The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-26

1 the letter and the souvenir with great
 emotion and his heart expanded toward | the child of the woman he had once so
 loved; in fact. toward all his relations.
 Dear Dora, though she had not sent 1 her love, only a cold message, yet she l had sent the lock of hair-surely she
 must love him. He wrote back to Dora
 long letter filled with affection, in
 closing for her use a check for $500
 "a dollar for every hair, he said Ma
 thaniel had taken a long time to count
 that hair. for his eyes were many times
 In the course of the operation suffused
 with tears.
 1 Eugenia, calling at the postoffice for 1 the mail, took out this letter. She saw
 the Indian postmark with terror. How
 foolish she had been to send that message and that lock of hair to Uncle Nat, | Secretly she opened the letter. She saw
 the check and resolved to appropriate it.. | But she would say nothing to Ma" about
 1t just now-"Ma" was too sentimental. | First she would have a new piano. Mir.
 Has tings was fond of music, but noth-
 ing sounded well upon her old instru-
 ment The rest of the money would en- able the family to keep up appearances' 1 in good shape until she should marry Howard which she proposed to do with | out much more delay-and when she was
 lis wife-why she could make it up to Dora somehow. The draft was made pay 1 able to Mrs. Deane. and Eugenia before she went to bed that night sat down and wrote to her uncle in India. saying that Alice, Ma" and she thanked him very | much for his generous gift to Dora, who, strange to say, did not manifest any feel | ing whatever.
 l The next day Mir. Hastings called and
 mentioned that he was going on the mor- row to Rochester. Eugenia said that she | bad been reading an advertisement of a concert 10 be held ih that city the fol-
 lowing night-and how she would like to
 attend it.! "Why not go?" said Howard. But stop. I have an engagement which will possibly prevent me from accom-
 panying you. Yet if I can I should be delighted to take your mother and your self to the concert. It may be that I can If so I will call for you at the hotel" | So it was arranged and Eugenia spoke
 of being about to purchase new piano
 would Mir. Hastings help her select one ? | They could make the selection the next l day, when she would meet him in Roches- | ter.
 | Howard remembered the beautiful rose wood piano whose tones had so long been unheard in his silent home and asked Do you like Elias piano? while shad- nd that it might one day be hers Eugenia, | divining his thoughts, answered artfully: l .'Oh, very much. I so used to enjoy hear | ing dear Ella play on 1t; but that won't
 do me sany good-it isn't mine, you know" | Very softly and tenderly the beautiful black eyes looked into his, and the voice was low and gentle as it breathed the
 name of Ella. It was the hour of Howard
 Hastings temptation, and, scarcely | knowing what he did. he essayed to
 speak-to offer her the piano whose key s lad so often been swept by the fairy
 fingers now folded away beneath the 1 winter snows. But his lips refused to
 move; there was a pressure upon them
 as if little hand were laid upon his
 mouth to prevent the utterance of the
 words he had far better not speak.
 1 "I am progressing fast" thought Flu genia as she sat alone in her chamber that night "still I wish he would come | to the point. Never mind, he is worth
 waiting for. with his fine house and 1 his wealth. I shan't care so much for
 Uncle Mats money then. But do hope
 the old fool won't show up here some
 day and expose me-" Mrs. Deane and
 Eugenia went to Rochester the next
 day; Mir. Hastings met them and he
 and Eugenia went out and looked at
 pianos, one of which. costing $450. Eu- genia agreed to take. Later in the day Mr. Hastings called at the hotel to take Eugenia and her mother to tho
 concert He went into the hotel par
 Tor. expecting to find Eugenia there. | She was not and he stepped out into the hall. As the day was very cold he
 went and stood over the register, which