old freud, so that you will lack NJ
care.
"But, Siglsmund," cried Mrs. Du
reiI, with II countenance of ludicrou.
dismay, 'a-mo'her-in-law! and g
stepaaughter TO be compelled t.
confront them, all by myself!'
"MY dear little goosel" said the
consul, laughing. "Now you ar,
frightened at mere shadows. "My
mother is the dearest old lady in the
world, and Dora is "a darling"
Conduit ] stay with you?" plead
cd the young wife, clinglng to his arm
"Pd rather be murdered by the ma
tives, or die of cholera down on the
plains, than go back to America all by
myself"
Nonsense nonsense! nonsense =
cheerily cried out Mr.. Durell
And so the matter had been settled
And Octayia was thus far on her tedious
voyage home, when, crossing the
chequerel pavement without, slight
graceful figure glided by, with Aoat
ing lace scarf and deeply -fringed, red
colored parasol.
dts jamie Weldon !" cried Octavia
springing up ana rushing out to inter
cept the movements Of the beautiful
stranger.
"Why," cried Miss Weldon, in in
finite surprise, 1T is Octavia Olcott
And here, on the heights Of Gibraltar
OF all places, who would have dreamot
Of meeting you here"
81 am going to America, " said DC
tavia
$50 am J., said Miss Weldon.
"But my namc isn't Olcott an,
longer" said the young wife, laugh
ing and blushing. 81 am Mrs. Sigis
mund Dureli.
"Then, said Miss Weldon, with he
eyes growing larger and more brillian
than ever, lyon are tho daughter in
law OF Mrs. AlkmonI Durcll, tho YER
lady [ am going to visit. DO tell m
about her. Is she nice? Is sbo lively
Us she -"
Octavia burst ont laughing.
'I never saw her in my li'c," SAT-
she.
"Neither did I" said Miss Weldon
"But she has invited me TO visit he
because my Aunt Barbara was an oil,
friend Of hers And You really hay
married the charming young consu
widower? My darling, ] congratulate
you I"
'J was q governoss ut Calcutta, " sal
Octny.a blushing md looking exceed
ingly pretty. "And--"
'I SEQ how it wac" nodded Mis-
Weldon, who had been Octavia'
schoolmato long a2o. Glove Mt frs
sight and ! don't blame him, when
sec how pretty you have grown. An
suppose dear Old Mrs Durcll is dc
lighted 90 have you?'
'5he isn't delighted ut all" sni
Octavia, soIemnly. "5ho has writte
mo n letter as cold as ice, rezreitin
that her son should have marie,
again so iecipitatelY Gust ne II hi
fret wife hadn't been dead five years
hoping that we should be congenial