The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-12-31

utcau SoluS nome. Ana i dread
offending my dear father, whom love better
than any woman. 1t is hard, Jasper. to revolt
against the hopes and plans of kind and gene.
rous father, whose very love Tor me causes him
to urge on this marriase!"
as IL = said Lowder dryly, and with strange
smile full of sneering bitterness. my expert.
ence has been widely different from yours. Tres
siiian. Did ever tell you of my father?"
No. took it for granted that he was dead"
perhaps he is. l don't know, said Lowier,
with wreckless laugh. "But if he is living,
he is scounlrel. Don't start, Tressilian, at
my unfi!ial speech. Wait till you hear my story.
am in desperate mood tonight. This storm
s:irs up all the bad within me. AS nearly -
can discover, my father was the youngest son of
proud cd county family
You do not know, then 7" asked Trosslian,
pressing his companions hand.
IL have no proof of it. All 1 positively know
is this. My mother was of humble station,
pretty, with blue eyes and an apple bosom face,
and tender, appealing ways. She was daugh.
ter of a widow, residing at Brighton. The
widow, my grandmother, kept lod ging-house,
and my father, gay, dsshing young fellow,
came to lodge with her. As might have been
expected, he fell in love with his landladys
daughter. He offered the young girl marriage.
on condition that the union should be kept Sc
cret until his affairs frightened and he choose
to divulge it. The young girl loved him. Her
mother was ambitious and penurious. The re.
salt was the lover had his way, and married the
daughter of his l,ndlady quietly, almost secret.
ly. Then he took his bride to London, to cheap
and obscure lodgings, where, d year later, was
born"
The wind for moment drowned his voice.
As it presently lulled he resumed recklessly,
and with passionate bitterness:
F,r ~. r
stutfy, obscure lodgings until her bloom had fla.
ded. and she had grown thin and wan and ner-
vous. My father visited US at stated seasons,
once or twice week, but he never brought any
OF his family to call upon Us. doubt if his
arIstocratc relatives even suspected the exis.
tence OF the faded wife and son Of whom he was
secretly ashamed. have good reason to believe
that he had fine lodgings at the West End, where
he was supposed to be bachelor, and that he
went into fashionable society, while my poor
mother and lived obscurely. He was a profit.
gate and rone, but he had an air of fashion that
awakened my boyish admiration, and reused nv
mothers atfectionate pride in him. She was
always pleading to be introduced to his relatives,
and to have her son publicly acknowledged. But
my father always put her off, saying tina. he was
not yet ready. Worn out and despairing, nv
mother died when l was ten years old"
Again the wind shricked past, again the little
vessel lurched, the sea sweeping her deck
The captain screamed his orders to his men,
and for a few minutes disorder reigned.
"A nasty bit of weather - said Lowder. "And
a bad sky!'
eyes, but I've seen US bad, y returned Tressilian.
1--WE shall make port all right, never fear We
must be we'll on toward the Cape di Gallo. Aud
then ITS only seven mills fro II the Cape to Pa.
lermo."
But the seven miles in this storm are worse
than seventy in good weather. These coasts are
dangerous, Tressiian."
Lrwder shuddered as he surveyed sea and sky.
"But about your father, Jasper 2" said Tres
silian, who had become deeply interested in his
companions story. "Whst did he do after your
mothers death.
II remained at the old lodgings with orr sin
gle old servant a month or more, my father Wis.
iting me several times, and expressing anxiety Ms
TO what he shonld do with me. A week after
my mothers death, he told me that hi, brother
was dead. A mouth LATER his father was killed
by being thrown from his horse. My father came
into riches and honors by these deaths. At last,
deciding to rid himself of me, he took me down
to Brighton, to my old grandmother Her sons
were dead; she had given up keeping dodgers,
and was grown misery. He promised her five
hundred pounds year to keep me, and to keep
also the secret OF my paternity, solemnly promis.
ing to acknowledge me some day as his son and
heir The old woman agreed to carry out his
wishes. She would have done anything for
money. never saw my father again. l went
to school, grew up, and at the age of twenty zone
came into my grandmother's money, the fruits of
years OF saving, she dying at that time. My
father had deliberately abandoned me. I did
not know where to seek hin, if had wished to.
l took my money and came abroad. had been
fho L.
little fortune when l met you. The rest you
know"
IAN odd, romantic story! But why did your
father abandon your"
"Ihat he light be freed of encumbrance 20
make grand marriage. From what nv grand.
mother said at different times, conclude that
my father was in love with titled lady before
my mothers death. = No doubt he married this
lady. II no lives, this lady's son may be his &C.
kuowledged heir. My father has utterly dis.
owned the son OF his first hasty, ll-starred mar.
rage. have fancy that shall meet him some
day. and Jasper's brow darkened to deeper
hlAckness. "However, stand no chance of ever
receiving justice at his hands"
"What is your fathers name, Jasper ?" asked
Tressilian.
Lowder's face darkened He bit his lip saw.
age!y.
what have told You about myself learned
from my own observations, or from chance words
OF my parents and grandmother My mothers
maiden name was Jeanette Lowder. At our
London lodgings, my father bore the name of
Lowder don't know his real name, but I
should know his face anywhere, although have
not seen him in thirteen years. My mother was
actually married, Tressilian, but never heard
my fathers name. The clergyman who married
my mother WAS dead; the witnesses also. When
my grandmother was dying she tried to tell me
the story. She had put it off too long. All that
| could understand Of her mum Inns VIVA thu