Page 4 Advertisements Column 1

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIII, Issue 9542, 10 November 1881, Page 4

LENOX DARE: THE WOMAN SHE WAS. r.Y VIRGINIA I. TOWNSEND. And -ivitliout, the a-ony mid the strujrgle, iiovoi jia« tliat. v.as worth cillm;,' mau came to liis ful stature. IVIItS OMPH4NT. CH.AI.TEII- IV. A LITTLE before nine o'clock, Benjmnin. Mavis c/.me outside the front door and surveyed the sky. He saw an occasional star glimmer for c v. om'enti and then hide itself behinci the clouds that were moving up in vast gray masses irom the horizon. A sofl wind, with a low, grieving moan in it •was blowing from the south-east. ''The moon has changed, and we're in for a rain," he said to himself. "11 doesn't look encouraging for my trip to morrow; but that can wait until the weather clears." Ho had just turned to go in-doors when he suddenly started and stooc still, seeing a small, slight figure clost to the front gate. It had stopped there a moment, and seemed to be looking ai the house doubtfully. A hanging-lam[ in the hall poured its light through thi open door on the piazza, and brough out in strong relief the stalwart figure against the climbing vines. When tho watcher in the read caugh H^ht of tliat , she hurried inside the gati i.nd up tho path. When she reachet the lower step, she paused, and stretehec cut her hands with a euelclen, imploring f;rsturo. " Who are you?" cried Ben Mavis moving forward, utterly bewildered a the sight of this odd apparation. T)ic stranger must have tried t( iinsw<. r. There was a sound that endee in a sort of dry sob. Then, 'as the streaming light touchec her face, the youth exclaimed in { voice si arp with amazement: "Grea Heavens ! ' It's Lenox Dare!"' The next iu stunt lie was at her a\de his hand was on bor shoulder. "Where did you come from? Hoti did you get here?" he asked, with th< am«zeu;eiit still uppermost in his voice. " I walked here since morning,' answered the girl, with a tremor like i sob or a gasp in her voice. "One max gave me a ride in a cart. I have rui away. .1 had nobody else to come to.' She stepped there suddenly. Shi would have fallen it' he had not caugh her in his urnis. " Walked from Cherry Hollows ii one day! Great i leavens!" said younj Mavis a^'ain. He knew the slight gir had cone almost thirty miles on foot. Then, without saying another word lie took the tired, trembling figure ii his si roil!,', young &ra.n, carried it int the house, and set it: down on a loung in a little, softly - limited home - lik nest of a sitting-room, and shouted a the iod of his voice: -t Mother! mother Come straight here — please!" An instant afterward, there appeare at the door the ruther small, plum figure of :i woman, a little past middl life, bhe had a bright face and a fresi complexion, and still retained a goo deal of the prettiness of her youtl: She wore a simple, eiark dress, wit. little gray -and- black curls on eithe side of her face. There waa an air c motherhood all about the plump littl matron ; and she had a tender lock i her eyes, as more than one perso affirmed who had gone to her i trouble. " What in the world do you wani Ben !" she asked ; and before 1 c coul reply she caught sight of the sligL iigure on the lounge, and of the srea wild, beseeching ores staring at her oi of the young, pale face She gave a little gasp of amazemen and fli-n her sun pp ike : " Mothei this is Lenox Dare. She baa walke here from Cherry Hollows since morn ing." "{■h, my poor child!" said Mi Mavi-j, The words were full of shocke pity. 1 1 was a cry straight out of he mother-heart. "I had nobody else io come ti nobody else!" said Lenox, iv just lL tone in « hicli she hnd said it out in th tiarknefs to Ecu Mavis, and then he void- Lilt d her. jjut when, fuce and hands full c ci'ger Ik Ipiulnoss, Mrs Mavis approache her, i.ri)ox Dare suddenly sprang to he i'vei. hhe forgot her aching limbs, lie dreadful exhaust io/,. Wilh a swij movement she wave- el hack the hate outgtrctced to her. " I must tell yo the truth first! " she said, and thei before any one could reply, the bega to tell the story of the laßt three day Kobody in the world could have told i as ."he did, with such a passion of feelinj such native eloquence, such limpi truthfulness. She lived it all ove again. She held nothing back o^ a the misery, the half - madness, th dreadful temptation through which sb had passed since that night when Mi Crane had first told her she was to g to work in the factory. She told ho\a sitting by her window the rnidnigi before, the thoucht of Ben Mavis, an of the kindly mother of which he ha told her, first flashed across her, ho she had left her home before sunrin how the thought and the hope ha upheld her through the long, terribl walk of tha day. Nothing human could listen to th; girl's story unmoved, and the hearts < the two who heard ii — the tendi-r vromai the manly youth, were touched to 11 core. The tears were streaming ov< Mrs Mavis's face ; and Ben only kej his back by remembering that he was man, and almost twenty at that. "i am all alone in the world. Thei is nobody to help me!" said Lent Dare, turning her great, beseechir eyes from mother to son, ,is she coi eluded. "If you will let me stay hei a little while until I can think what can do, I will be very good. It seemc to me if I could once get where ye were, and tell you my story, you woul not send me away ; you would take pit on mo anc help me. So I have walkt all thesi? dreadful miles just to say 1 you : ' tavc me from Mrs Crane — aa\ me fr<"in that awful factory!'" "They'll never get you across i threshold no long as I've a sound boi in ;uy body!" growled Ben Mavis, an his brown, handsome face flushed erin son be i ween wrath and pity. " I'd hi first to trsr and feather that old toi keeper's vixen of a wife, and then rk her on a rail !" Then the soft, pitying voice of ti mo'hi-r f■• I Io « ed the son's low growl "My poor little girl, we shall nev< send you back to the factory — nevei Nobody shall harm you now. Ye shall stay with us jusfc as long as ye Tvnnt to, and we will take tlie be; care o e you." Wor Lenox Dave ! She tried to speal bu ! tin- words ded m her throat. Til sud'.it-n r. l ; ef, the long strain, the uttf cxhnu.slion must have their way at las Mir dropped tlovvn iv a senseless Lea on the L.ur.ge. Thiee n.ou 'is before that nigh loi ox Dau' Siva- benjamin Mavis ft the firsi tivae. The young man, on h: way to i-'f ru.ca Lake, passed throug (tit* foH-i.'' t-, and A b'j ;>.!"■ Cone, alwaj j.-r-;;l oi : » c'l-.'M.c- f r a talk, induced l.ii '..■ rU-.;i nvA jh-s-.c;- ; r '; : ;o ••■.qu rics aboi ;•(■■ '>'(• v. h"in ih>< ;■■]!■ ;•■ • c-pc-c i-.ad know a' .i;riiu\- wild, ih-.-.fown, lying off amon the hi';.-- t-.i the wes',' where youD Mavis res tied. (To bo continued.) ■