Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-17

| noticed her bright color beginning 20
fade. and shadowly blue circles iorn,,a,S
as a universal calamity. that Norry We
| not well. She lay at home on tne SUI I'LL
| and cried n good deal, or tn'ue az az
mother hold her in her lap beside tne h mr.,
| Poor Norry was not an angel as 4 nav
| said, and she was a very fretfui snu ~
| acting little invalid. Her occupationi iike
Othello's. was gone. and she couia n .He
| reconcile herself to the duiness 81 u,s
| sick-room. Only the touch OF her molhs,
| hand comforted her; that withdrawn she
| at once fell upon wild sobbing
| No such fuss would have peen Haue
the Marquis hse enemies encoun
tered on their way to inquire I9r nsr lm W.
or three times day. People not VI
| speaking terms with her parents seht "
ask every morning how she nsn pass sS
| the night. Marcella had TO can IN the
services Of a slip of girl 10 open IN. .he
| door to the tramps and idlers from tne
| nearest villages who came TOT news VI
| her. Every morning and evening a D srae,
| tin was issued verbally and ran from
| house to house. from cottage 10 cot,asc'
| On her way to the telegraph ooffice Mar.
! celia was waylaid by crowd OF rougn
| and tattered youths. "Troth an shes
very bad indeed" the maid replied tear
| fully. I'VE don't like to think OF 1t at
all. at ALL"
GLORY be to God, girl, but 'tisn't thrue
Sure what 'ud we do at all. at all, with
| anything happened to her" -, A..
| She's Just the drawingest chlid tne
| Almighty ever sent on earth, one 1ehow
| exclaimed, ramming the corner OF MS
sleeve into his eyes.
| That night the Marquis's carriage drove
| through the town, but no one had eyes or
| thought for 1t. The agent was summoheu
| late to the hall. for the MARQUIS meant 10
| start by the earliest train Tor MS son .
| estates in a neighboring county.
| Business done gossip was natural re-
| taxation, and the Marquis had not FOR
| gotten his friend Norry. and asked II she
| Still ruled the town The agent told the
dismal tale. and the great man looked
| really distressed what, my little friend!
| Great heavens. it's not possible! HI go
| of at once and inquire for her"
The Marquis and the agent walked To-
| gether as far as the Neills pretty
house Here the agent lifted his hat ana
| departed and the Marquis raped loudly
The tremendous peal rang through the
| whole house. and the parents or the SICK
| child upstairs started angriiy; Inc MAI
| quls. as BELTS a big man. spoke in big
| voice; there was no need 10 go out OF the
room to ask who had made such an m
| tolerable noise The message ascended
| in the deliverer's own voice up the stairs
| and into the half-opened door OF the room
where sick Norry lay in her mothers
arms. while the father stood measuring
| out some nauseous medicine.
| Tell Mrs. O'Neill that the Marquis or
| Grandby has called to inquire for her lit
| tie daughter. If possible, he would De
grateful for the privilege of seeing his
| little friend.'
Young O'Neill gave the spoon and glass
into his wife's hand, and went down
stairs. The Marquis greeted him quite
cordially. "Ah; Mr.; ONei nhiid,s So ron-
| plant. of course-assure you, quite look
| ed forward to seeing my delightful httle
friend Norry-monstrous pom my word
| TO think of her as SICK
/ N fatnorS
and he sobbed out something or other IN
which MY Lord" was Just audible.
Young parents. with an only child i'll, per-
| haps dying. and that child at the age
of already regarded as a public person
agel Is IT to be expected that they should
keep their heads or talk coherently, when
even all the outsite world was plunged In
| grief because Of their private woe?
The Marquis slipped his arm into the
stricken fellows and soothingly muir
! INJURED: "Come, come, Mr.. ONeill cour-
age! Let's go up and see her. We must
| have the best of advice; little girls ike
| her can't be snuffed out like candles.
At the door the Marquis was the nrst
| to cross the threshold unbidden. Young
| O'Neil slipped into his own room 10 WORK
| off a fit OF increasing emotion. Norry
| was gathered against her mothers breast,
| white, and querulous. She moaned ever
since she had been forced to swallow her
| nasty medicine.
| ''DS you know this friend who has come
| to see you, Norry?" asked the mother,
with a tragic upward glance OF greeting
| for the Marquis.
Norry opened her eyes and stayed her
| peeyish Whimper She did not recognize
| him after eight months and she was 100
| oppressed by the atmosphere of the SICK
room to smile. Looking down upon the
| wan and piteous little Visage win lne
| curls brushed back from the protuberant
| arch of brow and the blue eyes dulled
| and large and dark, the Marquis himself
had some ado to recognize the vivid face
| with its sunny glance and rosy lips that
some months ago had drawn the heart or
| him as never child had drawn 1t before.
"Norry, don't you remember your trlehd
| Grandby. whom you TOOK 10 see Jdchy
Molloy's puppy" he asked. dropping into
her fathers chair, and taking the white
| baby hand in his.
Norry stared at him in an EFFORT OF
| memory. To the healthy eye there Is
world of difference between daylight anu
| candlelight. and small wonder so little
about the stranger struck a reminiscent
| chord She frowned GROSSLY and turned to
| her mother for explanation.
You remember the gentleman Mrs.
| Moloy called the Marskiss, NorryY
whispered her mother. And suddenly Nor
| ny remembered. Her sick, small race
| wrinkled and quivered in one OF the old'
bright smiles as faint as the echo OF a
melody ooh, yes, Dandy, l remember;
and stupid Mrs. Molloy says ever since
| that he's the Marskiss."
The mothers heart overflowed with
gratitude Tor tnat sweet Slnllt. 10 heI II
seemed promise of recovery, a presage
OF health and merriment, and the dear
vagabond days restored. She kissed her
child. and held her close TO her sobbing
breast.
She'll get well, Mrs. O'Neill; she must.
BY heavens we can't let her go; I'll send
a messenger off this very instant for Sir
Martin Bunbury."
The Marquis stood and kissed the child,
and strobe away to post one OF the Han
servants up TO town by the last train for
the great doctor. He broke his appoint
ment with his son. and stayed on, calling
every day at the O'Neills'. He was quite
a humanized figure for his tenants by
this He was bound TO them by common
| tie for he too, acknowledged their queen
and hung upon their whims. Because she
| spoke Of the lake and wished she had a
| boat. he telegraphed for the loveiiest boat
| that money could buy. She soon grew 10
| know him as well Father Sullivan, or
| the curate or the doctor But she was
| faithful to old friends. and preferred
| Murphy the tramp and Pat Malone, the
| big sergeant.
The great man from over seas. summon
| ed at the Marquis's expense, was at first
| dubious, then convinced that nothing
| could save the child. His words ran
| across the town, and knots of rustics and
| shop-boys gathered to shake their heads
| and bemoan their fate. The clouds had
| burst and sent rivers of muddy liquid
| along the street and drove a gray pail
| over the earth sheer to the sombre hOri-
Zon. II was a picture OF dense immea-
surable gloom; Norry's own town i'm
| tears, large Kissing tears, tearing at the
| roots of her friendly tears and splashng
into her magnificent lake. till 1t swelled