The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-01-04
A CHRISTMAS AT LYNEDALE.
BY LADY ALICE SCARTH,

When | stood on board the Ocean
Queen. the steamer outward bound. T
bade farewell to the only friend I had
IN tue world. When John Fairlie b4de
me God speed, wrung my hand ia his
own, and turned from me, L had lunked
my las. upon the only face cared for.
| shall never forget his last words.
Remember, Paul." he said, chat
whether you win Or tail, you have true
friend and brother in me While I ha We
shilling, half of it is yours. While l
have home, you shall share it. IfIndia
fails, come back to me, and we Ii be,
brothers 10 everything; and, remember,
return when you may, your first visit
must De to my houre. You must come
straight there"
They were kind words, and he ment
every one Of them. We had always been
IKE brothers. | had no one in the world
but 'hn Fairlie He was about five
years older than me. At the time left
England for India, I was just twenty, and
ho twenty five
My father, Stephen Hylton, of Hylton
Grange, had been wealthy, solitary man.
lie must have had some great secret grlei
IN h!e lite that struck him rom the roll
Of living men. Perhaps it was my moth
er's early death that embittered him
do not know his troubles were a sealed
book to me-
We lived a life OF complete isolation,
never seeing friends or visitors My
father, who was an accomplished scholar,
educated me himself
The univ friupI | had 1yoo INV, rl;o
OF Lynedale Hall, the only son of old
Squire F"1lie. He was my comrade.
playfellow, and brother, IN everything
but name-kind to me, fond of me, true
as steel. His father died when John was
twenty, and then he became Squire oil
Lynedale.
My father war ruined soon afterwards
nevcr knew his secrets To this day
am quite ignorant of the cause of his
IdownfaIl. Hylt)n Grange, and every
FILING we had IN tue world, was sold. For
some short time my father struggled on in
London, then died, keeping his secret t.
the last. A distant relative of his some
IihIrd or fourth cousin-excrted his in
fuence for me, and | was sent off to
india.
l. OF course John Fairlie came to see me
start, after exhausting his ingenuity IL
providing me with every comfort for the
long voyage. Tears, such as women shed
stood in my eyes, when the honest, kind
~ face passed out OF sight and | was
quite alone in the world.
| For five yeaes [ had struggled with
fortune, which seemed all against me du
rug the time. | wrote constantly t.
John, and he never missed mail.
he married the same year left Eng
land, and was evidently proud Of the
feat actually married young widow
with two daughters, Lady Clara Ross
one OF the handsomest women IN Eng
land
After that I fancied Johns letter,
were colder in tone. When | spoke 0
ill fortupe, his sympathy was not SO warn
o.. So ready as formerly.
So when began 70 grow rich, | die
not tell him, although my love for him
never altered-neyer changed, or cooled
Our correspondence almost ceased.
After time, money seemed to grow
under my hands by magic; everything
I touched turned to gold Far and neal
Paul Hylton was known as one OF the
1 wealthiest and most fortunate OF men,
/ was millionaire, yet there was no one
lin the wide world to love me. had
neither kith or kin. would have parted
with all my gold for only one OF the
blessings that tall to the lot OF other men
After fifteen years, grew tired of In.
|dian life, and resolved to go home t.
England, and there enjoy the fortune
labor had won.
reached london on the 23d of Decem
Der. There was no one to greet me, no
face to smile upon memo voice to bid
me welcome. Neither mother, sister,
brother or friend; my heart was cold
and sad Every one else seemed happy
aud animate was alone. h9h
| NV heart yearned for my old friends
for the sake of a warm hand clasp, and
d kindly word. remem bered his fare
well. True, we had not written for thee
wears, but L did not doubt he was John
Fairlfe still. I 4. .~-s.',. n.1 tg,..
Early on the oath, started for Lyme
dale. Hall, knowing he would welcome
me. No words Of mine, can tell what
that ride through the winter day was
like. The suow and frost were old
friends; the cold air, after the burning
Indian blasts. SO invigorating the grey,
lwintry sky, the bare hedges, and leafess
Etrees-I enjoyed them all. ala
| What would John say to me? How
would be greet me, after all these years
What seemed, more natural than that
i should hurry to spend my Christmas with
him?i Gi ta97n Ga 9d aa tIr 1a3f
1t was five o'clock when / reached
[Lvnedale Hall. The windows were al
laglow with light and warmth. 1t was
/ eident that my old friends house was
c,n af rl,r;ofn,oa 4, er,1nsts In ausyv or IL