His Other Wife: A Novel — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

RACHEL’S COMMANDS. 89 mother as helpless and ignorant of life and its cares as the gay, light-hearted Faith. Uriel had died without warning or preparation; but, years ago, he had willed all he possessed to Rachel and her daughter. With care and economy it was enough to keep them in comfort, but in such thriftless hands the modest sum of Uriel’s fortune would soon disappear. It was. not long before Rachel became aware of this fact, and also of one still more appalling. Her delicately ‘strung organism had suffered so severe a shock in the old man’s death, that her health failed rapidly. She knew that her tenure on life was pain- fully slender, and anxiety for Faith’s future only aggravated her condition. | It was thus with them when Rachel received one of the Florida papers, which she took regularly, Often for months together they brought her no more than the mere casual mention of Mr. Croft’s name among the current items of local reports; but to her this was life. With the usual eager tremulousness she tore off the wrapper, addressed to Uriel as formerly, and sought through the columns for the beloved name, It met her hungry gaze in the following paragraph: ‘*On the morning of the 20th this community was both startled and pleased by the announcement of a marriage ceremony, performed in the Church of ——, between a distinguished citizen, Mr. Mathew Croft, and the lovely and gifted heiress of Lucerne, Miss Leda Morgan, whose wonderful charms are ‘beyond compare.’ It is rumored Eomicbooks.co 3