The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-07

- win not ! know, A.ys fsssotssn Inc ssb
| jsct Of onx last Conversation. write to refel
10 IL bscsuso hsar. very much 10 my sorrow-
| not that ] am surprised, though-that Mis-
CfAwshay has 70 timed hsr visit to Torqusy u
70 be there with you all. You may and prob
ably Will zee nothing In this but coinci
dence unless you unfortunately find 1t {
pleasure, but can look ct 1t with very differ
emit eyes. You think you know women in gen
eral and Miss Crawshay in particular. MeI
are always making that silly mistake, but il
takes o woman to know woman, and have
not lived 90 years In the world for nothing
and l have not 80 bluntod my instincts as not
to be able to read my own sex. have warned
you to beware of Lola Crswshay. She is no,
OF all what she appears. She comes Of a rank
bad stock, and she promises to do credit tc
her training Her father, as you know, was
one Of the worst and most INSCRIPTIONS Of
men, and, rs for her mother, she was some
woman from southern Europe whom the man
picked up in some Of his disreputable wander.
ings. The girl herself has completely befooled
her stupid old aunt by flattering her ridicu'
lous yanities and playing on her silly fads,
just as she has fooled nearly every one who
has come near her. She is, Of course beauti-
full creature. So is rattlesnake, and both are
about equally harmless. She can fool every
man ON whom she pleases to use her eyes, be-
cause she is beautiful, and no man could ever
yet understand q beautiful woman without
marrying her. If you want to know the
value Of beauty, ask men who have lovely
wives, or girls who have lovely mothers
urge you, then, Jaffray, not to take this beau
tiful, dangerous creature on trust. do not
know how far you have gone with her. am
sad at heart when think that you are in love
with her, but scken with fear at the thought
OF your ever making her your wife.
Remember also that you are really bound in
honor to another woman. Your father wished
that you should marry your cousin Beryl Her
father desires it above all things, and you
know that it is the dearest wish Of my heart.
More than this you have acted up to now as
hyou meant to marry Beryl, and in that way
you have won her heart. Beryl loves you with
her whole heart, Jaffray, and you have led her
to do 30. l know this well enough, and she is
the truest and purest Of good women. have
often talked with her about the time when
she would be your wife, and have now writ
ten to her letter telling her much Of what
have said here, and that look on you as al
ready pledged to marry her, and have asked
her to give you this letter, knowing its con-
tents and my wishes.
am acting in your real interests, my son,
and in that cause do not hesitate to take
very unusual step. Your loving mother,
GwENDoLIN WALcoTE.
Sir Jaffray had broken out several
times with short, sharp EXPLANATIONS
while reading the letter, but when he
had finished he sat four or five minutes
in close thought. Then be wrote his re-
ply:
MY Dearest MoTHER-It will be bitter to
me to disappOint you and more than bitter IL
upii axfrith Iowa %ho
in the world can possibly marry-Lola Craw.
shay. We're she as black as you paint her
would choose no other woman for my wife.
1t is too late to alter my choice. am coming
home tomorrow to SEQ you about 1t. Your
loving son, JAyTRAY.
1T is better she should know right
off," he muttered as he folded the let
ter and addressed and stamped the en-
velope. "She knows I don't alter east
ly, and it will pave the way for our
talk" r.
He strolled ont of the hotel to smoke
and think.
It was the crisis Of his life. but he
faced it, like all things, resolutely and
boldly, looking the difficulties full in
the face, making his decision firmly and
holding to it with the tenacity Of his
race.
Two things he regretted deeply-his
mothers groundless prejudice against
Lola and the complication about Berry,
but neither Of them turned him by SO
much as hairs breadth from his pur-
pose and resolve.
He had drifted into the present rela-
lions with his cousin. 1t had been the |
wish of others that he should marry her,
and he had acquiesced in the plan be-
cause no one else had ever touched his
heart. He had liked her in the calm, 1
unruffled way in which her nature had
appealed to him and had always ad.
mired her.
But he felt now as If there had never
been thought of love toward her in all
his heart
Now his feelings were mixture of
fear and hope-fear lest his mother was
right and lest Beryl might feel some
thing of that desolation and misery
which the thought Of losing Lola sug-
gested to him and hope that his mother
was wrong. Beryl was SO true and gen.
nine soul, had been such q stanch
friend and dear companion in the past
and had taken such strong interest in
all that concerned him that he was pro-
'oundly grieved at the thought Of bring
ng sorrow to her
He wished, indeed. that he could have
aid the whole thing before her as he
lad often done with other and lesser
puzzles and just have talked it out
quietly like friends.
He missed the help which the girl
lad often been to him, and he was
linking Of this as he sauntered Oh to
he yeranda at the end of his stroll and
aw her sitting there alone, just in the
orner and in the chair where Lola had
at in the afternoon.
He went to her aud sat down in one
f the creaky basket chairs near her.
well, walking about to think,
ARRAY" she said pleasantly, latter
no old habits?"
eyes. ! was thinking about my 60
1g off tomorrow. I'm going to SEQ the
lother, you know
II thought SO from what you said
'day," replied Beryl quite calmly.
What train do you go by? Shall you
ome back?''