Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-06-16

stress of circumstance had been re-
medal of disruption, and that the
need for the physician had resulted
in the recall of the friend.
When Franklin appeared for the pur-
pose of serving my luncheon, 1 felt
that my participation in the occur
rences of the past night warranted me
in putting question to him.
'Is Mrs. Mayberry's daughter
worse" I asked. that DR.. Spencer has
been sent fOr?"
There was CLEAN of malignant
satisfaction in the old mans face as
he replied in the affirmative.
THE servants were not so utterly
mistaken in their suspicious, Frank
liza" I hazarded.
NO, MISS" he answered. -'I could
not have believed it of Mrs. May
berry,
"She is greatly to be ptied, poor wo-
man. / said.
''She is greatly to blame for all that
has happened, the weak old foolr' be
calculated harshly. IF she hadn't
thought to make her daughter a
lady" ne broke of, evidently re-
Numbering that it was not his place
20 discuss events even with so familiar
member of the household as 1.
SO impatient was ! for my interview
with Madam that it seemed to me five
o'clock would never come l knew
that DR.. Spencer was sui in the house.
for l had been on the alert Cor his
departure, and was convinced that il
had not taken place. But when my
little traveling-clock finally struck five
silvery chimes, and / was about TO
leave my room, Franklin reappeared
with n request from his master that
l would give him n few moments in
terview in the morning-room. des-
patched n message to Madam to inform
her why my attendance upon her would
be somewhat delayed, and with beat
ing heart and wondering spirit de-
scended the wide staircase to Mr.,
| Chester's sanctum.
Naturally / was somewhat embar-
raised at the thought of again meeting
| the man TO whom 1 had so lately re-
vealed my most sacred feelings. But
his non-chalance and matter-of-fact re-
| ceptiou of roe soon put me at ease and
| banished my wretched self-conscious-
ness. He saluted me pleasantly and
naturally, with some of that dangerous
! ly provocative emotional disturbance
which had Characterised his manner
the previous night; and motloned me
10 Il SCsiNs AANOAN II.
Miss Lothrop." he began, az had n
long interview with my mother this
morning, one result of which has been
our mutual conclusion that you should
be informed OF every detail necessary
to n thorough understanding of tho
wretched circumstances which sur
round tie unhappy fate of the woman
whom you helped to succor last night,
| and who must, unwelcome as The ne
cessity is, spend the rest of those
days whose term threatens to he very
| short beneath this roof. Ny mother
| desires herself to relate to you the mis-
cradle. history, and l am seIEshly wiz
| ing 20 allow her to do so. When you
| shall have heard il, you shall decide
" neither or no you wish to remain In
| Sc tainted a household as tins. 1t is
| asking much, perhaps too much, of a
pure young girl, such as you are, 10
| request you TO do so, tht would Meth
| er ask nor allow h but for the strong
| conviction i have that your presence
| ana companionship have become ne
| cessity TO my mother, which l feel
that she cannot afford to dispense with
She is sadly broken and distressed by
| this fresh disaster that has befallen
us, and / dread its consequences upon
her. For her sake / would permit-re-
| quest, indeed-a sacrifice which other.
wise l would not tolerate; for to de
sire you TO live in a house polluted by
| the presence of the woman WHO S
legally my wife is to require nothing
else than the actual sacrifice of your
Sirlish innocence and purity"
He paused moment. turning rest
lessly away from me and lingering In
| an embarrassed, fashion a Japanese
idol that stood upon the mantelpiece
| Before / could frame reply he went
on:
Miss Lothrop, you have in you
heart accused me of injustice and
coldness even of cruelty, towards my
mother. / cannot bear that you should
listen to her history and mine withou
first correcting the false impression
which you labor, and preparing you <
| Go better justice to a man who ha:
| actual faults enough to stagger under
| without being burdened with short
| comings which do not belong to him
May bore you with few words ex
planatory of that filial attitude o.
smine which / know you harshly con
DENIM"
l bowed, and he continued:
For ever since my birth my mothe
has been the heroine of my dreams
l will not dwell upon the passionat,
love and admiration / felt for her as
lad, nor upon the extent to which
localized her in my manhood. / tolI
you last night how had often longe'
TO lay my hand upon her hair aud dar
ed not, and l might have added some
thing concerning my covetousness o
the caresses of which mother /
. usually prodigal towards her children
but which We're coldly withheld fron
me. But it is not worth while to sti
. up all the sick memory of those year
that are gone for ever. My mOthe
: had no love for me, and therefor
no caresses. A circumstance alienat
ed her natural affection for me befor
l was born. My grandmother eS
: planned the occurrence to me- one day
/ when ! was a small lad making moa
: to her concerning the irreparable los
2 of my mothers love. She did il, doubt
less, with a view Of reconciling me {
+ an evitable fact, but her explanatio
/ and intention fell short of their mari
!. 1 decided then. and have never alte,
I ed my conclusion, that my mother