The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1873-02-20

A Story in Four Chapters.
By CHRISTIAN REID.
AUTHOR OF VALERIE AYLMER )" "MoRToN HOUSE,
'MABEL LEE" ETC, ETC.
CHAPTER L
[Continued.l
Z 81 must confess that / am at losl
to imagine what you can have to say
that has gained me this visit Mr.
J Tyrrell." .
'Are you?" said Mr.. Tyrren, in I
tone of some surprise. ''Then yor
must have forgotten very soon com
munication which you received from
my lawyer the other day; or else you
must consider me very careless of my
fathers asolemrly-expressed desire i
you think I could rest satisfied with
the decision you returned to him."
Hugh made an impatient gesture.
''That matter was ended when
answered your lawyers letter." he
said. '1f you have come here to re-
open it in any manner, you have Civ
en- yourself great deal of useless
trouble"
''You mean that you are determin-
ed to refuse the bequest of man
who, however deeply he may have
wronged you, has passed beyond the
reach of your resentment now?"
81 mean," answered Hugh, almost
fercely, 'that if the man who be-
queathed this insult to those whom he
has SO deeply injured, were only alive,
1 would fling it scornfully into his
teeth. Since that is impossible, I
cast it back into the hands of those
to whom he delegated this last Office
OF hatred, and"-his voice fairly trem-
bled with passion here-''bid them
take heed now they come to press the
offer If that which has been once re-
jected." -
Leaning forward in the freight,
Roland Ty1ren fastened his dark eyes
keenly on the kindling face before
him. At those last words of menace,
a white hand stole out of the dusky
shadows and laid itself with gentle,
warning touch on Hugh's shoulder.
Tyrrells gaze fell for moment on
this before he spoke, Then lie said,
as quietly as ever:
81 judged from your letter that you
took some such view of my fathers
bequest as this, and I came prepared
to find you far from moderate in feel
ing or expression. I see you wonder
aohy I came"-(the question had risen
plainly to Hughs eyes,. Simply for
this to do an act . of justice to the
dead You say that, in leaving you a
legacy, my father meant to leave you
a posthumouss insult. In this you
wrong him as much as it is in the
power of one man to wrong another.
For many years before his death he
bore about a continually augmenting
sense of the great injury he had done
you. Itpoisoned his life so entirely that
his only comfort rested in the thought
of some reparation, which, however
inadequate it might be, would at least
serve to mark his great remorse and
great desire to make atonement. He
knew that, besides other suffering,
his act had entailed great precunia1y
privation upon you, and this, at least,
he wished to remove. During his
life he was aware that you would ac-
cept no service at his hands, but he
trusted that, after his death, you, who
call yourself Christian man, would
not refuse the poor and weak atone
ment which he strove to make. I,
his son-I, who witnessed more of his
suffering than any other, save his
Maker-I ask you now if you dare to
do this?" -
The grave, steadfast voice, with
pathos in it so slight that a dull ear
would not have caught it, had a
certain accent of command as it asked
the last question-as it seemed to
plead for that poor soul gone, with
all its errors thick upon it, to the
judgment-seat of God. But it plead
ed to deaf ears as far as Hugh Churchill
was concerned. He had listened
coldly; he spoke, if possible, more
coldly still:
"Once more 1 repeat that you waste
your time when you speak on this
subject, Mr.. TyrrelL ! grant the
truth and sincerity of all you say, but
my decision is unalterably fixed. An
angel sent from high Heaven could
not make me consent to accept the
least favor or benefit from your father,
or from any of his name and blood
I must beg you to accept this as final.
He rose as he spoke, thus signify
ing that the interview was at an end
but, to his surprise, Roland Tyrrell
did not rise also. He quietly kept
his seat, still leaning slightly forward,
with his eyes turned toward that re-
gion of dim shadow where Margaret
sat, like faint, suggestive outline of
a woman.
"You forget that your decision is
not the only one, Mr.. Churchill" he
said, at length. 'FYour sister is of
legal age, is she not? I have yet to
hear whether she rejects my fathers
as unequivocally as you
have done"
81 spoke for my sister as well as
for myself" Hugh answered, haughti-
ly. Margaret is here, however. If