The Holly chieftain., 1901-07-26

y y =. ~ y s
sraceful. With the beauty Of hsfI
mother. she had inhefittl ~ staesly
manner Of Ter father, And though she
moved among her friends with the state
" dignity Of 4 young princess, no one
seemed disposed to quarrel with what
became her 20 we'll, and was % sweetly
tempered with modesty and sentences.
and all good gifts.
Year, passed on and added the arch
fascinations OF girlhood to her other
charms. Her pIaymates were forced
to select their cavaliers from the list
9f her rejected lovers. and. yet her
Heart seemed III untouched.
I AT 1Ast she made her choice. Il. sur
siss6 every ode. Her second cousin.
George Vernon. graceless. drinking
and diceing Oxford student. won the
treasure for which so many had lonsei
in vain, Won II almost without an
effort on his part-won 1t without
knowing Of tts value. or knowing how
to appreciate It. f-
When by the advice of dear friend
she kneit q, her fathers feet and told
him Of her love, the old man burst
into storm Of anger, threatened her
with the loss Of home and friends.
threatened her also with his own
curse; but It was all in vain! She
was his own child. She inherited all
his pride and haughtiness, though
these qualities had been kept in the
background by the gentle teachings Of
her aunt; and when he attempted to
thwart her dearest wishes so openly
and determinedly, her pride and Will
were aroused. and her soul opposed
In all its native flerceness to his own.
That night she fed! The morning
brought a letter from her, saying that
she had chosen to share poverty with
her lover, rather than enjoy wealth
without him. At the same time she
prayed her father not to cast her ut
terly from his heart, but to think OF
her in Kindness and mercy, for the
sake Of the long and happy years they
had left behind them forever.
Marion was by no means one to be
discarded and forgotten where she had
once been loved. and though at fret
her stern old father forbade all mem
tton Of her name and threatened to
disinherit her It once, her memory,
gentle. Kind and loving - shs hAA al
ways been till that fatal night; grad
nally diaarmed him. and By degrees
they came to speak 81 her again around
the home hearth. and to send many q
loving wish and thought to follow her
In her wanderings.
It may be that her father felt that
he had driven her to desperation by
his harshness. for as time softened the
first sting of agony. he grew more kind
and gentle, and often encouraged his
faithful hopsekeeper to sit and talk
for hours with him of her they had
both loved 80 we'll At that time, II
she had returned. he would gladly
have welcomed and forgiven her. But
ah! as the poet says. "ff only the dead
could know at what hour
ITO come back and be, forgiven!"
They do not know, nor do the liy-
ing, till the appointed time has gone
by, and either the forgiveness or the
time for receiving 1t has passed away.
No tidings came directly from Marion
her father did not even know the
exact place of her residence. "A flying
rumor reached him now and then:
but all was uncertain and mysterious; !,
and at last even this scanty informa-
tion ceased, and her name was spoken
softly and tenderly, as
"The household name
or one whom God has taken"
Her father mournSd for her, silently.
but sincerely; and all could see by the
bending of the stately form and the
silver threads that glistened In his
jetty hair. how the estrangement, and
silence, and separation were eating his
very life away! 5
Her life should have been q happy
gentleman who is supposed to bs
mixed up with the affairs Of mortals.
who must, think, have laughed in
his sleeve when chance sent 4 young
widow to dwell Ii the yicinityfof the
newly married pair.
She was woman OF good birth and
high family. though 30 reduced In cir
,cumstances as to be Obliged to add to
her acanty income by private tuition
In the more genteel families around
Bsn1bx She was 1 Ane dassscal schol-
ar. an artist. an authoress, and, in
addition, dsnqed like fairy, played
sapd sunk slitesan angel, and rode liks
sr4a Varnem hSrnaIf Nnr fall a1n~aut