Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-01-06
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THE TEST OF LOVE:
THE LADY MARI0N's 3uSB.
A Tale OF &5oosl2zsoz.
81
BY ARTHUR l.. MEsEETE.
CHAPTER :.
GLEN-liAHTlN's TnrrR.

gray cid tower cf Glen 11aTfin. For ages
it he'd beer SIC horse 9wr' T1@tT .1senr Of the
Fitz Martins, and il vas her :faaat ia: lie
earliest Of their race ha& followed lie staGd
dard Of revul. vhen il Vas flung 70 the
breeze by The fgase V allaeo, aa,; rad
fought with Bruce at Eanaockhurn
Once they had bosate3 riches and lands
and influence al court. But shey had sadly
degenerated since those INES, and litale
was Lett then. but their pride.
Piece by piece their lands had gone from
then until hardly a tenth remained Of all
that had once been theirs.
The tower, too. had felt the decline OF the
family, an1 perhaps it showed il more than
the rest Of the estate
A portion Of it was uninha bitahle, and
was the abode of bats and owls, who fonnd
free ingress and egress thrugh the ruined
and broken windows
The pert in which tho family resided had
been kept in tenablc state of preservation,
as it had been substantially built but it was
evident to the most casual obse, yer that It
could not long remain so. A few gee Is
more, and unless much work was done, the
winged denizens Of the other part would
surely claim the whole as their abode.
AT the time our story opens, there was 4
sign that this would be done; but then all
signs do not come to fulfillment, and this
might be one of them.
The family at this time consisted of Hugh
Fitz Martin, his wife, their son Allan, and
a niece, the Lady Marion Hopethurst
Hugh Fitz Martin was some fifty years of
age though the look upon his face would
have said that he was at least d. cade
older.
Two causes had contributed to procure
this result Dissipation. into which he had
dipped deeply in the first years of his man
hood, and the constant struggle he had had
with poverty to keep his head above the
surface, when the tides were intent in carry
ing him under.
Acre by acre his lands had fallen off, I'M
til the boundary of his estate could be seen
without any very extended range Of vision.
He bad felt their loss deeply, yet he was
powcress to prevent it. He had not the
will or energy TO have prevented it, even
had the means been at hand.
His son Allan. on whom all hopes were
built to bring things back to their old time
splendor, gave sure indication that he would
fail him, by treading in the very paths in
which he himself had trod
In vain it was that he attempted to divert
him thererom, by pointing out what would
inevitably be their fate, did he not rally to
avert it. But these admonitions had but
little effect upon him. Set and logged in
his way, there was no turning him from the
path he had chosen.
But the hepe for the better which had
well. nigh died out of the heart Of Hugh
Fitz Martin, was suddenly revived, and
once more it seemed that the splendor o.
his house might be revived.
His niece, the Lady Marion Hopethurst
was consigned to his care by her dying faith
er. Lord Hopethurst had married his ouly
sister, AID Marion was the sole result of tina
union. Her mother had died when she wa
but child; in fact, she could hardly re-
member her. other than by what seemed tt
be faint and misty dream
She was the hciress to the great wealth {
her father, and no sooner was she safel,
ensconced at the tower, than Hugh Fit
Martin began to lay his plans.
Allan should marry her, and when one
master of her fortune, the old place shoul
once more enlarge its boundaries to its OIL
limits. while the tower should shine as
had never done before.
! This, then, was the sign to which W
have referred, by which Glen Martin wa
to blossom anew, until it should exceed it
former glory.
Though Lord Hopethurst had consigne
his daughter to the care Of her uncle, h
had bcen careful that he should not hav
the handling Of her fortune; and to this end
be had made provisions that it should re
main in charge of the old lawyer, Sand
Mcpherson, who for score of years ha
faithfully attended to it, until she shout
have reached the age of twenty -four, an
had married as suitably became her station
Hugh Fitz Martin was by no mean
pleased by these provisions, but as ther
was no help for it. he resolved to quietl
hide his time, until by the bel p of Allan h
hoped to be BILE to control it.
And SO father and son for once agreed
and working together for the same ohjec
labored each in his proper channel to brin
about this inch desired result. Allan COL
senting to give up the claim be had upo
the affections of Helen Graham, youn
lady in the neighborhood, and modera
$ heiress, whom he had hoped to win befo1
the advent Of Marion, that be might hAN
the pleasure of spending her money
~ lovo,, l,]-o ottanfIn1