The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-01-23

N " ti' fNfI hhtW 'ht 'Nu't
N cause of the estrnngcmcnt
v between Maria Dcvlln and
e her distinguished brother. the
Hon. Horace Dcvln. The Devlins had
always been wisely reticent regarding
their family affairs. IL was understood
that there had been n violent quarrel
over the large estate left by the father
of the brother ana sister, ana that
they had never spoken To ench other
since the division Of the property. The
cstrangement must have been cmbar.
rassing to both of them, since they
lived In n small town and could not
help meeting frequently.
The Hon. Horace wns much more
popular than his sister Maria. She
had always been somewhat eccentric,
and this ecccntrlclty had become more
marked after her quarrel with her
brother.
Her father had been n man OF very
simple tastes. ana had lived all his life
In the plain old red house that had
been his fathers and his granifather's.
II was great and bitter trial to MARA
when her brother, not long after their
fathers death. tore down the old
house and built on It's site n very large
and pretentlous modern mansion.
Miss Maria had her fathers simple
tastes, and her associations of the old
house We're very dear to her. even
when II was no longer her home. The
big, SNOWY mansion was an offence to
her eyes every time she passed 1t. In
marked ana striking contrast to her
brothers house was her own. 1t was
as much an eycsore to her brother as
his house was TO Miss Maria.
When the Devlin estate had finally
been divided, Miss Maria moved into Il
tiny old house once occupied by her
fathers gardener 1t was hardly ten
antable, and Miss Maria made few re-
pairs before moving into 1t. 1t stoed
directly across the road from her
brothers fine home, and was decided
blemish on the landscape seen from
his spacious front piazza. He had,
through his attorney, made his sister
an offer to buy 1t at price far more
than its value. but the offer had been
so promptly and so decidedly rejected
that 1t had never been repeated.
1t was thought that Miss Maria al
lowed the old house to remain in n
state of neglect, and the premises to
be In state of continual disorder, for
the sole purpose Of adding to her broth
er's annoyance and modification. She
also added many Irritating traits to
her many eccentriclties of character,
and was nearly always spoken of by
the people Of the town as "queer Miss
Maria"
Her sister-in-law was an extremely
fashionable lady. while Maria went
about in the shabbiest and most anti
quated of garments. She was far
from being scrupulously tidy. and
seemed to take delight In setting aside
the ordinary conventionalities OF life.
1t was known. however, that she was
very good and kind to the poor, while
her brother was by no means noted
Aoi i'' SNhtioSity toWuIu lutlll.
The Hon. Horace Devlin entertained
lavishly, while his sister never enter
tained at all, and did not go into So
citey. 1t was regarded as scandalous
that Miss Maria should have chosen
to spend the afternoon in her front
yard with a mans hat on her head and
her skirts pinned up about her waist
on the day of her brothers grand lawn
party. when he had carload OF guests
ous from the city.
SO the breach between the brother
and sister widened until there was no
probability that it would ever be
would ever be bridged over. Wien
they met they stared ut each other in
stony silence.
Wenfield, the town In which the
Devllns lived, was small manufac-
turing place. Most of its inhabitants
worked in the mills. Many Of them
were thrifty men and women, who
saved as much as they could of their
earnings, and deposited them In the
one savings bank In Wen6eld.
The Hon. Horace Devlin was cash.
Ter Of the Wenheld savings bank, and
never had there been such wild excite
ment throughout the town as on the
morning when placard appeared Oh
the bank door bearing the two omin-
Gus words:
BANK CLOSED.