For Woman's Love Part- 2 by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (i love reading books txt) 📕

Glennin,  Of The Third Regiment Of Infantry,  Now At Governor's Island,

New York Harbor,  And Under Orders To Start For Fort Farthermost,  On The

Mexican Frontier. I Must Leave To-Night In Order To Report In Time."

Cora Looked At Him With The Deepest Interest.

Rose Thought Now She Might Venture On A Little Civility Without Giving

Offense To Her Despotic Lord.

"Have You Had Breakfast,  You Two?" She Inquired.

"No,  Indeed. We Started Immediately After Receiving The Orders," Said

Sylvan. "And We Are As Hungry As Two Bears."

"Bring Chairs To The Table,  Mark,  For The Gentlemen," Said Young Mrs.

Rockharrt,  Who Then Rang For Two More Covers And Hot Coffee.

"Cora," Whispered Sylvan,  As Soon As He Got A Chance To Speak To His

Sister,  "You Can Never Get Ready To Go With Me On So Short A Notice.

Women Have So Much To Do."

"Sylvan," She Replied,  "I Have Been Ready For A Month."

The Day Succeeding That On Which Sylvanus Haught Had Received His

Commission As Second Lieutenant In The 3d Regiment Of Infantry,  Then On

Governor's Island,  New York Harbor,  And Under Orders For Fort

Farthermost,  On The Southwestern Frontier,  Was A Very Busy One For Cora

Rothsay; For,  However Well She Had Been Prepared For A Sudden Journey,

There Were Many Little Final Details To Be Attended To Which Would

Require All The Time She Had Left At Her Disposal.

A Farewell Visit Must Be Paid To Violet Rockharrt,  And--Worse Than

All--An Explanatory Interview Must Be Held With Her Grandfather In

Relation To Her Departure With Sylvanus Haught,  And That Interview Must

Be Held Before The Iron King Should Leave Rockhold That Morning For His

Daily Visit To The Works.

Cora Had Often,  During The Last Year,  And Oftener Since Her

Grandfather's Second Marriage,  Taken Occasion To Allude To Her Intention

Of Accompanying Her Brother To His Post Of Duty,  However Distant And

Dangerous That Post Might Be. She Had Done This With The Fixed Purpose

Of Preparing This Autocratic Old Gentleman's Mind For The Event.

Now,  The Day Of Her Intended Departure Had Arrived; She Was To Leave

Rockhold With Her Brother That Afternoon To Take The Evening Express To

New York. And As She Could Not Go Without Taking Leave Of Her

Grandfather,  It Was Necessary That She Should Announce Her Intention To

Him Before He Should Start On His Daily Visit To North End.

Therefore Cora Had Risen Very Early That Morning And Had Gone Down Into

The Little Office Or Library Of The Iron King,  That Was Situated At The

Rear Of The Middle Hall,  There To Wait For Him,  As It Was His Custom To

Rise Early And Go Into His Study,  To Look Over The Papers Before

Breakfast. These Papers Were Brought By A Special Messenger From North

End,  Who Started From The Depot As Soon As The Earliest Train Arrived

With The Morning's Mail And Reached Rockhold By Seven O'clock.

She Had Not Sat There Many Minutes Before Mr. Rockharrt Entered The

Study.

"I Am Going Away With My Brother," Cora Said,  Without Any Preface

Whatever,  "To Fort Farthermost,  On The Southwestern Indian Frontier."

"I Think You Must Be Crazy."

"Dear Grandpa,  This Is No Impulsive Purpose Of Mine. I Have Thought Of

It Ever Since--Ever Since--The Death Of My Dear Husband," Said Cora,  In

A Broken Voice.

"Oh! The Death Of Your Dear Husband!" He Exclaimed,  Rudely Interrupting

Her. "Much You Cared For The Death Of Your Dear Husband! If You Had,  You

Would Never Have Driven Him Forth To His Death!--For That Is What You

Did! You Cannot Deceive Me Now. As Long As The Fate Of Rule Rothsay Was

A Mystery,  I Was Myself At Somewhat Of A Loss To Account For His

Disappearance--Though I Suspected You Even Then--But When The News Came

That He Had Been Killed By The Comanches Near The Boundaries Of Mexico,

And I Had Time To Reflect On It All,  I Knew That He Had Been Driven Away

By You--You! And All For The Sake Of A Titled English Dandy! You Need

Not Deny It,  Cora Rothsay!"

"It Would Be Quite Useless To Deny Anything That You Choose To Assert,

Sir," Replied The Young Lady,  Coldly But Respectfully. "Yet I Must Say

This,  That I Loved And Honored My Husband More Than I Ever Did Or Ever

Can Love And Honor Any Other Human Being. His Departure Broke My Spirit,

And His Death Has Nearly Broken My Heart--Certainly It Has Blasted My

Future. My Life Is Worth Nothing,  Nothing To Me,  Except As I Make It

Useful To Those Who Need My Help."

"Rubbish!" Exclaimed Old Aaron Rockharrt,  Turning Over The Leaves Of His

Paper And Looking For The Financial Column.

"Grandfather,  Please Hear Me Patiently For A Few Minutes,  For After

To-Day I Do Not Know That We May Ever Meet Again," Pleaded Cora.

The Old Man Laid His Open Paper On His Knees,  Set His Spectacles Up On

His Head,  And Looked At Her.

"What The Devil Do You Mean?" He Slowly Inquired.

"Sir,  I Am To Leave Rockhold With My Brother This Afternoon,  To Go With

Him,  First To Governor's Island,  And Within A Few Days Start With Him

For The Distant Frontier Fort Which May Be His Post Of Duty For Many

Years To Come. We May Not Be Able To Return Within Your Lifetime,

Grandfather," Said Cora,  Gravely And Tenderly.

"And What In Satan's Name,  Unless You Are Stark Mad,  Should Take You Out

To The Indian Frontier?" He Demanded.

"I Might Answer,  To Be With My Only Brother,  I Being His Only Sister."

"Bosh! Men's Wives Very Seldom Accompany Them To These Savage Posts,

Much Less Their Sisters! What Does A Young Officer Want His Sister

Tagging After Him For?"

"It Is Not That Sylvan Especially Wants Me,  Nor For His Sake Alone That

I Go."

"Well,  Then,  What In The Name Of Lunacy Do You Go For?"

"That I May Devote My Time And Fortune To A Good Cause--To The Education

Of Indian Girls And Boys. I Mean To Build--"

"That,  Or Something Like That,  Was What Rothsay Tried To Do When You

Drove Him Away,  As If He Had Been A Leper,  To The Desert. Well,  Go On!

What Next? Let Us Hear The Whole Of The Mad Scheme!"

"I Mean To Build A Capacious School House,  In Which I Will Receive,

Board,  Lodge,  And Teach As Many Indian Children As May Be Intrusted To

Me,  Until The House Shall Be Full."

"Moonstruck Mania! That Is What Your Mad Husband Driven Mad By

You--Attempted On A Smaller Scale,  And Failed."

"That Is Why I Wish To Do This. I Wish To Follow In His Footsteps It Is

The Best Thing I Can Do To Honor His Memory."

"But He Was Murdered For His Pains."

Cora Shuddered And Covered Her Face With Her Hands For A Space; Then She

Answered,  Slowly:

"There May Be Many Failures; But There Will Never Be Any Success Unless

The Failures Are Made Stepping Stones To Final Victory."

"Fudge! See Here,  Mistress! No Doubt You Suffer A Good Many Stings Of

Conscience For Having Driven The Best Man That Ever Lived--Except,  Hem!

Well--To His Death! But You Need Not On That Account Expatriate Yourself

From Civilization,  To Go Out To Try To Teach Those Red Devils Who

Murdered Your Husband And Burned His Hut,  And Who Will Probably Murder

You And Burn Your School House! You Have Been A False Woman And A

Miserable Sinner,  Cora Rothsay! And You Have Deserved To Suffer And You

Have Suffered,  There Is No Doubt About That! But You Have Repented,  And

May Be Pardoned. You Need Not Immolate Yourself At Your Age. You Are A

Mere Girl. You Will Get Over Your Morbid Grief. You May Marry Again."

Cora Slowly,  Sadly,  Silently Shook Her Head.

"Oh,  Yes; You Will."

"No,  No; No,  Dear Grandpa. I Will Bear My Dear,  Lost Husband's Name To

The End Of My Life,  And It Shall Be Inscribed On My Tomb. Ah! Would To

Heaven That At The Last,  I Might Lay My Ashes Beside His," She Moaned.

"Now Don't Be A Confounded Fool,  Cora Rothsay! To Be Sure,  All Women Are

Fools! But,  Then,  A Girl With A Drop Of My Blood In Her Veins Should Not

Be Such A Consummate Idiot As You Are Showing Yourself To Be. You Shall

Not Go Out With Sylvan To That Savage Frontier. It Is No Place For A

Woman,  Particularly For An Unmarried Woman. You Would Come To A Bad End.

I Shall Speak To Sylvan. I Shall Forbid Him To Take You There," Said The

Old Autocrat.

Cora Smiled,  But Answered Nothing. She Had Firmly Made Up Her Mind To Go

With Her Brother,  Whether Her Grandfather Should Approve The Action Or

Not; But She Thought It Unnecessary To Dispute The Matter With Him Just

Now.

"So,  Mistress,  You Will Stay Here,  Under My Guardianship,  Until You

Accept A Husband,  Like A Respectable Woman," Continued Old Aaron

Rockharrt.

Still Cora Remained Silent,  Standing By His Chair,  With Her Hand Resting

On The Table,  And Her Eyes Cast Down.

The Egotist Seemed Not To Object To Having All The Talk To Himself.

"Come!" He Exclaimed,  With Sudden Animation,  Sitting Bolt Upright In His

Chair,  "When I Found You In This Room Just Now,  You Said You Had

Something To Tell Me. And You Told It. Naturally,  It Was Not Worth

Hearing. Now,  Then,  I Have Something To Tell You,  Which Is So Well Worth

Hearing That When You Have Heard It Your Missionary Madness May