The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-12-30

against the hopes and plans Of kind and
generous father, whose very love Tor me
causes him TO urge on this marriage
is IL p said Lowder dryly. and with n
strange smile full Of sneering bitterness.
MY experience has been widely different
from yours. Tressilian. Did ever tell
you OF nay father !?
NO. ftook 1t for granted that no is
dead
perhaps he Is. I don't know. said
Lowder. with reckless laugh. But II
he is living. he Is n scoundrel. Don't
start. Tressilian, mt my unfilial speech.
Wait till you hear my story. i am in n
desperate mood tonight. This storm stirs
up all the bad within me. As nearly rs
can discover. my father was the younger
son of n proud old county family
You do not know. then p asked Tres
silian pressing his companions hand.
Il have no proofs of II. All i positive
ly know is this. Ny mother was of hum
BILE station. pretty, with blue eyes and an
apple-bloSsom face. and tender appealing
ways. She was the daughter of a widow.
residing ut Brighton. The widow. my
grandmother, kept n lodging-house. and
nv father. n gay, dashing young fellow,
came TO lodge with her. AS might have
been expected. he fell in love with his
landlady's daughter. He offered the young
girl marriage, on condition that the union
should be kept secret until his affairs
Frightened and he chose to divulge 1t.
The young girl loved him. Her mother
was ambitious and pcnurious. Tho re-
suit was the lover had his way. and mar
ried the daughter Of his landlady quietly,
almost secretly. Then he took his bride
to London. to cheap and obscure lodgings
where, year later, was born
The wind for moment drowned his
voice. As II presently lulled, he resumed
rccklessly, and with passionate bitterness
For years my mother and l lived In
those stuffy, obscure lodgings until her
bloom had faded. and she had grown thin
and wan and nervous. My father visited
us mt stated seasons. once or twice n week
but he never brought any Of his family to
call upon us. doubt II his aristocratic
relatives even suspected the existence oil
the faded wife and son of whom he was
secretly ashamed. have good reason to
believe that he had fine lodgings Mt the
West End. where he was supposed to be
n bachelor, and that he went into fashion
able society. while my poor mother and
lived obscurely. He was n protligate and
n roue, but he had AN air of fashion that
awakened INV boyish admiration, and
aroused my mothers aflectionate pride In
him. She was always pleading to be in
troduced to his relatives, and to have her
son publicly acknowledged. But my faith
er always put her of, saying that no was
not quite ready. Worn out and despair
ing. my mother died when was ten
years Old
Again the wind shrieked past, again the
little vessel lurched. the sea sweeping her
deck.
The captain screamed his orders to his
men. and fer few minutes disorder
reig1ed.
a nasty bit Of weatherr said Lowder.
And a bad skyr
Yes. but I've seen rs bad returned
TrcSsilian. We shall make port all right,
never fear. We must be well on toward
the Cape iii Gallo. And it's only seven
miles from the Cape to Palermo"
But the seven miles in this storm are
worse than seventy in good weather.
These coasts are dangerous, Tressilian.'
Lowder shuddercd rs he surveyed sea
and sky,
But about your father, Jasper p said
Tressilian. who had become deeply inter
ested in his companions story, What
did he do afler your mothers death p
Il remained ut the old lodgings with our
single old servant month or more, my
father visiting me several times. and ex-
pressing anxiety rs to what he should do
with me. A week after my mothers
death, no told me that his brother was
dead. A month 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 HIM
self 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 miserly. Hc promised
her five hundred pounds year to keep
me, and to keep also the secret OF my pa
ternity. solemnly promising to acknowl-
edge me some day rs 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.
went TO school, grew up, and mt the age
Of twenty-one came into my grandmoth-
er's money. the fruits Of years Of saving.
she dying at that time. My father had
Deliberately abandoned me. / did not
know where TO seek him, IL i had wished
to. took my money and came abroad,
l had been two years on the Continent,
and had spent my little fortune when /
met YOU The rest you know
An odd. romantic story But why did
your father abandon youp
That hemight be freed of encumbranccs
to make grand marriage. From what
my grandmother said at different times,
l conclude that my father was in love with
titled lady before my mothers death.
No doubt The married this lady. If ne
lives, this lady's son may be his acknowl-
edged heir. My father has utterly dis
owned the son of his first hasty ill-starred
marriage. l have fancy thar 1 shall
meet him some day. and Jasper's brow
darkened to blackness. However,
stand no chance Of ever receiving justice
Mt his hands,
What is your fathers name, Jasper p
xsked TreSsilain.
Lowder's face darkeaed. He bit his
lip savagely.
What have told you about myself
learned by observation. or from chance
words of my parents and GRANDMOTHER.
NV mothers maiden name was Jeanette
Lowder. At our London lodgings, my
father bore the name OF Lowdcr. i don't
know his real name, but should know
his face anywhere, although have not
seen him in thirteen years. My mother
was actually married. Trcssilian. but l
never heard my fathers name. The cler-
gyman who married my mother was dead ;
the witnesses also. When my grandmoth-
err was diving she tried to tell me the
story. She had put Il or too long. All
that could understand Of her mumblings
was the name Of Deyercux. / shall never