The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-30
THE ADVERTISERS
 DAILY SHORT STORY

valued wealth and coveted it. had DICK Norris not been factor an the equauon' MT Weston would have found her VII ling bride As it was, Mrs. Hill was at her wits end. She had no iears VI . marriage between the two young peopie' what she dreaded was an engagemen,' which. hopeless though II was, oSI,sn. spoil Elvira's chances of good estapnsn- ment She reviewed the situation. and re- membered the words of another chaper one spoken the evening before, when El vira was waltzing with DICK; 1ouns Norris is such a fine fellow, it is a pity he has no money He is model son. my husband says heNs the stuff Of which ne. roes are made" And nirs. Hlii wohuereo whether she might not call his unseiiish- ness to her aid. Jt seemed almost special providence when. the next day, Elvira was invited I to join house party on one or tne lahes | for the Christmas holidays. house party fin which neither Dick Norris nor MT. yves. i ion was included. Mrs. Hill was glad also, that she herself was not among the 1 chosen chaperones. She had confluence III | the elect and she felt that she neeoeo breathing spell. ,, Elvira, and she unearthed an old costume made from Indian blankets which sue 1 had worn one winter in the Dakota nills' 1 and which was too bizarre TOT the eilE, 1 was just the thing for the woods, ana set | off the girls beauty to perfection. If was another move on the chessDoard of fate that Dick Norris, wishing to do the polite thing. called one evening 10 see | Mrs, Hin She received him cordially. .I have spoiled the dear child ana l am wretched about her future. nhe doc- 1 tors say I have heart disease. may iiNe years but l may die any time. My nttle | income dies with me, and then what VIII l become of her? It would take away the | sting of death if could see her wei mar . | ried before I go. She is so unntted Tor | the storms of fife" This. and more, while Dick Norris writhed silently, men ne ne bIundered out something about his love | Mrs. Hnl smiled. such a motherly, pity ing smile My dear boy, am so sorry for you. From what you say; yoursell, 2 ] marriage between you and Elvira would Ibe madness A long engagement would be worse. The dear child does not love | you vet. but I am so afraid she Will HOW could you help 1t? And that would mean | such misery for you both. Don you | know Victor Hugo says A wife ana chli- dren are poVerty's teeth and they Dlte hard? and thcs do, oh. MT. Norris | know it." Tn minute more DICK founo | himself trying to comfort the weeping
 woman who was sobbing decorously into her pocket handkerchief. Presently she l lifted her head.
 MT. Norris she said, do you love
 Elvira well enough to give her up for lher own good?" Then spurred by des-
 peration she poured forth a flood of actual
 eloquence. She spoke of Mir. weston
 suit of Elvira's innocence, of the una l Wakened love at whose door he himself stood We cannot have own way
 in this world she said Tt would tor
 ture you to see her suffer She cannon
 endure patiently; she is hard with me | sometimes when cant give her what she
 wants l. her mother, tell you this. be-
 fore 1t is too late. Believe me, nave
 my childs best good a heart. l admire
 you also, and I would give her to you
 willingly, if she were made or sternei l U,,t I lowe
 should you win IL, would never stand tho | trials to which it must be put as youi
 wife" Her voice broke down under sobs
 There were real tears in Dicks eyes ai
 he answered huskily-: Perhaps you arc
 right I never took that view of it, but
 love Ellie well enough to wish her hap
 plness at the cost of my own. She shal
 never know that l love her.
 Mrs. Hill wiped her eyes and looked into his What she saw there satisfied her God bless you" she whispered, and
 she meant it.
 Elvira Hin was angry, as well as hurt
 when not many days afterward Dick Nor
 ris sailed for Japan. where he had accept
 ed a position, with no farewell beyond
 P. r. c. card left when she was out
 She took the matter quietly, however, anC
 the Hill- Weston wedding was among tn
 most brilliant events of the following au
 tumn.
 It is some years since then, and Mrs l fIill sometimes wonders whether, atte | all, her triumph was as great as she fan
 cies. Her beloved daughter has every
 thing that money can buy, but affiuenc
 has not sweetened her disposition. Be
 ing wise woman. Mrs Hill has refused
 to live with her son-in-law, with whom l she Is on excellent terms, but she is Suf
 HicentlY behind the scenes to think, nov
 and then. that perhaps it had been wise
 to have let Elvira be happy in her owl ! way.
 by Gerome Chambers.