Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 288: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

284 THE COLONEL’S STORY CONCLUDED. he had been deeply moved by his father’s story and his evident suffering in telling it; ‘‘the fence that surrounds the little lot as fallen somewhat to decay, but a luxuriant growth of vines hides all that. The stone still stands upright in its place and the name ‘Annie’ is as distinet to-day as it ever was.” “T have never been there since we broke up our home,” re- sumed the colonel, with a heavy sigh. ‘Lhe girl, Margaret, who had served my wife most faithfully ever since our marriage, married, as you know already, a man by the name of Henly. They were going to California to live, and she said she would take care of my boy until I could make some better provision forhim. I knew not what else I could do, so I accepted her offer. I broke up my home, gave away what I could not sell of the furnitnre, and we left the place, the Henlys taking you, Geoffrey, to California, where I planned to visit you when I could. I returned to my interests in the other mines where I tried to drown my grief by working asa common miner. But time, instead of healing my wound, only made it rankle worse. I grew bitter and antagonistic; the happiness of others mad- dened me; the fortune I had before been so willing to release, for the sake of her I loved, [now vowed I would keep out of spite for my loss. I resolved to keep my marriage a secret. I would keep all my wealth, and as my boy grew older he should have the benefis of it, even thongh I should never be able to ac- knowledge him as mine. But {I was restless, I conid not re- main long in one place at a time, and I wandered from place to place trying to drown my sorrow in exeitement. Four times, after an interval of six months between each, I visited the Hen- lys. My child was growing finely and doing well every way, so I decided to let him remain where he was until he should be old enough to go to school; then something impelled me to come back to my home. I put my affairs all into the hands of an agent, and six years from the time of my leaving Vue de VEau found me here again once more assuming the duties of its master. A few weeks later I met my cousin, Miss Everet. Estelle,” with a glance toward his wife, ‘‘do you mind my tell- ing it all?” ‘No,’ was the brief, low response. ‘She appeared very glad to renew the acquaintance of former years, although no allusion to our uncle’s will was at that time made by either of us. “She had grown very beautiful, had been much in society, and possessed charming manners. One day, during a call upon her, she playfully remarked that it was her birthday and she had not been the recipient of a single gift. ‘¢You should have mentioned that fact vefore,’ I returned, “but perhaps it is not too late even yet, for some remembrance of the day. Tell the number of your years and you shall have a rose for every one.’ comiclooolks C@