For Woman's Love Part- 2 by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (i love reading books txt) 📕
- Author: Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Book online «For Woman's Love Part- 2 by Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (i love reading books txt) 📕». Author Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Some Pleasant House Before The Rush Of Winter Visitors. We Shall Not Be
Able To Go Into General Society, But There Is A Great Plenty Of
Sightseeing In The National Capital With Which To Divert The Mind Of My
Poor Little Girl. Her Old Guardians, The Pendletimes, Are There Also,
And It Will Comfort Her To See Them. With Them She Will Be Able To Let
You Depart Without Breaking Her Poor Little Heart."
"Oh, Uncle Fabian, I Am So Glad You Have Thought Of This! It Will Be So
Good For Violet. She Has Had A Sad Time Since Her Home-Coming. She Needs
A Change," Said Corona, Eagerly.
"I Think She Will Be Very Much Pleased With The Plan. Now, Cora, When Do
You Wish To Go?"
"As Soon As Possible; But Since You Are So Kind As To Accompany Me, My
Wish Must Wait On Yours, Uncle Fabian."
"Let Us Go And Consult Violet," Said Fabian Rockharrt, Rising And
Leading The Way To The Nursery, Which Had Been Hastily Fitted Up For The
Accommodation Of The Rockharrt Baby And Her Nurse, And Where He Felt
Sure Of Finding The Young Mother, Too.
Violet, When Told Of The Scheme To Go Immediately To Washington And See
Her Old Friends, Was More Than "Pleased;" She Was Delighted. To Show Her
Baby To Her More Than Mother, As She Often Called Mrs. Pendletime, Would
Fill Her Soul With Pride And Joy.
Very Early The Next Morning Mr. Fabian And His Party Left The City By
The Express Train En Route For The National Capital, Leaving Mr.
Clarence To Go To North End And Take Charge Of The Works. They Reached
Baltimore At 11 P.M., And Remained Over Night. The Next Day They Went
On To Washington, Where They Arrived About Noon, And Went Directly To
The Hotel Where Captain And Mrs. Neville Were Staying.
Violet, Very Much Fatigued, Lay Down To Rest And To Get Her Baby To
Sleep At Her Bosom. Mr. Fabian, As We Must Continue From Habit To Call
Him, Though His Rightful Style Was Now Mr. Rockharrt, Went Down To The
Reading Room To Send His Own And His Wife's Cards To Chief Justice And
Mrs. Pendletime, And To Collect Washington Gossip.
Corona Changed Her Traveling Dress, Went Down Into The Ladies' Parlor,
And Sent Her Card To The Rooms Of The Nevilles. And Presently There
Entered To Her A Very Handsome Middle-Aged Pair.
The Captain Was A Fine, Tall, Broad-Shouldered, Soldierly-Looking Man,
With A Bald Head And A Gray Mustache. He Was Clothed In A Citizen's
Morning Suit. The Captain's Wife Was Also Rather Tall, Slender, Dark
Complexioned, With A Thin Face, Black Eyes, And Black Hair Very Slightly
Touched With Gray, Which She Wore In Ringlets Over Her Ears, And In A
Braid Behind Her Neck. Her Dress Was A Plain, Dark Cashmere, With White
Cuffs And Collar.
"It Is Very Kind Of You To Take Charge Of Me," Said Corona To Mrs.
Neville, As The Three Seated Themselves On A Group Of Chairs Near
Together.
"My Dear, I Am Very Glad To Have Your Company, As Well On The Long And
Dreary Journey Over The Plains As At That Distant Frontier Fort. You
Will Find Life At The Fort With Your Brother A Severe Test To Your
Affection For Him," Said Mrs. Neville, With Her Rather Doubtful Smile.
"You Have Some Experience Of Life At Fort Farthermost?" Remarked Corona
Pleasantly.
"No; Not At That Particular Fort. We Have Never Been Quite So Far As
That Yet. It Is A New Fort--An Outpost Really On The Extreme
Southwestern Frontier, As I Understand. We Shall Have To Cross What Used
To Be Called The Great American Desert To Reach It. We Go First To
Leavenworth, And, Of Course, The Journey To Leavenworth Is Easy Enough.
But From Leavenworth The Long, Tedious Traveling By Army Wagons Over The
Plains And Through The Wilderness To The Southwestern Forts Will Try
Your Endurance, My Dear."
"Come, Come!" Said The Captain, Heartily; "It Is Not All Unmitigated
Dreadfulness. To Be Sure We Have No Railroads Through The Wilderness, No
Fine City Hotels To Stay At; But, Then, There Are Some Few Forts Along
The Line Of Travel, Where We Can Stop A Day Or Two To Rest, And Have
Good Sport. And When We Have No Fort At The End Of A Day's Journey, It
Is Not Very Awful To Bivouac Under The Shelter Of Some Friendly Rock Or
In The Thicket Of Some Forest. The Wagons By Day Make Good Couches By
Night; And As For The Bill Of Fare, A Haunch Of Venison From A Deer Shot
By Some Soldier On The Road, And Cooked On A Fire In The Open Air, Has A
Very Particularly Fine Flavor. All Civilized Condiments We Carry With
Us. As For Amusements, Though We Have No Theaters Or Concerts, Yet There
Part 2 Chapter 35 (Sic Transit Gloria Mundi) Pg 162Is Always Sure To Be Some Fellow Along Who Can Sing A Good Song, And
Some Other Fellow Who Can Tell A Good Story. I Rather Think You Will
Enjoy The Trip As A Novelty, Mrs. Rothsay. I Observe That Most Young
People Do."
"I Really Think I Shall Enjoy It," Assented Corona.
"I Hope That You Will Be Able To Endure It, My Dear," Added Mrs.
Neville.
"You See The Journey Is No Novelty To My Wife, Mrs. Rothsay. She Has
Spent All Her Married Life On The Frontier. Thirty Years Ago, My Dear
Lady, I Received My First Commission As Second Lieutenant In The Third
Infantry, And Was Ordered To Okononak, Oregon. I Married My Sweetheart
Here, And Took Her With Me, And She Has Been With Me Ever Since; For We
Both Agreed That Anything Was Better Than Separation. We Have Raised
Children, And They Have Married And Left Us, And We Have Never Been
Parted For A Week. We Have Lived On The Frontier, And Know Every Fort
From The Confines Of Canada To Those Of Mexico. We Have Lived Among
Soldiers, Savages, Pioneers, Scouts, Border Ruffians, Wild Beasts, And
Venomous Reptiles All The Days Of Our Married Life. What Do You Think Of
Us?"
"I Think It Is Unjust That Some Military Officers Have To Vegetate All
Their Days In Those Wilds Of The West, While Others Live For All That
Life Is Worth In The Eastern Centers Of Civilization."
"Bless You, My Dear, We Don't Vegetate. If Nothing Else Should Rouse Our
Souls The Indians Would, And Make It Lively For Us, Too! It Is Not An
Unpleasant Life, Upon The Whole, Mrs. Rothsay; But You See We Are
Growing Old, And My Wife Is Tired Of It, That Is All."
"How Soon Shall We Leave For The West?" Inquired Corona.
"How Soon Can You Be Ready, My Dear Young Lady?"
"I Am Quite Ready Now."
"Then On Monday, I Think. What Do You Say, Mrs. Neville?" Inquired The
Captain.
"Monday Will Do," Replied The Wife.
"Now Here Are Some People Coming In To Interrupt Us," Said The Captain
In A Vexed Tone.
Corona Looked Up And Said:
"They Are Chief Justice And Mrs. Pendletime, Come To Call On Their Late
Ward, Mrs. Fabian Rockharrt. You Know Them?"
"Not A Bit Of It. So If You Please, My Dear, We Will Retire At Once And
Leave You To Receive Them, Especially As We Are Both Engaged To Dine At
The Arsenal This Afternoon," Said The Captain; And He Arose, And With
His Wife Withdrew From The Parlor.
Cora Went Forward To Receive The New Visitors. They Both Greeted Her
Very Warmly, And Then Expressed The Deepest Sympathy With Her In Her
Sorrow At The Loss Of Her Grandfather, And Made Many Inquiries For The
Particulars Of His Illness.
When Corona Had Answered All Their Questions, And They Had Again
Expressed Their Sympathy, She Inquired:
"Have You Sent For Violet? Does She Know You Are Here? If Not, I Will Go
And Call Her."
"Oh, Yes; The Servant Took Up Our Card. And Here She Comes! And The Baby
In Her Arms, By All That Is Beautiful!" Said Mrs. Pendletime, As She
Arose To Meet Her Favorite, And Took The Infant From The Fond Mother And
Covered Both With Caresses.
"To Think Of My Child Coming To A Hotel Instead Of Directly To My
House!" Said The Elder Lady, Reproachfully.
"But I Wished To Stay A Day Or Two With Corona Before She Leaves For The
West. And After I Meant To Go To You And Stay As Long As You Would Let
Me," Violet Replied.
"Mrs. Rothsay Going West!" Exclaimed The Old Lady.
"Yes; She Is," Said Violet, Emphatically And Impatiently. And Then There
Ensued More Explanations, And Exclamations, And Remonstrances.
And Finally Mrs. Pendletime Inquired:
"And When Do You Leave On This Fearful Expedition, My Dear?"
"On Monday Next I Go, With Captain And Mrs. Neville," Replied Corona.
"Well, I Am Truly Sorry For It; But, Of Course, I Cannot Help It. On
Monday, Therefore, After Your Friend Has Taken Leave Of You, You Will
Remove To My House, Violet?"
"Oh, Yes; The Thought Of Going To You Is The Only Comfort I Have In
Parting From Corona," Replied Mrs. Fabian Rockharrt.
Part 2 Chapter 36 (Corona's Departure) Pg 163
On The Sunday Following Her Arrival In Washington, The Last Day Of Her
Sojourn In The Capital, The Day Before Her Departure For The Frontier,
Corona Rothsay Rose Early In The Morning, And Soon As She Was Dressed
Went Down To The Ladies' Parlor. Neither Her Uncle Nor His Young Wife
Had Yet Left Their Rooms. In Fact, So Early Was It That None Of The
Ladies Staying In The House Had Yet Come Down To The Parlor. The Place
Was Vacant.
Corona Went Up The Long Room And Sat Down By One Of The Front Windows,
To Look Down On The Passing Life Of The Avenue Below.
While She Sat Looking Out Of The Window She Heard A Movement At The
Lower End Of The Room. Some One Entered And Sat Down To Wait. And Some
One Else Went Out Again. Corona Never Turned Round To See Who Was There.
She Continued To Look Through The Window. She Was Not Interested In The
Comers And Goers Into And Out Of The Hotel.
Presently Some One Came In Again And Said:
"Mrs. Rothsay Is Not In Her Room, Sir."
"Then I Will Wait Here Until She Can Be Found," Replied The New Comer In
A Familiar Voice.
But Then Corona Started Up And Rushed Down The Length Of The Room,
Crying Eagerly:
"Uncle Clarence! Oh, Uncle Clarence! Is This You? Is This Indeed You? I
Am So Glad To See You Once More Before I Go! I Had Thought Never To See
You Again! Or, At Least, Not For Many Years! And Here You Are!"
He Caught The Hands She Held Out As She Reached Him, Drew Her To His
Bosom And Kissed Her As He Answered:
"Yes, My Dear, It Is I, Your Old Bachelor Uncle, Who Was Not Satisfied
With The Leave Taking On Last Thursday, But Longed To See You Again
Before Your Departure."
"You Dear Uncle Clarence!"
"So Yesterday Afternoon I Telegraphed To Fabian To Ask Him When You Were
To Start For The West. He Telegraphed Back That You Expected To Leave
Washington On Monday Morning. I Got This Answer About Five O'clock In
The Afternoon. And,
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