For Woman's Love Part- 2 - Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📗
- Author: Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
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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
Part 2 Chapter 26 (Sylvan's Orders) Pg 93Offense 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."
Part 2 Chapter 27 (Something Unexpected.) Pg 94
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,
Part 2 Chapter 27 (Something Unexpected) Pg 95Grandfather," 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.
Part 2 Chapter 27 (Something Unexpected) Pg 96
"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
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