Dora Deane; Or, The East India Uncle

only in the dull, gray clouds which obscured the wintry sky, shutting out the glimmering starlight, and apparently making still brighter the m

d involuntarily, wishing the weather would abate, for the winter's store of fuel was already half gone, and the contents of her purse

loud, and crossing the room she turned down the as

he lamp. "I do like to have rooms light enough to see one's self;" and glancing complacently at the refle

tising the most pinching economy in everything pertaining to the actual comfort of her family, they were looked upon as being quite wealthy and aristocratic by those who saw nothing of their inner life-who knew nothing of the many shifts and turns in the kitchen to save money for the decoration of the parlors, or of the frequent meager meals eaten from the pantry shelf, in order to make amends for the numerous dinner and evening parties which Eug

ange handwriting, saying she was dead. There was a moisture in Mrs. Deane's eyes as she read the touching lines; and leaning her heated forehead against the cool window pane, she, too, thought of t

ew that Fanny was preferred to herself, and then the evil of her nature whispered, "No, I will not receive their child. We can hardly manage to live now, and it

er ears were the words, "Care for John's child and mine." "If I could only make her of any use to me," she said at last, and then as her eye fell upon Bridget, whose stay

o for the present she strove to dismiss the subject, which was not broached to her daughters until the evening on which we first introduced them to our readers. Then taking her seat by the brightly

ing. "It was preposterous in Aunt Fanny to propose such a thing!" a

to Alice's remark she replied: "It will sound well for us to have a cousin in the poorhouse, won't it? For my part, I propose that she comes, and then be made to earn her own l

terrupted Alice. "Better leave

a. "Mother works in the kitchen, and I wonder if it will

, laughing, to think how little her sis

inging a letter which bore the India post-mark, togeth

appen? He hasn't written before in years. I do wish I knew when he expected

seal, uttering an exclamation of surpri

han't be in constant terror lest some one should discover that they are only plated. I'll buy that set of pearls at Mercer's, too, and, Alice, you and I will nave some new furs. I'd go to Rochester to-morrow, if it were not Sunday. What sh

cried Eugenia, snatching the letter, and readi

bly living with her aunt, as it was quite natural she should do. Then he expressed his willingness to defray all the expense which she might be, adding t

ar I will make another remittance, increasing the allowance as she grows older. I have more money

enia, "I could relieve him of any

subdued for a moment, as she read the latter part of her

me, you know that I ventured to love the gentle, fair-haired Fanny, your adopted sister. You know this, I say, but you do not know how madly, how passionately such as I can love-did love; nor how the memory of Fanny's ringing laugh, and the thought of the sunny smile, with which I knew she would welcome me home again, cheered me on my homeward voyage, when in the long nigh

o one stirring about the house, for it was night, and the family had retired. But the door was unfastened, and I knew the way upstairs. I found him, as I had expected, in our old room, and all alone; for Richard was away. Had he been there, it should make no difference, I said, but he was absent, and John was calmly sleeping with his face upturned to the soft moonli

mother, whose spirit, in that dark hour of my temptation, glided into the silent room, and stood between

ispered in his ear his name, and in a moment his arms were around my neck, while he welcomed me back to the home, which, he said, was not home without me. And then, when the moon had gone down, and the star

so, one night, when the autumn days were come, I asked her to go with me out beneath the locust trees, which skirted my father's yard. It was there I had seen her for the first time, and it was there I

st that she should write to him, as he would thus be able to

ld, and there was no longer need for dismissing Bridget. The five hundred dollars obviated that necessity, and it was theirs, too-theirs by the way of remuneration for giving Dora

nd Dora should tell him?" suggested Alice, who d

d, Dora will have nothing to tell, for she is not supposed to know of the m

te so blunted as those of her daughter, who, in answer to her question, proceeded to advance many good reasons why

as she grows older, she will not be continually asking what has become of

less it would be to argue the point; so she said nothing, excep

s always prevented. Now, however, as old Uncle Nat has kindly furnished us with the means, I propose that Alice and I sta

oth to stay at those large hotels,"

s, and jewelry, and forks while I'm there, so I'd better take along three hundred and fifty dollars, for fear of any accident. We are not obli

rning, Eugenia started for New York, her purse contained the desired three hundred and fifty dollars, which, after her arrival in the city, was spent as freely as if it really belonged to her, and not to the orphan Dora, who

red Eugenia. "She can't run away, and nobody w

ould come, and wondering if she should like her. At last, towards the close of Friday afternoon, there was a kno

ly forward; but she paused and started back, as she met t

d Eugenia, without deigning to notice Mrs.

possible, Eugenia explained that she had been sent for her, and th

r expectation; and Alice, who, without her sister's influence, would have be

ently, glancing the while at her sister, who, without one word of sympathy for the orphan girl, walked away through the winding passage, and down the narrow stairs, out into the sunl

l-neither blue nor black, but a mixture of both. How I pitied her as the

arriage which had brought them there, and ordering the driver to go

ing, too, that I am half temp

ce, who herself began to have some fears

l have to buy clothes for Dora the first thing. I hope not," and she

p and becoming, and by the time the hotel bills were paid, there were found in th

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s going were not like those she left behind; and very lovingly her arms wound themselves around the poor widow's neck as she wept her

ewell kiss, Dora went out of the house where she had experienced

touching with her foot a square, green trunk or chest, which stood by

s clothes are in it," answer

n hour later, and the attention of more than one passenger in the Hudson River cars was attracted towards the two stylish-looking ladies who came in, laden with bundles,

e, stopping a moment, ere passing on

ser about her, and drawing her feet up beneath her, she soon fell asleep, dreaming sweet dreams

thee, D

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