"Bona Fide."

Taranaki Herald, Volume XL, Issue 9140, 22 July 1891, Page 4

"Bona Fide."

Shoul4'.Bhe;,;or Shojildjshe Aoti^Hcj l handg jtrembled. ;, with? excitenjent"; 1 her cheeks burned, partly through fear, and partly through shame at her own audacity. Horp was she, Elsie Locke, at the sedate age bf fpur-and-twerity, abpu^i .to answer ,a matrimonial 'advertisement' 1 She Shook' her -pretty' head and puckered her forehead, as she scored, lor the hundredth time, the arguments for and against. Her's was a sad tale;but by no means an uncommon dneV Her' father,' a country doctor, was ! so clever that! his geiiiusi surpassed his sanity. ■ He devoted his life to science, and science made a victim Jof him. He knew more than his neigh-i hours ; as a consequence, they' shunned . him for being eccentric, called his theories whims, his habits vagai'ies, -and >shodk their heads in pity at. the three mother- > \ lesfl ibairn's ,who .were left in the power of < 'aucha-being. . And when 'he was found 1 one morning'dead, with a bottle. of pbison in his haud, the inhabitants of Levanstyle prided themselves on their judgment, held 'an inquest, ami triumphantly pronounced ia verdict of "Suicide while of unsound niui'd " I'Msie had a different tale to tell. She 'always stoutly maintained that he lost his I life in the pursuit of knowledge, that, conjtiuuiug his investigations steadily, he 'advanced so far as to be on the brink of a graud chemical discovery. One thing only was wanting — a person to experiment upon. I The boycotted dreamer looked , around, ibut so'ithoroughly was he^. jsdla^ed fronl ' his;]fel]o^-men, he knew^qoti on# ; who, 1 would perform^this slight act of frendship ifor him. There were qnly his children, and he shrank from making one of them -go 'through tile ordeal, though he was positive of a successful result. Yet, still, 4n* the face of perfect certainty,' "some", iuherent dread protected, .ttiem." So he decided to experiment on himself. Why not ? The result was a foregone conclusion. Ho experimented — and the result was instant annihilation.' ; Elsie's versipu was not the popular one. Neighbour's" patted her ' kindly on the shoulder and remarked she was very like iher father ; the vicar's wifo sent a currantWt to the children on the day of the funeral, but avoided Elsie's pointed questions and sad reproachful face. Stung by the incredulity of their little world, the orphans bitterly resolved to know no one and to live only for each other. Such a resolution was more easily kept than iv their hearts they liked. Only too soon the neighbours, tired of iav\tiug. "those, boor 'young things" .to ieal aud> muffins/ They -were ; not responsive} i and , were allowed to fall back into the dreary routine which had been their normal existence ever since they could remember! Clement,' ' kix years older than brown-haired Elsie, was in a lawyer's office ; Margie,' six years her- junior, was taught by our little heroine, who also looked after! -the house, sewed, sang, 1 and dreamed,- as girls' of eighteen are wont to dread. ' ' Sir years passed quietly,. till the time when my story opens. Margie :was now a blooming blonde of eighteen,, and Clement a rather morose bachelor . qf^ thirty, with hair slightly -grey and deep \ lines on his rugged face. Margie was 1 overflowing with fun arid'vivacity; and as she grey.to be a real companion ,'pfker., sister, her high spirits infected Elsie, who began to weary of their convent-like Seclusion. -She even regretted, that, she. had so early put away all 1 appearance of ' girlhood. "When ' first _ stricken with ' sorrow, she had choseiYto adopt the ntieu o|f a middle-aged Quaker'; she eschewed a fringe; and wore glasses; colours "vVere a' forbidden ' luxury, ' and ornaments too frivolous to think of. Poor, pretty little Elsie! she did'n'ot; know her own charms. She had had no youth ; until now life had' been passed in a groove of petty cares' and rankling sorrow, but Margie!s buoyancy had Her with a new longing for pleajsurqano! for.' eWu»e. ' This' craving "'increased' 1 to such" an extent that she .absolutely summoned dp courage and §poke to Clement ou,the . -subject. *''Has it never 'struck 'you, Element, " r she said, with a little falter in 1 her 1 ' voice,- • "that' ! Margie ' Society"? 'We are too. staid -and dull ' for our pet."> ; He.bithis-mou'Btachegloomily,' and frowned. Elsie was sorry to Vex him, lnit' for Margie's, sake she determined' t6' stand ■ her ground. .Why /'should 1 Vlshe shadow 1 whioh.had darkened ntheir'.' lives' darkeii\hers also I<■. / ■ ', "\\f, '■ \,'. ; Cluinent-jbegan to poke/th? .fire-.,vigor-ojiisly, a sure sign he was mentally much disturbed. " Why cannot she live as you have lived!" he said '"at length. "Oh, Cjleineut, she is so young!" •" "Not younger than, you were /when " He •broke off suddenly, for, by tacid consent, brother aud sister never 1 alluded to ' that time. "She is iiliererit to ime," ! Elsie pleaded, desperately, l "She 'has soi much spirit, so niuoh life. She was too> ybung for the trouble to sink> into' her niind as it has done into ours." In spite of herself her voice quavered, and she felt trie h6t 'tear^ dim her eye.3, Clenieht paced the floor uneaaily in moody sileuce. 1 Though," they had born a common sirrow side by side, no brother and sister could have been greater strangers to each 01, her. ; had ever &ik"esf.oij syiitr [ pithy, neither had ever given it. "I don't, , know, how to manage - it," . ,he , remarked, after a long pause fi " >Ye know no one.;,,how ,are we to begin ?" "Do you know rioiie of the people at your' office V J^lsie suggested, .timidly. "Could you nU ask- sdme of them to tea V He eyed hjsr keenly ' through ' liiij gold-rimmed uyfictacles. ' "What'''do'you'waiSt yo\mg uieii here for 1""he questioned, harshly. " Kre you mad, child V "I am likely l to 'become so,'' -she retorted, 1 angrily, " r if I aoi to be buried alive to the end of my dlys." .n/.sj.'i/^-. :. - ;"■;...'■ Ivt Then, hardly aware /of what ehe was doing, she laid bedhead down on the table, ai d sobbed , unrestrainedly. , .', Till .that; .moment she did' not know how much elie" 'htjrself pined for change, nor how she *di]eaded to face the lonely, dreary, future. ■ The suddeu Outburst .perplexed Clement greatly. , He put his hand, gently on her bowed head. " Elsie, what is it, child ? Yoa are always brave." The kindly words recalled her to herself ; she hastily dried, hejr eyesjand .muttered something about^ jrtot being: welt' 1 " You see," he. resumed,': Mnia calm, reasoning tone, "you girls have <no chaperon. How could I have young men here wight after Jfight ! It would be ,di{iere:it if one of you. were married." Elfcie woujcl have liked to^ say, '.'^uch a contingency' cotUd never 7 occur if , matters ' remained In" theiif^presCnt'cdndition," but she rpfraine,d, and only answered, with an-j attoinpt at badinage—" And I cannot j have girls here because of you; so I suppose there is no chance of you coming to the rescue." His feature!* coutra'cte'dy' as'if in sudden, pain, and he passed his hand wearily across his brow. ">o one would liaVe us, my poor Elsie ! our story is ioo well known. „ AYe are doomed, little one — doomed!" "His' voice, though low, wal full of a settled sadness, and for the lirat time Elsie realised how the uuiet. j ' ( To be continued )

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