Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-18
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what I owed him-although had had no
voice in the matter"
He wrote of you as Elinor," said Miss
! Sophia 'Elinor Quaintance. wonder who
she married"
Her mind was running on the dead
man dead romance-or tragedy. Her face
expressed intensest interest.
81 don't know" the girl rejoined, but
he believed that he had been bitterly
, wronged. He was strange man in many
ways, very reserved and often moody, al
ways most arbitrary. l am indebted to
him for all / ever had, and yeti had
no love for him. was glad to leave his
house to come here"
oh. my dear!' cried Miss Jane, much
distressed.
1T may be wrong, but-one can't help
ones feelings, and it's best to be quite
honest about it. Had l had any choice,
1 would have owed him nothing No man
can buy affection. He cannot buy an
others flesh and blood, nor can he sell
either of these. Mr.. Quaintance believed
he had bought me. He would have sold
me. too. Can you blame me if feel
barely grateful to him?
When. Mr.. Quaintance died." she once
more went on, his lawyers sent me
long letter he had written me. 1t was
, very cruel letter and told me, in so many
WORDS, Indl ne ndQ already ulSpOSCu u
my future. / was to marry his brothers
son, a man l had never heard of before
and whom he 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 mill
lions 1 think, which would be awarded
US on the sole condition that we were
married within a year of his death.
/ Failing which, we would both be left pen
niless.
In other words, he had made up his
mind to present me, his chattel. to an
unknown man, and to pay him handsome
| ly for accepting me. Would any girl have
| submitted to such unspeakable degrade
! tion"
She was breathing quickly her eyes
aglow with a wounded pride.
II was powerless to alter the past, and
1 felt my position so keenly then that 1
didn't dare to ask your advice, in case
/ you should seek to influence me against
the decision / came to as soon as 1 had
/ read the letter through. Mr.. Quaintance
had written his nephew to the same effect,
| and 1 was dreadfully afraid he might
| seek me out at once. Although l was
little more than a school girl then, 1 felt
| that starvation would be far easier and
! less painful than
| you were quite right, my DEAR" Miss
Jane commented, as she stopped at a loss
! for words in which to express the alterna-
| tive decently. That spinster had all the
respect of the by-genteel for wealth
4 and position, but under her well-worn,
old-fashioned 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 regret that
was much more poignant than her friends
= could understand while there was still
untold what might we'll prove the worst
half of her misfortunes. And as to that
half she could not ever now take them
fully into her confidence.
I Il wish 1 had trusted you with this.
dear Miss Jane" she said. Butt ran
| away instead 1 had not posted the let
ter you wrote telling Mr.. Quaintance's
lawyers that 1 was leaving you. l didn't
| intend to have anything more to do with
them, and-my only ambition was to keep
out of the nephews way. But. at the
| last moment, IL was so hurried that 1
| had to leave some of my money in the
| bank here, and Fanchette and l have
come over to see about that"
1 Silence followed her somewhat abrupt
conclusion, and she sat- with anxious
! eye, awaiting their verdict on her be
havior.
Then you don't wish to meet this
young man at ALL" said Miss Jane de-
cisively. Hes been here two or three
times to find out whether you were III
Paris again, although we were scarcely
inclined to believe him at first"
| How can he know thatP' cried the
/ girl in renewed alarm. "Oh, 1 hope YOU
won't tell him a word about me, Miss
Jane. Miss Sophia. Please promise me
that"
You may depend UPON us, my dear"
the sisters assured her in chorus.
And, to tell you the truth" Miss Jane
added with strong conviction, ''he isn't
altogether "a nice young man."
! And you needn't give us any address,"
her sister suggested. IF he should call
again, as he said he would, we shall
simply inform him that we don't know
where you are, and beg him to discontinue
his visits
There's a shabby-looking persons out
side staring up at the house at this mo-
ment," said Miss Sophia from her win
dow seat, a tremor in her thin voice IT
hope he hasn't employed a private detec
tive to trace you
! Their guest rose, inwardly much embar-
raised.
/ 81 think I'll go now" she said anxious
\ ly, unwilling to excite further conjecture
/
who her unpleasant attendant was
! My dear" Miss Jane broke in, kissing
her with great tenderness, "come to us
when you can, and tell us what you will
We are two poor old women not very
able. perhaps to advise you. But you may
be sure that We'll never advise you 9TH
erwise than as your own mother would.
Be braver'
Poor thing!' Sophia sighed soulfully
as she returned to her favorite post at
the window, to watch the two disappear
down the avenue faithfully followed by
the lounger she had observed.
| Miss Sophia was on the point of turn
ing from the window, when she cried:
"Oh. how unfortunate! Jane they've just
met that gentleman with the black beard
who was with Mr.. Quaintance last time
he called-and he's stopped them-and
we'll, declare!-if they haven't al three
gone on together.
Jane, I don't see HOW she can help