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

Eugenia had written him in reply in which she said that it was "very accept able for ma was rather poor and 1t would help her to provide more bounti- fully for poor Dora, who was queer, old fashioned child, possessing but little affec- tion for anyone and who never spoke Of her Uncle Nat or manifested the slight est gratitude for what he was doing" Alas, poor Uncle Natl Can this be Fanny's child.' he thought with a sigh as he read this letter in his faraway tropical home. But Dora's thoughts were often with her uncle and she one day determined to write to him-she loved him because he was her fathers brother and her mother had told her to love him. But Eugenia, when Dora told her she was going to write to her uncle. exclaimed: How can you? Let him write to you if he wants to, but after the way In which he has treat ed your mothers letter you should by no means trouble him again. He will think you are after his money" That settled 1t and Dora did not write. But when the year was up and another check for Dora came to the hands of Eugenia check which Dora never saw or knew of. of course, Eugenia indulged In more flnery and more dinner par ties.
 So matters went on at Locust Grove over the news that the rich MT. Hast i,,. IL his wife to occupy a fine estate which he had recently bought near the will lage. The rich man came. He was the same young man who had, two years before, visited with his sister the squalid tenement where Dora Deane slept beside her dead mother, and his wife was the beautiful butterfly, Ella Grey. She was in delicate health and her husband thought country air would benefit her. Ella went to the country with the greatest reluctance. her world ly mother declaring that to deprive her daughter of society would be the dea tn of her. But the frivolous wife of Howard Hastings found that there was society, and of very good sort, too, even in Dunwood. and soon began to receive" and give parties.
 Eugenia of course. at. once ingra- tiated herself with Mrs. Hastings. When she saw how delicate she was--evi- dently dying of consump tion-and looked about at all the elegance which MT. Hastings could furnish a wife. thought came to her which even she, for the time being at least, put away as too horrible. No. she would not speculate upon what might happen in case of Elias death-but how happy she could be as the wife of a rich man!
 When Ella had a baby girl born to her and was very. very i'll Eugenia spent much of her time at Rose Hill, the Hastings place sitting by Mrs. l Hastings bedside and talking to her. But she did nothing to straighten out the household. which was at all times in great disorder. owing to Ea's lack of housekeeping ability. and which was now a chaos. Then the servants began to quarrel with each other and leave and Howard Hastings was in despair. He asked Eugenia if she could not
 
 waiting maid.' as she called her. Eu- genia considered and thoughtr that anything should be done to please a man rich and probably soon to be Il widower; so she said yes. and added. You must not be surprised if she speaks of mother as aunt and calls me cousin--she is a poor relation whom we have taken out of charity to bring up"
 With Dora installed at Rose Hill things began to go smoother; in fact, never in that ill-governed household had matters been so well and quietly arranged or so skillfully executed. Dora and her infiu- ence seemed to pervade the whole estao- lishmen, and Mir. Hastings was really comfortable for the first time since his marriage. But Ella grew worse. the cloud of death was seen descending and at length she died. begging with her last breath that her husband would forgive