The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-03-11
the little head sank on his should

you"
: 1t was not long she watched. In
few minutes the long fringe droop
ed over the eyes, and the child wa
asleep.
=. Either the pipe did not draw well
or the smoker was more thoughtful
than usual; for several times ne re
lighted il, each time in a mechanica
way, as If he were thinking deeply
He was man Of perhaps fifty-fivt
e years old; his hair was very gray, bu1
he had an upright carriage, and some
thing of the air of an old soldier. Hi
, eye was bright and clear-kind and
honest, and yet a shrewd eye.
''It is time TO try" he said at last
to himself: 'I have put it off long
enough. She can never be more win
ming than she is now. If he does not
; take to her now, he never will. Poor
little pet-poor little pet l shall miss
) her sadly" And his firmly-cut lin
quivered at the thought. "Yes / will
start tomorrow" he said at last. 'If
it is to be done, it had better be done
at once"
The next morning a little bundle
suspended under the barrow, and with
this slight preparation the pair of
friends were ready to start upon their
Journey; Kitty in the highest glee at
the thought of seeing pigs and sheep,
cocks and hens, and geese, and many
other things.
1t was long journey, and they did
not hurry, but went quickly along,
stopping at the various villages and
small towns, and earning a few pence
by thesharpening of knives, setting of
scissors and patching-up leaky kitch-
en- utensils.
1t was more than a fortnight after
they had left London that they reach.
ed the end of their journey, a quiet
village down in Leicestershire. To
Kitty's unboun1ed astonishment, her
grandfather had left the grinding-ma-
chine at their halting-place the night
| before. He had, too, dressed himself
in what Kitty calIedhis Sunday clothes
and had produced from the bundle
dress for herself which she had nev-
eF seen before, made of light gray
stuff, with. blue shOulder-knOts.
There was some little astonishment
i'm the mind of the landlady of the
Barton Arms when n fly stopped at
the door and a uuiet-IOOking person,
who, by his upright walk and com
posed look, she took to be a gentle
man, though poor one, got ont, lift
ed out little girl in broad-brimmed
straw hat, and with only Il small
bundle i'm his hand, entered the door.
"Can have a private room, land
lady ?" he asked. "I shall be stop
ping here with my little grand-daugh-
ter for two days"
ayes, sir, we have private room.
Have you any luggage?
81 left it at LOughborOugh," he
said.
Greatly was Kitty surprised at the
unusual grandeur of their apartments.
Only to think of one room to sit in
and another to sleep i'm Fortunate
Iy for the estimation in which their
landlady held them, she was too
much surprised and awed to express
her sentiments until she was alone
with her grandfather.
It was in the afternoon when they
arrived, and when tea was over Kitty
went to bed, more sleepy than usual
after her unwOnted excitement. Her
grandfather sat by her bedside until
she was asleep, and then returned to
the sitting room and rang the bell:
"WiII you ask the landlady to step
in ?u
The landlady came up gladly for she
had been not little mystified and
puzzled as to whom the gentleman
with the little girl could be, or what |
could be their motive in coming to |
spend two days in Laverton.
"Pray sit down." her guest said |
when she entered. 81 dare say you
are somewhat surprised at my COM |
ing here but at the present mo-
ment I cannot explain matters, al |
though, no doubt, you will know |
shortly. VIII you be kind enough to
answer one or two questions, even if |
you do not understand my motive in
asking them ?'
The Iandlady expressed her willing
ness to do so.
'Sir John Barton's place is close
here is it not ?'
"Quite close, sir; his gate is just at
the entrance of the village"
'fHas he any servants-his butler,
for instance-whO have been in the
family Iaany years 2"
''LOr' yes, siri He is not gentle
man to change his servants. Mr..
Merrion, his butler, has been with
him, manand boy, nigh thirty years."
''Do you think that 1 could get to
speak to Mr.. MerriOn ?"
Nothing easier, sir he is down.
stairs now. He steps over sometimes
of an evening to smoke a pipe with
my husband in the bar-parlor."
''Would you kindly tell him that a
stranger would be glad if he would
come up and speak to him for few
minutes upon matter of import
ance?"
The landlady left the room to carry
the request, more and more puzzled
by all this mystery.
In minute or two there was a tap
at the door, and rather stout man in
livery entered.
fPlease take a seat, Mr.. MerriOn.
Excuse the liberty | have taken in
asking you to come up, but when you
hear what have to say, am sure
you will do So"
''Excuse me, sir" the butler said.
Mrs. MaIin has just told me about
you, and don't know what you want
to ask me; that is, l don't know
whether you are a lawyer, or what
you want; and | can only say any
thing l can tell you l will, but not
if it's going to do harm-no, nor Wor-
ry Sir John"
''NOt at all, Mr.. Merton, and you
are quite right. You have, L hear,
been a long time in the family, and
are, l see, attached to your master.
He is, / believe, proud man."
"Well, yes he's right TO be that,
I a llrr I
''Quite so, quite so, Mr.. MerriOn;
but it is a sad thing to think he has
no child TO come after him."
"Ay, ay," the butler said, "it is all
that"
'tHis only son, as / have heard"
his interrogatOr said, "made match
beneath him, and his father never
forgave him, never saw him again."
"Ay," said the butler, "but that
wasn't masters fault. He was away,
and the letter telling as how Master
Charles was i'll, never got to him for a
week; and then he went off post
haste to France. l know, for he took
me with him; and when we got down
10 Marsel, we found he was dead and
buried, and his wife too; and that the
child, who was only a month old, was
gone-no one knew where. He'd
give half his money to know"
'Thank God, thank God ~ the
other said; "this is good news indee,l
Poor little Kitty! Thank God ~ and
ne covered his face with his hands
and cried.
For some time the butler could on
ly gaze at him in establishment; at
last he said:
"And who may you be, sir? and
what do you know of the child?'
81 am her grandfather" the man
said. 'And the child is asleep in the
next room"
~ am glad" the butler said eXcit-
edly; "ay, as glad as if it was my
own. But why did you never come
before? know master advertised in
every paper"
al never saw him. l only knew
that he had been written for on the
same day had. He never came, and
I supposed would not. 1 buried my
child and her husband, and took the
baby, and / have kept her ever since.
And / love her as / loved her mother
before her. But she is over five years
old now; and l thought that it was
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