The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-06-21

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|gest that the girl and she might
as well go out and get some fresh
lair, IL only for health's sake.
That afternoon. therefore, they
proceeded to the Misses Winters
select pension, where they were
received with warmth of well
come which did them both good.
1t was inspiriting to find that they
had ut least two friends In the
Iteemfng city, where, they had
been prone to think Of late. they
were pent In among mysterious
enemies.
And we have news for you. my
dear" Miss Jane said. about your
lcousin?"
She beamed inquiringiy upon
the girl, who answered. with a.
sudden sinking of the heart which
III her lips pale:
81 have heard nothing of him."
HE was here only q few days
EGO" added Miss Sophia.
And very much upset he was
to find that you had left u.s." said
Miss Jane.
The girl had not been very GER
tain how much 1t might be wise to
tell them. but this unexpected In
formation decided her.
at was because of him I had
to leave you, the girl began. II
must explain, in the first place,
that he is not my cousin except
by courtesy.
You see," she went on while
the sisters listened in grave sur
prise, "Mr. Miles Quaintance had
no family. He was not married. My
father was Lieut.. Gen. Lorraine.
and, when he died in San Fran
cisco, not many months after my
mother, Mr.. Quaintance adopted
me. / was an infant then.
He always called me Elinor,
after some old sweetheart of his. l
didn't know my own name till the
day before I left for Europe, when
he told me my history and what L
owed him-although had had no
voice in the matter"
He wrote Of you as Elinor,"
said Miss Sophia. "Eiinor Quaint
ance. / wonder who she married.
| Her mind was running on the
dead mans dead romance-orI
tragedy. Her face expressed in
tensest interest.
II don't know" the girl re-
Joined, "but he believed that he
had been bitterly wronged. He
was strange man in many ways,
very reserved and often moody,
ALWAYS most arbitrary. I am in
debted to him for all I ever had,
and yeti had no love for him.
I was glad to leave his house to
come here"
"Oh, my dear!" cried Miss Jane,
much distressed.
ut may be wrong, but---one
lcan't help ones feelings. and it's
best to be quite honest about 1t.
Had / had any choice, would
have owed him nothing. No man
lean buy affection. He cannot buy
another's flesh and blood, nor can
he sell either Of these. Mr.. Quaint
lance believed he had bought me.
He would have sold me, too. Can
you blame me If I feel barely
grateful to him?
when Mr.. Quaintance died.
she once more went on, This law
Iyers sent me a long letter he had
written me. 1t was a very cruel
letter and told me, In SO many
words, that he had already dis
posed of my future. I was to
marry his brothers son, a man Il
had never seen. And there was a
penalty attached, which he no
doubt thought too dreadful to be
incurred by either of us.
HE had left a large estate,
some millions, I think, which
would be awarded us on the sole
condition that we were married
within year of his death. Fail
ing which, we would both be left
lpenniless.
"In other words, he had made
lup his mind to present me, his
chattel, to an unknown man, and
to pay him handsomely for accept
ing me. Would any girl have
submitted to such unspeakable
degradation"
| She was breathing quickly, her
eyes aglow with a wounded pride.
II was powerless to alter the
past, and I felt my position so
keenly then that I didn't dare to
ask your advice, in case you
should seek to influence me
lagainst the decision I came to as
soon as I had read the letter
Through. Mr.. Quaintance had
written his nephew to the same
effect, and / was dreadsully afraid
he might seek me out at once. AL
Though ! was little more than a
school girl then, I felt that starry
ation would be far easier and less
painful thar
| you were quite right, my
dear" Miss Jane commented, as
she stopped at loss for words
in which to express the alterna-
tive decently. That spinster had
jail the respect of the shabby-gen-
teel for wealth and position, but
under her well-worn, old-fashion-
led bodice beat the heart of a
plain thinking, old fashioned
woman who did not believe that
womanhood should be bartered for
wealth and position.
! The girl bowed her head, in re-
lgret that was much more poignant
than her friends could understand
while there was still untold what
might well. prove the worst half of
her misfortune. And as to that
half she could not even now take
them fully into her confidence.