280
THE WEST SHORE.
"Then I shall eniloavor t) settle the niMHtinn tn.
night," ho Mid, deliberately adding auothor lump of
After dinner he exolained his flnnneinl nniulitiiin fnllv
to bis parenU, and showed them conclusively that his
ma . ... -
inoomo wouia warrant marriage with any young lady.
He made the statement much a the eonfidontial clerk of
a wealthy corporation would make hia anuuiil balance
nml clear to tlin stockholders, lor Iiih figures appeared
a soulless and devoid of aeutiment as they possibly
oouliL
When he left the house on the jwith that many of us
have Journeyed with misgivings and many others stum,
bled into, Mrs. Miller said:
" Poor Walter is destined to meet his first great dis.
appointment to-niuht- Mattie "
"Nonsense, Priscilla," said her brother-in-law, the
"liquid" Walter Miller, "I tell you that 'Still waters
ran deep,' and I have always said so."
No one knew what to say, and all appeared to content
themselves with a sjmhjiuus agreement to Uncle Walter's
ambiguous speech.
All seemed to feel that for onoe, at least, Walter would
require hia relatives cons datum, if not their r.,rrt,il.,
tious, and therefore all remained at homo, inmgiuing
that he would return soon. He did.
II came back in loss than an hour, and, as his step
I . If At . . "
souuuoo. in uia naiiway, all were still, anticipating that
he would go to his room, and there, alono, endoavor to
heal the first heart-wound of his life. Each one of his
loving relative tried to think of some fitting words of
sjrmiMuiy, ami ins miner let a thought or foreign travel
-I!.. II.. I. I.!.. l ... ... . . P
mnV vimiugii ma niiua roor leiiowl it would be a hard
tiling to overcome this disappointment. Mattie Mere
dick's brilliant, lively, even dualling disposition, her
llAJllllv lif fii.ttt ait.l ....! 7... .1 l ...
., .......... ,,, , mmiing oi ner wealth,
made her the girl most sought after in the entire com
inanity; what more natural, then, but that she should
refuse the band and heart of Walter, whose staid and
serious character was his only recommendation?
Walter's footstep sounded as firm as ever; they did
not take the way to his Mom, and-"curious Indeed" all
thought-, light, tripping echo seemed to follow them.
1 h s.mn.k went to the arlor, it door was opened and
cU,, aud Walters voice was hoard to say, "They are
in the Bitting room." '
LlinJ.it" W, h9 mu"1 B"tly opart, to speak to
The steps Lapprtohed the sitting room, and as a hand
touched the knob all within felt thsmsslve spell-bound
a by that terrible atilinosa which oppresses all animate
nature before some mighty couvulsion .f nature. The
do. ond and none dared look at Walter, all f.-.irinK
to ae th inful trace that hi countenance would
surely K,rtrav. ould the dear son, tlie beloved brother
ever recover from it? Would '
Uie Uie silvery tiuklo of a Bwert-t,iod bell a voice
came:
" Well -how is this? Walter told me that you all
want me to lw your daughter and sister."
It was MatUo. Th commotion-although much dif
fewut from th on expected -uua Walter' relative
crowded about Mattie, kissed Ler, embraced her, and as
sured Ler thai ah Lad to expect nothing but lore from
them, and they had barely subsided into a semblance of
calmness, whon Uncle Walter sighed audibly and said,
"V.V.I, Ouii'ouuJ you, miller, I always did say that
' Still waters run deep.' "
IL LOST.
Walter Miller's strict attention to business, his energy
and capacity bore its fruits, and Meredick & Co. flour,
.shed like the proverbial green bay tree. Marriace did
ui cimngM ma cnaractor or mat or. nis wire a particle,
and all the world was surprised, if not disappointed, to
know how happy they were. The young mother, indeed.
delighted when little Walter, just entering hia
annARrnl i
fourth year, endeavored to set a staid example to his lit-
il riA:. it a i .i . r . .
no sinter mama, wen oniy iwo, ana ine DaDy Dut a lew
months old
When Walter's mother endeavored to explain to her
daughter-in-law the nAmilinritina nf W.IW nhonntai.
U ( . II UI U UUIUhVUI
the young wife interrupted by saying:
nnv, mamma, you do not understand how lovely
and good a man my darling is."
Anil when hnr nliililran AiA nnt unn!u Un. uH.
.. Ulvl uu i iv. u u UUl abWUUUUB,
she was the sprightly, brilliant, ever dashing little society
wuuinu inn sue unu always Deeo.
Earlv one afternoon Wnlfar lmrriail I tvr A ami in
-( ( Htasaavx tauauw mill IU
formed his wife that on the following day he would sail
for Central America. It seemed that a large jewelry
house in Han Jose de Costa Itica, that had until then en.
joyed extensive credit, had suffered from the depreciation
in the price of coffee, and was near bankruptcy. The
uwirvui ui unrnuiut a vo. ueeuea aiieution there, and
hn doemod it his dutv. as inninr nArtnar (r Oaf nnt ar
onoe and give the matter his personal attention.
ber idolized husband, but she bore np bravely with the
anticipation of his return within three months.
The eight days' waiting and watching that followed
Walter's deoarture anemnir intormir.DhU tn .11 it
earlv on the ninth dav. Mnttin hnrot intn 1,0.
j r v mwv uui iuuiuci1U
law s room with a cablegram in her hand. It was from
Walter. dAtail f!nlin. Ilia Inn lun 1 1
-----1 --, iiwi. Arnvuu
safely. Love to all Particulars by maiL"
" Was it nnt ran) miuit nf m u.i;nn t 1.
explicitly, and to think of every one of us?" said Mattie
a"1. lur "y uove to aii.
xes, uanmg, said the older Mrs. Miller; " but what
is that?"
A bravinff. Denetratinir VoinA nn ilia nffikv KaImb
screamed: "Lxtreel Turribul accident on the Panama
Railroad) Extree!"
In a trice the paper was secured. One paragraph of
the rniviri linlrl i
wife claspod each other in despair. The dread words
were:
One corpse, horriblv mKnalml Pmm ;n.:i.u. t
ganueuU in valise near it, andludging by photograph of
family BTOUD found in trnnk it im n,..l..nKtll- l.
mains of Mr. Walter Miller, of the New York house of
Meredick A Co. IVmumntitii .u..n .i. ti..t 1
on his way to Costa Kica."
Beveral weeks later Walter's baggage and docuraonU
were returned to the aaddened wi.low, who, after a pro
onged illness, yet determined to live for th sake of her
beloved husltaud'a children.
Uncle Walter wu tKa .1 1 1 .1..
crude noUs that Walter had made on his yoynge. He
S Shed saillv. ami tlii lima .I.M .... tk.t uiS.-.H .
I ' " uui saw uiak Ollll WBK.rB
run deep.
-,
Ooud Rinter I.l.ilf, kits wt.. -..L. i C3L T 1.
1 , , : - mis umoi oi ow rfoeeun.
Bbook ber bel sadly whan the Burgeon asked Ler it any