The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-07

have such an indulgent father az Mr..
| Hooran.
| The two little girls knew nothing of
! course, as vet. of the other side of the
| picture. But toward their mother 1t
! vas always turned. whitening and
| blasting her life, as though it had been
! n very Medusa. 1t was this, indeed,
! that wore out her physical strength
| long before its time. and rendered her
! an easy prey to the painful illness
which at last attacked her. 1t was
| lingering malady, but from it's first in
| set there was no hope Her adopted
and dearly beloved sister. a. girl of two
| or three and twenty, came to nurse the
poor lady during the last months of her
existence, and did all in her power to
alleviate the anXieties and sufferings
under which she labored. No one was
SO well qualified to do this for Mrs.
Hooran as her adopted sister, Polly, to
whom she was devoted, and in whom
with good reason-she reposed implicit
| confidence.
When Polly promised to stand by the
| little girls at any cost their dying
mother was as happy about them as in
the circumstances it was possible for
her to be. And in a few days the merc-
ful release came, driving James Hooran
into an agony of grief and remorse,
which lasted for nearly ten days.
Polly remained in Hooran's house to
look after his domestic affairs, and es-
pecially to take care of the children
1t did not seem to her, or, indeed, to
any one. that this course was in the
least open to objection. Although not.
in fact, related to Mrs. Hooran, yet she
had come to regard herself and to be
! regarded as that lady's own sister: and
she had always looked upon James
Hooran in the light of a veritable
brotherin-law. Nay! Hooran's dead
wife had actually eXacted a promise
from her husband-which he gave read
lily enough-that Polly should be al
lowed to remain on as long as she
might wish to do 50. Perhaps the
promise was no absolute guarantee, for
Hooran both gave and broke pledges
with a facility acquired by long prac-
tice. But as the broker liked his sister
in-law and seemed desirous to keep on
friendly terms with her, there was nu
immediate prospect, at any rate, of
Polly's having to seek another home
For some time after his wife's death
James Hooran kept wonderfully sober
pany; came home at regular hours:
spent his evenings in the society OF
his little daughters and their auntie
1t was, altogether a marvellous change
Polly was pleased and relieved beyond
measure by the reformation. She had
yet to discovere its true cause And
then, after a while, she did so, hel
pleasure and relief were speedily van.
iShed. The discovery took place with.
in six weeks after Mrs. Hooran's death
1t was one evening. The children
had gone to bed, and Polly was alone
in her brother-inlaw's company Ther
he delivered himself of his secret. He
spoke words of love to Polly. He vowed
that she was the light of his life ant
the star of his soul Games Hooran':
soulD; that, bereft Of her. his future
would be IA blank; and much more il
a similar strain, according to his way!
and methods of passionate declara
tiOn.
AS soon as Pollys amazement ant
disgust allowed her to speak she Gu
him sternly short. Did he realize wha
he was saying? Did he understand
that his-his wife had not yet lail
six weeks in her grave? Did he under
stand that--that she-she--had Away!
regarded him, treated him. thought o
him, as her own brother-in law; ant
that to him speaking so to he
struck her with unspeakable horror
Besides. if there had been no suci
barrier-nothing to stand everlastingl,
between them-she could never hav,
. cared for HMM that way. No. lie
him utter such words to her again
Let him-let them both-forget tha
they had ever been spoken.
James Hooran was silenced an,
abaShed. Only, however, temporar
. lily. TO have abashe>. a man of hi
nature otherwise than temporarily wa
quite impossible. After a short inter
val he returned to the attack; not
: . indeed. in the same bold and opel
manner as at ,rst, but by a thousan,
little stratagems and side assaults
which We're indefinitely harder to repe
He was always making her presents
paying her fulsome compliments, treat
ing her with an exaggerated defer
, ence unspeakably annoying to her. Sh
met all his advances with a cold dis
dain. and, as far as possible. avoide
his company. At last James HooraI
grew annoyed-sulliy. He treated he
a rudely. She took no noAce. He mad
. uioP"i aS'HE ieilaihS dL lel III the pre-
! sence of the children. She ignore
S them. And ir the end, finding tha
his hostility and his friendliness wer
treated by her with ''''~ contempt, h
: to her great thankfuness-gave u
prosecuting her and left her alone.
In order to make clear the acut
y mental suffering which the poor gil
> underwent during this period it is nee
essary to make few remarks on he
6 character and temperament. She sha
:. not be here described as "high- prin
;, cipled." For that might convey a wron
4 impression. High principle frequentl
has the misfortune to be associate
4 with priggishness-not to say pharisa
i ism-that we are apt to regard it's pos
d SCISSOR as an obtrusive embodiment q
n conscious virtue; one who possibly
l. not as other men are but who certain
k ly feels an offensive pride in the dis
n tinction. That, however was not Polly
# way. If there was one quality whic
s. she consciously lacked, this was til
8 spirit of self-appreciation. Nay, sh
s. seldom thought of herself at ALL KIND
l. ness and goodness came to her spor
d taneously. They blossomed in her q
C the bloom on plant-naturally, an
Is because they could not help it; and
IS never occurred to her-any more tha
5, 1T does to the plant-to analyze and In
u trospect the worth or quality of Wht
was thus produced A purer- -minde
:, girl 1T would have been impossible
| IN a I1n l,nc