Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-01-05

lstran, e smile full OF sneerIng bitterness
My experience has been widely differeu
from yours. Tress .iian. Did 1 ever te
you of my father?'
No. l took it tor granted that he
i adj
Perhaps he is. L don't know sal
t-owder, with reckless laugh. But
he is living, he is a scoundrel. Don
start. TressIlian. at my unfilIal speeet
Wait until you hear my story l am i
a desperate mood Tonight. This storI
stirs up all the bad within me. AS near
ly as can discover, my father WAS tn
younger son ola proud old country fami
iy."
you do not know, then?' TressiIiar
pressing his companions hand.
Il have no proofs of it. AL positive
ly know is thi-. My mother was of hum
ole station, pretty, tender, appealing
ways. She Vas the daus hter of a widow
residing al Brighton. The widow, M,
gr ndmother, kept lodging-house an,
my father, gay, dashing young fellow
came To lodge with her. AS might ha "
been expected, he fell in love with hi
landiady's daughter. He offered th
young girl marriage, on condition tina
the union should be kept secret until hi
Affairs frightened aud lie chose TO divulg,
Ii. The young girl loved him. H
mother was ambitious and peuurious
The result was the lover had his way
and married the daughter of his land
lady quietly, almost secretly. Then iit
took his bride TO London, to cheap anC
obscure lodgings, where year later,
was BORN
The wind for a moment drowned hi:
voice. AS presently lalIed he resumed
recklessly, and with passionate bitter.
ness.
: For years my mother and lived in
those sGuify, Obscured lodgings until hel
b. Dom ,-ad faded, and she had grown
thin and wan and nervous. My father
visited Us at stated seasons,once or twice
d week, but he never brought any of hi,
family to call upon US. | doubt if hi,
aristocratic relatives even suspected the
existance of the faded wife and son ol
whom he was secretly AIMED. l have
good reason to believe that he had fiue
lodgings at the West End, where he was
supposed to be q bachelor, and tnat he
wen into fashionable society. He was
a prOhigate and a rOue, but he had All
air of fashion that awakened my boyish
and aroused my mothers
pride in him. She was al
ways pleading to be introduced to bis
re atives, and TO have her sol publicly
acknowledged. But my father always
pnt her of, saying that he was not YET
ready. Worn out and despairing my
,nOlher died whenI was ten years old.
Again the wind shrieked past, again
the little vessel lurched, the sea sweep,
ing 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 bad sky!'
Yes. but Il ye seen as bad,' returned
TressIlian. we shall make port all right
never fear. We must be we'll On toward
The Cape di Gallo. And it's only seven
miles from the Cape to Palerno.'
But the seven miles in this storm is
worse than seventy in good weather.
These coasts are very dangerous, Tressil-
Ian."
Lowder shuddered as he surveyed sea
and sky.
"But about your father, Jasper?n said
rressilian, who had become deeply
Interested in his companions story.
What did ne do after your mothers
Ieath?"
Il remained at the old lodgings with
'ur sing lie old servant a month or more,
ny father visiting me several times, aud
Expressing anxiety as to hat he should
10 with me. A week after my mothers
cath, he told me that is brother was
cad. A month later his father was
illed BY being thrown from lis horse. |
ly father came into riches and hon.rs
v these deaths. At last, deciding to |
Id himself of me, he took me down to
'righton, to my old grandmother. Her
ons were dead; she had given up keep
lg lOdgers, aud was grown miserly. He
her FIVE hundred pounds year
D Keep me, and to keep also the secret
f my paternity, soiehnly promising to
cknowl ledge me some day as his son and
Elf. The old womaE agreed 10 carry
ut his wishes, She would have done
nything for money. / never saw my
ather again. l went to school, grew up
nd at the age of twenty-One came into
~ grandmOther's money, the fruits of
ears of saving, she dying at that time.
ly father had deliberately abandoned
lie. l did not know where to seek him,
had wished to. | took my money |:
nd came abroad. / had been two years
u on the Continent, and had spent my
tile fortune when met you. Ihe rest
Ou know
IAN odd, romantic storyI But why
id your father abandon you?"
THAT be might be freed of encum-
rance to make grand marriage. From
hat my giand mother said at different
mes, l conclude that my father was in
I'VE with a titled lady before my moth
RS death. No doubt he married this
ldy. If he lives, this ]ady.'s son may 5
e his acknowledged heir. My father ,
as utterly disowned the son of his first 6
asty, ill-starred marriage. 1 have a /;
tncy that L shall meet him some day."
nd Jasper's brow darkened to deeper E
lackness. However, l stand no {
'iapce of ever receiving justice at his
ands.v II
What is your fathers name, Jasper"
sked Tressilian. II
Lowder's face darkened. He bit his ,
p savagely. k
What / have told you about myself {
earned from my own observations, or
'om chance words of my parents and 4
My mothers maiden
anne was Jeanette Lowder. AT our
.OT don lodgings, my father bore the {
anne Of fsewder. [ don't know his real !
ans, but should know his face any
yhere, although L have not seen him {
d thirteen years. My mother was actu- {
lily married, Tressilian, but L never {
card my fathers name. The clergyman .
ho married my mother was dead; the
illnesses also. When my grandmother
7as dying she tried to tell me the story.
he had put it off too long. All that l {
ould understand of her mumblings was
be name of Dsvereux.. [ shall never
,fget that name-'DEvEREUX Prob |
bly, that was my fathers name-my |
wn rightful name. But as l should
ever find him if sought him, and as
e would repulse me if did find him,
tand no chance of inheriting his prop {
rty. He may be dead. He may have |
ther sons who have succeeded him. It
} all a mystery, but the prominent truth
J that am all outcast, poor, .disowned {
nd friendless." I