The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-01-05
oTEvnwA wA1EIIe cogErY, JAauARY s. 1sn

- - 10y E54ass stt,s @i II sa4g4s &ge
| "What will your father Say to M
coming I" demanded Iowder. "H'
will think your generosity Quixotic
He will dismiss from his house tht
hired companion who dares to resem
BILE his SON It's
A sudden lurch Of the little vessel
q wave sweeping over the deck
interrupted the sentence.
"You wrong my father" sait
Treasilian, his blue eyes kindling
whom the vessel had righted. AZ,
| is the noblest man in the world III
will welcome my friends as his own
You will love him, Jasper, - I do
| when you know him
"He doesn't seem very affection
sts, = remarked LOwder. "You havl
been away from your homo for fivt
| years, and he has but just recalled
you" T.
Young Tressilian's cheeks flushed
a. Lowdsr saw in the lurid glow
that rnomentarily lighted up The
teinpestuous sUene.
"You know, or can guess, thl
reason, Jasper" he said, with some
thing Of an effort. aMy father hal
. ward, the daughter Of an old friend
Ali hear that wind shrieki The gale
il increasingp r.
aYes," asssnted Lowder. aAnd
the ward h Miss lrby-the golden.
haired Blanche Of whom you have
talked 90 much, and with whom you
have exchanged letters 7"
EYES. nv father formed pro
ject TO have me marry Blanche. he
did not wish 10 to grow up together,
lest We should learn to regard each
other - brother and sister. when
Blanche came 10 live ct the Court
my father sent me 10 Germany. The
night before / left homo, he called me
into his library and told me oil hI1
hopes and plans for my future, and
entreated me to continue worthy oi
his innocent ward, and TO keep my
heart pure for her. I have done 90.
Jasper. I have never yet loved any
woman. And yesterday / received
my fathers summons 10 come home.
He has recalled me after fivc years
OF absence. / know the wish that
lies nearest his heart. He wants me
to return and marry Blanche. l
shrink from tho proposed marriage.
l dread going homo. And dread
offending my dear father, whom /
love bettsr than any woman. It ID
hard, Jasper, 70 revolt against the
hopes and plans Of . kind and gener.
ous father, whose very love for me
causes him to urge on this mar
,riagep
'is itY' said Lowder dryly, and
with . strange smile full of sueering
bitterness. "My experience has been
widely different from yours, Tres.
silian. Did I ever toll you Of my
father2"
aNo. I took it for granted that
he is dead"
"Perhaps he is. ] don't know"
said Lowder, with o reckless laugh.
"But if heis living, he is scoundrel.
Don't start, Tressilian, at my unfilial
speech. Wait till You hear my story.
1 am in . desperate mood tonight.
This storm stirs up all the bad with
in me. As nearly as l can discover,
my father was the younger son Of .
pround old county family
@You do not know, then 2" asked
Tressilian, pressing his companions
hand.
~ have no proofs OF it. ALI pos.
itively know is this. My mother was
Of humble station, pretty, with. blue
eyes and an apple blossom face, and
tender, appealing ways. She was the
daughter of . widow, residing at
Brighton. The widow, my grand
mother, kept lodging house, and
my father, . gay, dashing young tel
low, came 10 lodge with her. As
might have been expected, he fell in
love with his landlady's daughter
He offered the young glrl marriage,
on condition that the union should
be kept secret until his affairs
Frightened and he chose to divulge
it The young girl loved him. Her
mother was ambitious and penuri-
ous. The result was the lover had
his way, and married the daughter
Of his lAndlady quietly, almost se-
cretly. Then he took his bride to
London, TO cheap and obscure lodg.
gings, where, . year later, / was
born"
The wind for . moment drowned
his voice. As it presently lulled, be
resumed recklessly, and with pas
sionate bitterness:
"For years my mother and lived
in those stuffy obscure lodgings until
her bloom had faded, and she had
grown thin and wan and nervous.--
NY father visited us at stated seasons
once or twice . week, but he nevel
brought any Of his family to call upor
us. / doubt if his aristocratic ELLA
tives even suspected tho existence o
the faded wife and son of whom b,
was secretly ashamed. have goot
reasons to believe that he had fin,
lodgings at the West End, where b,
was supposed to be bachelor, ant
that he went into fashionable society
while my poor mother and l livet
obscurcly. He was . proAigate ant
q rouc, but he had an air of fashion
that awakened my boyish admira
tion, and aroused my mothers affsc
tionate pride in him. She WAS Away
| pleading to be introduced to hi
relatives, and to have her son publicl,
acknowledged. But my father al
ways pct her of, saying that he wa
not yet ready. Worn out and de
spairing, my mother died when
WAS ten years old"
Again tho wind shrleked pSsi
again the little weasel lurched, th
sea sweeping her deck.
The Captain screamed his order
to his men, and for o. few minute
disorder reigned.
"A nasty bit Of weather. sai'
Lowder. "And bad sky!"
Eyes, but I've seen 40 bad" return
O. d Tressilian. "We shall make Dor
all right, never fear. We must b
we'll on toward the Cape di Gsllc
And it's only seven miles from th
II