Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-02-27

ask me. 1t is nothing but pride-pride-
pride. My child. take warning while there
is yet time. for the night cometh. Harden
not your heart
Il shall continue to petition for you both,
for the mercy is unfailing and unlimited.
Your loving but Borrowing mother.
SARAH SARTWELI4.
The benevolent intentions of this letter
were in no wise frustrated, and Mrs. Sart-
well would doubtless have been pleased had
she known that the reading of it did the
recipient world of good. 1t acted as a
tonic, and gave Edna something to think
about. preventing any morbid reflections on
the wreck she had made of Barneys life.
The discharge of MarSten was a great
shock to the girl and for the first time in
Ter life she thought her father had acted
unjustly. At first. in pondering over the
Unexpected bit of information, she thought
her father had, in. some way, heard of the
young mans visit to Eastbourne; but as she
turned the subject over in her mind she
came to the conclusion that his dismissal
was the result of their meeting in the gar
den at home and the finding of Narsten
there by her father. The reason, Them the
young man had time to come to Eastbourne
was because his time was now his own.
And yet he had said nothing about it, even
when she asked him how he got away from
duty. He had spoken well of her father,
although he must have felt he had been
Injustly treated. She had thought nothing
of his good words al the time, but now they
came back to her. She determined to write
to her father. and tell him all about Mars
tens visit and Its result but when she sat
down with the paper before her, she found
she did not know how to begin. She wished
to ask him to repair the unnecessary
wrong he had done Marsten for there was
rot the slightest chance of her ever marry
ing the young man; but somehow, when
she came to put this all down on paper, the
task seemed very difficult. The difficulty
was increased by the knowledge that her
father must at that moment have much
on his mind as any one should be called
upon to bear, and she pictured the silent
man sitting at home, tired out with the
work and worry of the day, while the mo-
notonous voice Of his wife drew moral les
sons from every new obstacle he had to
surmount. No: she would not add a single
care to those already on his shoulders.
The girl sat with her elbows on the desk,
her chin in her hands, gazing with troubled
eyes into vacancy. as if the problems that
beset her were In the air before her and
could be hypnotiZed into solution. A be-
wiidering feature of the case was that she
had continually, Of late. to readjust her
ideas. and bring them into correct rela-
tionship with some new fact which came
within her cOgnizance. All the converse
lions she had held with her father. many
of his actions. bore quite new Significance
when she learned that he knew Marsten
loved her. Again. the fact Of Marsten's dis
missal lent sharp poignancy to her re-
membrance of his fervent declaration that,
for her sake, he would strive to please any
master placed over him, as no man had
ever Strlven before. Eund QlQ not snare ner
stepmother'S fear that the young man was
starving; but her imagination kindled at
the thought of his impassioned words. his
resOlute determination to succeed, ad-
dressed to the daughter OF the man who
a day or two before had turned him into
the streets. The more she thought about
her fathers action. the more unjust 1t
seemed. A dozen times she began letter.
ard as often relapsed again into reverie
Barney and his mystical woes faded entire
ly from her memory Gradually she came
to the conclusion that If she did not inter-
yene In MarSten's interests. she would be
ance Of the injustice: and. although she
wished to relieve her father from all anx-
iety regarding her feelings toward the
young man. still she was ashamed to touchs
upon that part of the subject.
1t might be possible some time, when she
sat at her fathers knee. to tell him about
it, with averted face; but to write It, she
could not.
At last she succeeded in drafting letter.
which she hurriedly posted, fearing that
longer meditation upon the question might
result in 1t cot being sent at all.
Dear Father: l am sure you must be
very busy. and perhaps very much worried
at the present moment. You know l do
not wish to add to your burden. and would
rather tighten 1t If / could: but in that
am as helpless as you are strong. We made
compact a while since, and that is why
write Something has happened for
which 1 feel partly responsible. In letter
received today from my stepmother she
says you have discharged Mr. Marsten, and
she thinks he may now be looking in vain
for employment I am afraid you We're not
pleased at finding him talking to me in
our garden. but that was my fault. AMI
not his. If that was the reason. won't you
please reconsider and invite him back?
Your loving daughter EDNA"
The answer came almost before she
thought her letter had time to reach Lon
don:
MY Dear Little Girl: 1 should have writ
ten days ago. but. unfortunately, 1 cannot
dictate an affectonate letter through my
shorthand clerk. and the older grow the
more dislike writing with my own hand.
Worried? oh. dear. no! Why should one
worry! ] AM afraid your belligerent old
father still loves a fight. whether with cir
cumstances or with men. Before the fire
was out Geographic orders were dispatched
to three machinery firms in the north.
While the fire engines were still fiinging
water on the ruins had secured @ lease of
| the four houses that adjoin the works. had
compounded with the tenants and sent
them packing. That night men were ct