Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-06-26
- COPYRIGHT 1858 III ThE MITHOR

here Mauam paused, and looked ct
me significantly.
You think Mayberry withheld it?'
u asked
Il believe So" she replied. "She al
ways took charge of the mailbag. and
think she was not above duplicity.
Her whole heart was set on the mar
.riage. In due time the wedding, very
.private and quiet, according to Darra-
.cotts desire, took place. here at home,
land was left alone while the honey
.moOn was fulfilled.
NO letter had come from David, and
my anxiety in his behalf was still keen
land alert. At that time it did not
OCCUR to me that a letter might be
intercepted by member of my own
household, and 1 inferred from David's
.Sllence either that. as he was travelling
from place to place, the letter had not
been forwarded, or else that the news
1T contained was so painful and dis
dressing TO him that he found it i'm.
.posible to send his congratulations on
an event which entailed so much suf.
Ifering upon himself.
"One day, however. about n week
latter the marriage, I was sitting alone
in this room, when David Spencer
himself suddenly appeared. L had no
idea that his immediate return was
Expected, and was so taken by sur
|prise at seeing him that L forgot that
the events which had interviewed since
mis- departure might still be unknown
20 MIN
why David, my dear boyr I cried
cordially, fot he was n very great fay-
|orite of mine, when did you return?
L am delighted to see you back
Thank you, Mrs. Eldridge,' he re-
piled brightly. Where's Dare?'
. Still absent, 1 returned.
Absent! he echoed. WHY, nv
mother wrote me that ne had arrived
some time agor
Then l remembered all my fears
and approximations, and began to trem-
BILE at the certainty that they were
about to be fulfilled.
David l said very grayely, 'havn't
you been home yet?'
He shook his head, and his face
was full of perplexity and questioning
No; / was impatient to see Dare
and He broke off abruptly, but
my sinkings heart filed in the miss.
ing name.
Then, Dorothy, there fell upon me-
one OF the saddest duties / have ever
had to perform-that of telling the
hopeful, loyal, unsuspecting fellow that
ne had been betrayed and cheated in,
his dearest anticipations. 1t was al
fearful shock TO him, poor fellow! and
the worst Of 1t all to me was that his
former affection for Darracott seemed
oy the revelation turned to gall. Moth
ing could convince him that the fault|
lay with the woman he loved; 1t was
the man VINO had robbed him. and
"
Tor the theft, but for n deliberately-I
planned and skillfully-executed pur-I
pose of alternating Alice's affection|
from himself. When he left the housed
"a little later he left n message for Dar.I
racott TO the effect that IL was hisI
desire that they should never agaiuI
meet; that he neither wished nor would
receive explanations or excuses fromI
him; that in future they should be
strangers to each other. And nv sop.
proud and confident of his wife's in
tegrity, accepted the message With
out protest. And so il was that twoI
men, who had from their birth had;
been united by the closest ties ofj
Friendship, fell apart and became en-:
emies. Never, from that day to this.
has David Spencer entered my sons
home.
MY son and his wife took ND theirl
abode here. i offered to move away;
and live elsewhere; but he, ever kind.
and considerable, would not listen toi
this. Mrs. Mayberry continued TO adj
minister the household, though mol
longer receiving salary for so doing.
She was now mother of the MISTRESS
of The Ivies, and the position of affairsI
might have been a little embarrassing!
had it not been for the delicate. tacti
which kept her almost entirely in her;
own apartments.
ut was not long before il became ana
parent that matters were not Coingl
quite smoothly with the newly-marriedE
couple. She was restless and pinned for:
gaiety; he was grave and studiouss
and absorbed in his duties. In fact.
they hadn't a taste or sympathy in:
common, and the Uond of their Lowell
was too weak to unite them He wasj
patient with her caprices,S
humoring her whims with wOnderfuly
kindness. l have since thought thatS
a swift. awakening to the quality of
the affection he bore her caused himI
to exercise this divine forbearance andl
tolerance towards her childish, silIyS
whims.
"Six months after Darracott's mar-i
rage my child came home TO celebrated
his twenty-frst birthday. He hadl
changed and developed into glorious.
specimen of manhood. Shall l showI
him TO you, Dorothy?"
She raised her hand to her neck, and
drew from its resting-place upon herr
heart the large oval locket which had
been shown once before. Touching al
spring, she opened IL, disclosing a mosii
charming face. The eyes were rich,
dark and lustrous, like those of Mad
am. only that thAy were brimmingl
with fun and mischief; the features:
were eXquisitely chiselled, and the!
mouth as delicately curved as that of,
a child; the complexion was clearj
olive, glowing with health and with
the swift coursing of youthful Blood
and on the smooth brow lay a thick,
close-cut crop OF dark rings. MOI
wonder that such a splendid young:
Apollo had been the darling of hist
mothers heart! She held the Portrait
a moment silently before me that /,
might fully realize its beauty, then rel
placed it and continued:
10 10