The Jennings daily record., 1902-05-29

and diceing Oxford student. won the
treasure for which so many had longed
in vain Won it almost without an
effort on his part-won it without
knowing of its value or knowing how
to appreciate it
When by the advice of a dear friend
she knelt at 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 haushtiness 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 ferceuess to his own.
That night she fled. The morning
brought 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 tie 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 first
her stern old father forbade all men
ton Of her name and threatened to
disinherit her at once. her memory.
gentle. kind and loving As she had al
ways been till that fatal night. grad
ually diSarmed him. and by degrees
they came to speak Of her again around
the home hearth. aad to send many
loving wish and thought to follow her
| in her wanderings.
+ 1t 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 housekeeper to sit and talk
for hours with him of her they had
both loved so we'll At that time. il
she had returned. he would gladly
have welcomed and forgiven her. But
ah. as the poet says. If only the dead
| could know at what hour
To come back and be forgiven.
They do not know. nor do the iiv-
ing. till the appointed time has gone
by and either the forgiveness or the
time for receiving it 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-
| ton ceased. and her name was spoken
softly and tenderly. as
The household name
OF one whom God has taken"
Her father mourned for her silently
but sincerely: and all could see by the
bending of the stately form and the
silver threads that glistened in his
ietty hair. how the estrangement. and
silence. and separation were eating his
very life away,
Her life should have been happy
gentleman who is supposed to be
| mixed up with the affairs of mortais
who must. | think. have laughed in
his sleeve when chance sent a young
widow to dwell in the vicinity of the
newly married pair
She was a woman of good birth and
high family, though so reduced in cir
cumstanceS as to be obliged to add to
her scanty income by private tuition
in the more genteel families around
Banley. She was fine classical schol-
ar. an artist an authoress. and. in
addition. danced like a fairy, played
and sunk like an angel. and rode like
Die Vernon herself. Her tall. elegant
figure. her deep mourning. the easy
grace Of her motions and the dignity
i'of her manners had already moved
! George Vernon strangely. and though
she was brilliant rather than a beau
tiful women, with her wondrous smile
her flashing eyes, her bewitching
manners and easy grace. she placed
him where she had so often placed
his betters-at her feet:
The duSky gentleman of whom [
have already alluded. having his i'm
plements upon the ground. lost no time
in using them. Mr. Vernon and the
spoken word to tell the enchantress all
he was feeling. His words-his sighs
the long ardent glances of his hand
some hazel eyes. told the story only
too we'll and smiling sometimes to
herself at this new proof of her power
of faScina ton. she gave him som"
slight encoura cement from time to
time. He did not love her. and yet
at last. he walked uD and down his
room at midnight thinking, while she
was sleeping quietly and would have
had she known it He was only doing
what d thousand men have done be-
fore him-what "a thousand more will