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

Voyage. Talbot Is At Sydney,  And The Climate,  And The Scenery,  And The

Fruits And Vegetables Said To Be The Finest In The World. It Will Be A

New Experience,  And If I Can't Forget Her Among Soldiers And Convicts,

Miners And Bushmen--Well,  Then,  I Will Come Back And Make A Third

Attempt. Well,  Dubois,  What Is It?" This Question To His Valet,  Who Just

Then Re-Entered The Room.

"The Carriage Will Be At The Door On Time,  Your Grace."

"Right. Now Attend To My Directions. I Am Going Immediately To North

End,  And Shall Leave Thereby The Six O'clock Express,  En Route For San

Francisco. After I Shall Have Left Rockhold You Are To Pack Up My

Effects. I Shall Send A Hack From The Hotel To Fetch Them. Be Very Sure

To Be Ready."

The Duke Went Out And Entered The Dog Cart,  Received His Valise From His

Valet,  Gave The Order To The Groom And Was Driven Off,  Without Having

Again Seen Cora.

But From Behind The Screen Of Her Lace-Curtained Window She Watched His

Departure.

"I Hope He Will Soon Forget Me," She Murmured,  As She Turned Away And

Went Down Stairs To The Library To Look Over The Morning' Papers,  Which

She Had Not Yet Seen. But Before She Touched A Paper Her Eyes Were

Attracted By A Letter Stuck In The Letter Rack,  Directed To Herself In

Her Brother's Well Known Handwriting.

"To Think That My Grandfather Should Have Neglected To Give Me My

Letter," She Complained,  As She Seized And Opened It.

It Was Dated Fort Farthermost,  And Announced The Fact Of The Regiment's

Arrival At The New Quarters Near The Boundary Line Of Texas,  "In The

Midst Of A Wilderness Infested With Hostile Indians,  Half-Breeds,  Wild

Beasts,  Rattlesnakes And Tarantulas. Only Two Companies Are To Remain

Here; My Company--B--For One. Two First Lieutenants Are Married Men,  But

They Have Not Brought Their Wives. One Of The Captains Is A Widower,  And

The Other An Old Bachelor. In Point Of Fact,  There Are Only Two Ladies

With Us--The Colonel's Wife And The Major's. And When They Heard From Me

That My Sister Was Coming To Join Me,  They Were Delighted With The Idea

Of Having Another Lady For Company. All The Same,  Cora,  I Do Not Advise

You To Come Here. Will Write More In A Few Days; Must Stop Now To Secure

The Mail That Goes By This Train--Wagon And Mule Train To Arkansaw City,

My Dear."

This Was The Substance Of The Young Lieutenant's Letter To His Sister.

"But 'All The Same,' I Shall Go," Said Corona. And She Sat Down To

Answer Her Brother's Letter.

It Is A Truth Almost Too Trite For Reference,  That In The Experience Of

Every One Of Us There Are Some Days In In Which Everything Seems To Go

Wrong. Such A Day Was This 13th Of November To The Iron King.

When He Reached North End That Morning,  The First Thing That Met Him In

His Private Office Was The News That Certain Stocks Had Fallen. The News

Came By Telegraph,  And Put Him In A Terrible Temper.

This Was About Ten O'clock. Two Hours Later It Was Discovered That One

Of The Minor Bookkeepers,  A New Employe Who Had Come Well Recommended

About A Month Before,  Had Just Absconded With All He Could Lay His Hands

On--Only A Few Thousand Dollars--The Merest Trifle Of A Loss To

Rockharrt & Sons,  But Extremely Exasperating Under The Circumstances. So

Taking One Provocation With Another,  At Noon On That 13th Of November

Old Aaron Rockharrt Was About The Maddest Man On The Face Of The Earth.

It Was His Custom To Lunch With His Sons In The Private Parlor Of Mr.

Clarence's Suit Of Rooms At The North End Hotel,  Every Day At Two

O'clock.

To-Day,  However,  He Showed No Disposition To Eat Or Drink. And Although

The Two Younger Men Were Famishing For Food They Dared Not Go To Lunch

Without Him,  Or Even Urge Him To Make An Effort To Go With Them. It Was

Then Three O'clock,  An Hour Later Than Their Usual Hour,  That Mr.

Rockharrt Made A Movement In The Desired Way By Rising,  Stretching His

Limbs,  And Saying:

"We Will Go Over To The Hotel And Get Something To Eat."

The Three Men Crossed The Street And Went Directly To Mr. Clarence's

Room,  Where The Table For Luncheon Was Set Out. But There Was Nothing On

It But Cut Bread,  Casters,  And Condiments,  For These Men Always

Preferred Hot Luncheon In Cold Weather,  And It Was Yet To Be Dished Up.

The Iron King Was Not In A Humor To Wait. He Hurried The Servants. And

At Length When The Dishes,  Which Had Been Punctually Prepared For Two

O'clock,  Were Placed On The Table At Twenty Minutes Past Three,

Everything Was Overdone,  Dried Up,  And Indigestible.

It Was The Iron King's Own Fault For Not Coming To The Table When The

Meal Was First Prepared To Order. But He Would Not Admit That Into

Consideration. He Ordered The Waiter To Take Everything Away And Throw

It Out Of Doors,  Declared That He Would Have A Restaurant Started On The

Opposite Side Of The Street Where A Man Could Get A Decent Meal,  And

Rose From The Table In A Rage.

It Was While The Iron King Was In This Amiable And Promising State Of

Mind That A Waiter Brought In A Card And Laid It Before Him. He Took It

Up And Read Aloud:

"The Duke Of Cumbervale."

"Show Him In," Said Mr. Rockharrt.

A Few Minutes Later The Visitor Entered The Parlor,  Bowed To His Host,

And Then Shook Hands With The Two Younger Men,  Whom He Had Not Seen

Since The Evening Before.

"So You Braved The Storm After All,  Duke? You Found The Old House Too

Dreary For A Long,  Rainy Day. Take A Seat," Said Mr. Rockharrt,  Waving

His Hands Majestically Around The Chairs.

"No; It Was Not The Weather That Made Rockhold Insupportable To Me. But,

Sir,  I Have Come A Long Way For A Great Disappointment," Said The

Rejected Lover.

"What! What! What! Explain Yourself,  If You Please,  Sir!" Exclaimed The

Iron King,  Bending His Heavy Gray Brows Over Flashing Eyes.

"Mrs. Rothsay Has Rejected Me."

"What! What! Rejected You! Why,  Your Engagement Was Declared In The

Family Conclave Only Last Night."

"Mrs. Rothsay States That The Declaration Was Erroneous,  And That No

Such Engagement Ever Has Been Or Ever Could Be Made Between Us."

"How Dare She Say That? How Dare She Try To Break Off With You In This

Scandalous Manner? But She Shall Not! She Shall Keep Faith With You Or

She Is No Granddaughter Of Mine! I Will Have Nothing To Do With False

Women! How Did This Breach Occur? Tell Me All About It!

Fabian--Clarence! Go About Your Business. I Want To Have Some Private

Conversation With The Duke."

The Two Younger Men,  Thus Summarily Dismissed,  Nodded To The Visitor And

Left The Room,  Glad Enough To Go Down Below To The Saloon And Get

Something To Eat And Drink.

"Now,  Then,  Sir,  What's The Row With My Granddaughter?" Demanded The

Iron King,  Wheeling His Chair Around To Face His Visitor.

"There Is No 'Row,'" Said The Young Man,  With The Faintest Possible Hint

Of Disgust In His Tone And Manner. "Mrs. Rothsay Rejects Me,  Positively,

Absolutely. She Repudiates The Announcement Of Our Betrothal As

Unauthorized And Erroneous."

"But You Know,  As We All Know,  That She Was Engaged To You! Yes; And She

Shall Keep Her Engagement. I'll See To That!"

"Pardon Me,  Mr. Rockharrt,  I Am Grieved To Say That You Have Made A

Mistake. The Lady Was Right. There Was No Engagement,  Between Mrs.

Rothsay And Myself At The Time You Made That Announcement,  Nor Has

There Been One Since,  Nor,  I Fear,  Can There Ever Be."

"Sir!" Exclaimed The Iron King,  Rising In His Wrath. "Did You Not Come

To This Country For The Express Purpose Of Asking My Granddaughter's

Hand In Marriage? Did I Not Promise Her Hand To You In Marriage?"

"You Did,  Provi--"

"Then If That Did Not Constitute An Engagement,  I Do Not Know What

Does--That Is All. But Some People Have Very Loose Ideas About Honor.

You Ask The Hand Of My Granddaughter; I Bestow It On You,  And Announce

The Fact To My Family."

"Pardon Me,  Mr. Rockharrt,  You Promised Me The Hand Of Your

Granddaughter,  Provided She Should Be Willing To Give It To Me."

"'Provided' Nothing Of The Sort,  Sir. I Gave Her Hand Unconditionally,

Absolutely,  And Announced The Betrothal To The Family."

"But,  My Dear Mr. Rockharrt,  The Lady's Consent Is A Most Necessary

Factor In Such A Case As This," Urged The Young Man,  Who Began To Think

That The Despotic Egotism Of The Iron King Had In These Later Years

Grown Into A Monomania,  Deceiving Him Into The Delusion That His Power

Over Family And Dependants Was That Of An Absolute Monarch Over His

Subjects. This Opinion Was Confirmed By The Next Words Of The Autocrat.

"Of Course Her Consent Would Follow My Act. That Was Taken For Granted."

"But,  Sir,  Her Consent Did Not Follow Your Act. Quite The Contrary; For

My Rejection Followed It. It Is Of No Use To Multiply Words. The Affair

Is At An End. I Have Bidden Good-By To Mrs. Rothsay. I Am Here To Say

Good-By To You."

"You Cannot Mean It!"

"I Have Left Rockhold Finally. I Shall Leave North End By This Six P.M.

Train,  En Route For The South," Continued The Rejected Lover.

"Then,  By ----! If She Has Driven You Out Of My House,  She Shall Go

Herself! I Have Done The Best I Could For The Woman,  And She Has Repaid

Me By Ingratitude And Rebellion. And She Shall Leave My House At Once!"

Exclaimed The Despot In A Tone Of Savage Resolution.

"Mr. Rockharrt,  I Must Beg That You Will Not Visit My Disappointment On

The Head Of Your Unoffending Granddaughter."

"Duke Of Cumbervale,  You Must Not Venture To Interfere With Me In The

Discipline Of My Own Family. I Don't Very Much Like Dukes. I Think I

Said That Once Before. I Rejected You For My Granddaughter Two Years Ago

When She Was Bound To Rule Rothsay. Now That She Is A Widow And Is Free,

I Accepted Your Suit And Bestowed Her On You,  Not That I Like Dukes Any

Better