Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-12-31


Dould have weathered the storm. "
Poor Elsie's heart ached
II have done itp' she cried. The
fault is miue-minei Oh. Harold il
only | could have foreseen all thisi If
only could have foreseen it all"
AS yet Elsie had not told her uncle
who supplied the news to the paper.
She prayed fervently that she might be
able to keep the knowledge to herself
forever, safely hidden from the fond old
man who Believed in her Fate would
decide.
For hours she sat in little room over
the bank, listening to the persistent
clamorings below for gold.
How much longer could it go on?
"Hsof muck lcngerp' John Rivers
said dejeotedly to his suffering niece.
mot much longer, Elsie, my girl.
They must have paid it nearly all out
by now Soon they will have to close
the doors. Don't cry, child. 1t is the
will of Providence, suppose. but it's
hard to get such a blow as this at my
time of lifep
Presently there were sounds of cheer
ing in the street A well known mil
lionaire had driven up to the bank.
my God r. muttered the old banker.
"This is the last straw Reginald Fair
fax has turned against me with the rest
When he has withdrawn his money,
there won't be penny leftP'
go and see him, uncle, )" Elsie
pleaded He is SO rich he might be
persuaded to leave it.
mo, child could not speak to him
or any one else today.
"'Then / will, uncle. oh, do go and
send him here to mel / must see him
Reginald will save usl"
John Rivers went blindly out, and
Elsie waited for Reginald Fairfax to
come to her Twice this self made man
had asked her to marry him; twice she
had refused He was rich, but he was
also coarse Life with him would be
nightmare. she had always told herself
She did not love him.
But now
He was standing there in front of
her, loudly dressed and looking more
commonplace and vulgar than ever
How could she appeal to this boorish
parvenu? She must, though; she had
worked the mischief, and she must right
it if possible
AT the end Of another five minutes
she was telling him eyerything-all
about her brother and her selling the
news of the robbery to the editor He
listened in silence She humbled herself
to the dust before him and begged him
not to withdraw his money from the
bank
He smiled queerly
"You twice asked me to be your
wife, she wound up feverishly. land
refused you Would you still marry
me, Mr.. Fairfax? Oh. do answer If l
said yes. would you still marry me?"
The smile broadened.
''Am | to understand that you are
proposing to me. Miss Maitland?'' he
asked
"Don t seek to humble me any more;
don't, DON'T" she cried Il have fallen
far enoughp
YES" he said, sit must indeed be
terrible fall for the proud Miss Matt
land to offer herself to me! You offer
to become my wife if | will only leave
my money in your uncle's bank. Con-
sidering that love you-and that you
love some one else-it is rather hard on
me, ism { it?'
"Oh, don't, don'tl If you only knew
how loathe myself for having said all
this to you You are quite right to re-
fuse me- How dare ask you-or any
man-to take me under such conditions?
You are quite right to refuse me. F"
81 don't know, he answered slowly
IF you did not love another man al
ready, it might have been different. But
as it is-yes, | certainly won't marry
you, Miss Maitland You have humhled
yourself to me unnecessarily. You cannot
know me very we'll when you imagine
that | had come to withdraw my sup
port from your uncle at such time as
this, Instead, | had merely come to place
the further sum of $50, 900 to my ac-
count. The public knows it already
and the paying into the bank of such
large sum has restored confidence. "
Ere she had time to speak he was
gone.
But the bank was savedl The bank
was saved A man she had always de-
spised i'll her heart had come forward
and saved it. Why-why had she never
been able before to see the fine nature
which lurked beneath somewhat boor-
ism exterior?
The excitement of that day was fol-
lowed by a long illness for her. When
she re Irned to life once more it was TO
find her uncle in better spirits than she
could ever remember him
''All the doing of Reginald Fairfax
Elsie, my grill" the old banker said
gleefully "He stuck to me right
through, child, when every one else
failed me, and his example saved the
bank.
He had further persuaded old John
Rivers to make partner of his long
trusted manager He was therefore in
a position at last to ask Elsie's hand in
.,l s,tN,