Lucknow Sentinel, 1888-01-27, Page 6x "
SEIRLEY ROSS
ton, of om 'Q P� ,th,fini /,�, .._;
---- x > t .. r.,.,,�!✓�..!k8:eVia:. xS �V,idl,'Y •''
U
H.SPTE ,
Shirley tics .
dreaded beyond ail;. flan e'
the change from the train to the boat ; but
her mother :seemed thhave rallied Wonder-
.; fully during the last; Sea! hin. }}
i
ththe eseistanoeoShirley's armrsh ahighted
from the train and walked Are!), _y enough:
morose: the short sp" adcto the -both •
',bait
'there her strength failed: here` :'
of the ladder -for the tide The eight
was rather low
and. the weasel below the level of the;quay-
terrified her in her we knee: and= debil,ty,
and .
she stood: hood e
0
r o
gm h
trembling d;, faint, , Bat,' .ev hen y
� � then*
eagerness to, continue her journey made her
tin to diesemble..
Oft !is onlyfor a. midear,"
;......ante,. she said,
trying to speak, lightly8.. "Anything, of
that kind madame, eiok andgiddyeven.
. in.'.
• ,my beet days.I shall be all ' right in a
Moment:"
" Oan I be of anyassistance?" said a
deep, rich voice _close to Shirley. This.
f s •rather , a: formidable; descent 'far an
ingalid "! -:
Shirley turned •quiokly'and saw that the
gentleman who was addressing her was a
tall,. broad ;shouldered' man
of thirty, or
thereabouts, wearing a loose, far -lined
travelling coat; and looking altogether a
d
very istitigue. personage., ; He; had been
watohings.with a pitying look inhis dark.
gray
then es the progress of Shirley and her
he, train,. but . he had: not_
e'd-tci ofer-hie-asalstunce- IItil" he babe
't it was needed. As Shirley:raised her
`c hie, she:. felt a thrill of,:,gratitude
, •"ightened her face.
von;" she said, earnestly; "you
My mother is an invalid,
foes not like the i •
den' of
'aid cheerily:. "-The
nt it does not admit
%sk her to accept.
'w me to carry
some years.
R invalid
..- fed,
4R
•S ,p
fi
te
ar
•
•
•t
•
t.
�o�v'd
01."4", $ 2, �64 :.11
,.
r••
I.
•
•
•I
17.
•
y •
ST
a
°!cried'; • again • the, oxhanation •or..&{fatness
seemed to overoome.'her, Slowly the breath
came from the white lips, bat there wasngt'
e� ,1?" k •s.,Ix -
tiss•en MYS
face',. and I hir!ey, . thoughtJibe`alept.:
Twice, her lips. parted; , but only disjointed
fiords fell frons them. Shirley heard :some.
thing, about;"cruel " and "Scotland'..'" and.
"poor Shirley,"but that was all, and ppre..
88ntl even these ceased, and theale .face
grew' peaceful', for a few minutes• p.•
Then, whenshe rallied again, the same
eager, ozpreesion name . into her. eyes, the'
awe Anxiety tell her daughter something,
which it' was desirable that, she should
know,, bit herAtreath was not equal to her,
w 1, and shewas Obliged toile back on
8 the
ows ""
with
D a murmured' reaentl I
will
p . "
tell her
nese t
nl
which i h showedyy
Shir-
ley'
how great her eaknesa :had bee me ,
and'the girl" grew faint, with terror at the
thought that she might not live, to complete:
her journey. w
, 8ttddenl and sharply the motion- of the,
vessel •ceased, and Shirley guessed that they
had'reaohea their destination; The steward-
ess rose froth her couch and tried tp collect
herscattered_senses and to offer Shirley
some assistance.
" We have arrived, dear;" Shirley . said,
bending over her mother, and'thedark eyes
opened with sudden eagerness.: Y
"
Yes; that is well," she said. "I am
glad it is oyer."
She raised herself from her pillows,. bat,
when she ''triedto : stand she sunk back
weak y, looking pitifully at Shirley.
cannot, ehe said faintly, andthe.
stewardess hurried forward. •
"I think the whiladyis ve; 111. -miss she sp`eed. "Sh :
Shall I'see�f th"". ere is"'a doc-
tor on board ..
"No, rho; he would not let me go on,"
Mrs, Ross said eagerly, and then she uttered
a 'little. cry .of joy, as thegentleman;; who
carried her on board appeared in the: door -
We shall be able to go on shore in a few
Minutes," he'.said gently. ""Can I do any-
thing for , yon ?"he added hastily, seeing
Mrs. Ross condition. .•. "There is a doctor
on board. i willfetch him."
' He hurried away, returning almost im-
mediately with a, graveaooking middle-aged
man, *hose face grew very pitiful •when• •he
saw the white face lying on Shirley's shoul-
der, end, holdingMrs. Ross'' wrist between
his fingers, he asked afew questions; which
''irley answered. ' •
scrs,au,a•kf."y'°",uYy'�"e'n.
'tor mother is most anxious to get to
to=night," Shirley added; 'interpret -
,
'4r entreaty in the dark eyes' which
' 1 could not frame. ". My''bro
-'s there."
'letter to telegraph to him.
-. 'y.,,Stnert al air +d':t
lagrailifousi
itL:igli31,
axN3'cs a a
41
dY ,�GL to Y�. 0 eta O� A ,l'e.• ° w
15
. P41 0� _..,�• ,�v"tiPtja ;�s .�, T4..o Wim''v
rd A' , .� �' a Sa .� y A. o rd
h.cpof peott .04 4A,
8.0; CoA. ho�,0,' �" Aso ,3
•I+
•
' . Shirley,
woman,.
°'ng.
to show Shirley that, the end was near,
She had net; the faintest gleam of ,hope
vow ; she oC knew that: the �1ays _ ,and
tits li"o i it d d . _• _ . s oven i 1�arhathe1 �vliam she loved
so
twrderly were cambered.,-;
. ebe'ogald only.
pray mutely,, With all;.her aching, ,suffering
heart, that she might; live•to see Jack again,
and. to tell them both that which 'she was
so anxious that they should know. It
Might save her,she.had said .in her loan
broken voice in the cabin of the .steamer.
Save her ,from what ? Shirley wondered
vaguely.
" We are nearly there' now," said Dr.'
Graham uietly, as they passed, Chisel,
haret•; ;and his words fell n n Marian
Roes' .earn,:and her dim eyes epee •
Nearly there,"
h re
s e repeated t and
not Shirley 1 s
I ould l
Y $ e to to
have told Sh' it
Shirley'myself"
.,'•" Ta11-me whet, ,dear?" . the ,girt whir.
preidpared.;
' long' Menthe •afterward, she
the _ lock "with • which, -Hier:
mother answered
•
The story - my story," , she said
hoarsely ; " it, might warn :you, and -and
yon would hear it better from me' you'
would judge-." ,
Her voice failed once, more, her head fell'
back. Shirley, watching, saw a, faint tinge,,
of color rise.in her , hollow cheek and an
agony of. shame in' the shining eyes-•
shining now at the thought of seeing • her
son oboe 'more. . .
" You shall tell us by'and' by, mother
dear," ehe said soothingly. " You shall tell
Jack and me,' you know, when you u' are
rested.":
A•faint smile crossed the ;dyin , lips and
shone for- a moment in the -dark eyes •
" No one 'can , telt' it . you bat me,".she
said .steadily. "� No one knows all, -but
me. Your father knew a little,. but. no' one
knows all but me." -
She repeated: the words more than once'
as. she looked. dreamily before her," and
sortie irresistible• impulse made Shirley
bend over her. •
" All what, dear ?'' she asked eagerly:.
"" All the.sorrow and . shame," said
Marian •Ross"piteously, the pale lips, begin:
ning to: quiver-"" all the temptation. I,
would 'rather ' tell you myself, Shirley -
when -whet:' I am rested.""
She closed her eyes'' and lay back on the
cushions. of. the carriage leaving' her hands
in Shirley's. • The train slackened for. a
moment, and then' went -on again, even as
Marian'Ros ' life was. speeding ' on more.
rapidly toward its goal.. On,. on .the train
went, on until it reached the great city,.
and Dr, Graham, bendingforward,'saw the
lights of London and the great net -work' of
roofs Over which for a few moments they
seemed to be travelling `
ecd
p . �tredtdtli ire'' r�s-
wsaatr�r:"�xe�^eattttaz�nC=^.�,he:�roorx�tZat 'r • �:
�� ���e.R7i„
t 43 icii ttr'hom know, ' cliod, .e'en. the
failing senses of the• woman who had come
there to die. • She eat up eagerly, pressing
her feeble hands against her heart, as if' to
stop its short rapid throbs. , Then, as the
train stopped, she ' stood. up .alone. and
rl unaided, a wonderful eagerness lighting up
Ar dying Yaoe. •
norter, running along the platform,
• • '°e carriage doors as:hepassod,
'bore • poured out. Guy.
' ' from' . the ' first-class
''+h he had travelled;
*or Dr. Graham
'" man,..fair
hair and• .
waayy.
a..
."... 4 •. .
she recalled the piteous words and t
pitiful 'smile ';with, • which they had beeni
he. ;wonder and delight, and V .beautie
Fier Woe and the randeu ,-! . J
eenc : riow sheYcMeinbered them -all C
by
at
cruel to her PPS; " '
loyal gentle niptly i- hg
b
her marry e,. ShirleykneW�; but in wh
had dlalaleasedher ,'rather in ••some way
wpy she: di not 1?robably bees .
she, who was; beantlful; enough to • ha
married:'well in;.a worldly sense, had ohos
to, wed. a poor' man. -And yet elle, h
never been sorry for" that ; Shirley kn
that she had,,; :loved .'hibi with a .faithf
undying; love a' 1ove, which ;would ,fin
borne any suffering for and with sitar,
love which would have counted -»the, wor lost for his sake.. • Shirley knew th
'her
mot
her had loved' ed
her
lathef� deeply
PY
but, she little .ueseed then bow, deepl
Marian; ` Fairho rue; lead loved Bolan
..d
nd'
that 'het la tenable dpy when her
father died 1 , Could .ebe aver. -forget that ?
6
Could she' .ever- feel lea pain at that,
see memory than shoe did . nocv, when the hot
ve' 'tears rose thick.and fast; and: the, red lips; , •
en quivered with irrepressible pain. 2, It was, •
ad at a quaint little old sea -ort town. on the
ew cost of Brittany, and during the morning
Jack had wandered dawn th,
ul Shirley and
vo steep. path O. the end of the: village which, . .
a lead to the beach. It was ,toward•the, endue
rld,.:f• summer, the bathing -season wasover,
at' and the flshin Setswerei
� @ ream
to
P put
preparing
; to
sea
The
fishermen h
,men; were' busy;,with;
y their boats,, the women within- ,doors, were.
making active preparations for their
' p t was, a cheerful, •
husband's de acture. I
y pleasant tittle place, And the sea was n /may-
;
Ing and heflasbhingeneh,, inwhethere sunshthe,inwavese and brollroom`
upo. •
with a musical', little' -ripple. Shirley and •
her brother had sat do 747X1 on the Side of an
old boat which stood bigh'and dry, and had,
talked of England, and Wondered why they
knew so little' of home,. and had laughed '"
and chattered with a sturdy old fisherman'
who was working awayiat hienets close: by.
Shirley could remember hiskindlyweather'•
beaten face even .then. . They had been • so
happy and' light.hearted ; no shadow o ' the •
'coming trouble . had fallen `upon, • them ;
their fatherand mother were well.
He
had been -out sketching during the morning,
and had come home a little tired, and - wa
resting on the sofa in their 'little:eittin ..____
room -for they had,been spendin ' '.the
Summer at Port St.• Pierre,and. gg
Shirle
was bnrned'b ._, ____ t
y the. sun into a clear soft ,
brown. And'then,she and Jack had run'
hp the steep path, with', merry laughterand
shouts; to the chalot on the edge of the cliff
where they lived, and: Mrs: Roes had :-met-- -
them smiling too, but with upraised Seger,
aursleginep,g silence, because their -father was
Poor mother ! It was the -last -time
Shirley sever saw her face bright and • soil-
ing. An hour afterward she went softly
into the littleositting-room, and then came
a quick terrified cry which brought Jack'
quickly into,the:room.' Their father was
lying quietly upon the cushions,, his eyes
closed, his lips parted in a faint smile ; but
there was a strange, awful indefinable look
upon his face which, although they had
never seen ' death, told them what it was.
Their moth`er.was. bendingover the sofa; •
nd.she turned her •face,to them with
itifuklgok'of entreaty..
".I `cannot' • wake him," .she • said
urriedl3" ; 'and.- s2. .o1c7
8fA3n'ted.. , µ•n v,N w .a+ ry x.s.r
• r naS:
fr
Tia' ..ravaliat " 0.way ,14 1b1Wt
raanlgt, his WAS- cone Of fliers. ' •i"hen 'ter fans'
Cruel to her l What -mattered. its ori e1t
now ? What mattered 'Sir, Gilbert Fair
holme's long' displeasure, his • wife'
unbroken: silence and contempt ? Th
mattered little taller now as she lay there
white and beautiful, drifting .slowly away
amuse the sea of death, home. Never, eve
in the days ofK
b . her homily, when she .ha
been the belle of every ball, and Mis
F.airholnie of. Fairholme had been the
reigning .toast. in• the county,; had' she.
looked lovelier than . h n. now. She. was white
as marble ; even the parted lips. through
which ' her breath. (Janie • so, feebly •wer
pallid ; but the long lashes swept her cheeks
in a heavy dark'fringe, and the, rich . dark
hair in all its luxuriance streamed down
upon the pillow, falling in silky waves over
the orimsonilannel-of ;her wrapper -and ; on
her kneeling daughter's clasped hands.
It waet,.night now, almost midnight ; and
the: sounds of life; and animation which had
been unceasing during • -the three , hours.
which Shirley had' passed by the bedside,
were gradually dying: away, 'Sometimes
there were steps and voices in the passages
without, which• made -the girl start and
look anxiously at her mother, but they did
not • disturb her -. rest. Then, as 'these
gradually • died away and', _'ceased, th
occasional shrill. whistle' of•"a train rose.
upon the Silence of the night, making the
girl's ; heart throb fast and her ; pulses
quicken ; but it did not reach the numbed
senses of the dying "woman. -Al2,, when _
Shirley's broken-hearted sobbing, "" 4other,
mother 1" was unheeded, would any other
sound piercethose dulled ears ?
What. could, that • story .be; Shirley
wondered to herself, .te.the�night-wore en----
tlieatory:She was so anxious to; tell,' but a
for which she had not Strength 7 It could .p
not be.'a shortastory, or she would liave told
it,; she would ave found power 'enough for h
that. ;,.1 t
Rlia
,-,.ehe �sii • ;since .atad,
�n�enfl,-7txaw�? ''_Tlaii
The
r•
n,
d
9
•
411
ry _ _ . S��.Crf Y. t� Y c: '1 _Ti�•�,.... ,p'.+G>Lo .:t
sorrow and su'fferi'ng and beneath the changed
m,
now; but soon to' surmount them -peace:'
Shirley tried to' think -she tried to look
back into the past' and recall her 'niother's
life; but :it had ttlways been calm arid,
peaceful -and apparently_ happy, and the
look of. deep sadness had been 'so Constant
on her face that Shirley had grown to
'regard it ae natural. - No, ;there_was--noth-:
ing in the past.of which Shirley knew' to.
bring that look of anguish . and misery to
the dark eyes. Her father's death had
been a fearful :sorrow' truly; and one from
which her 'mother had never 'recovered ;
but there was no shame to touch him. '.
•
No, they had been: happy years --Shirley
felt sure :of that -happy years and pleasant,
mauled with wanderings in quaint foreign.
oitiee, husband'and=� wife never' remaining..
' in any one place, never wearying of
`.:taking and enjoying all its charms`
'Cy; and then• leaving it-goiz
with the swallows, lingering
skies .:and .breathing soft t
'e northern world was
>'j ;'''then, :