The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-19

why my IrlenQ SnOulQ be enamOTeQ Dy
my pastime, and it is a delicate sort Of
charity which consists in yielding up
the small triumphs of conversation to-
all who talk with us. We are not:
bound to converse with anybody, but
when we consent to, hold intercourse
even with curmudgeon we are bound
i'm conscience and, in kindness to use
none but sweet words. whenever the
thing can be fairly managed. >.
Besides, Mr.. John Roach. looked in
such good case that evening, hic ''c"d
supburnt5 face tanned by VII. .::.
weather, was so comedy, and my friend
was altogether such a pleasant type
Of strength, manliness and robust
health, that felt it would not be "a
tional to deny that there must be
great writes in fishing, for he was q.
living example Of them. The story he
had told me, too, as we rested together
on the bridge, was by NO. means calcu-
lated to diminish that affectionate re-
gard which had been gradually grow.
ing up between us any time these last
twenty years; and when he had
brought it to an end with the terse
reflection above mentioned, I wonder
ed how it had come about that we had
known each*other so long and that our:
hearts had never gone wholly out in
revelations Of our past lives till this
day, and then-so naturally reticent
are Englishmen Of their private con-
cerns-that the inner life of my most
intimate associate had only been made
known to me by chance, if there be
such thing as chance. OF what my
neighbor said as he, stood fishing for
perch, and I was watching him, this is
the sum:
81 was, as you know, the younger Of
the two sons of Sir Everard Roach, Of
Bellairs and Fontenay. Our family is
one of the oldest in Sussex, and for
centuries we have held some very
large estates there's A legend says we
are descended from Guy de la Roche,
a. hard-fsted seaman Of St. Valery,
probably pirate who came to Britain
with Norman William ON a. buccaneer-
ing expedition on his own account,
but seeing how things went, had at
tached himself to Odo, Bishop of Bay
eux, and had been rewarded with the
substance of Saxons. I never quite
believed that romantic account of our
antecedents, because Yseult de la Roche
sole heiress of Bandoin, last male heir
Of Guy, had died unmarried, and her
lands having lapsed to the Crown,
We're incontestably sold to an alder
man Of Hastings either by Wolsey or
Burleigh, for the date is less certain
than the fact.
E. It. was, however, heresy to allude 10
it in presence Of my father, who
stanchly held by the tradition which
made us all the offspring of a robber.
He never quite forgave my brother for
expressing doubts about his lineage
after reading the county history when
we were quite boys; and as we grew
up there were only too many reasons
which kept his resentment against
Philip alive. Rich men seldom like
their heirs, but my father was so nat
urally big-hearted and affectionate
that he would not only have loved
Philip, he would have been proud of
him, had they seen more of each other.
AS it was, all the love and pride Of
my family became centred on me. Ev-
cry one on our estates seemed to be in
Il conspiracy to spoil my father and
estrange him from Sir Everard. The
farmers who had any cause for. COM
plant against our father Or his agent
were constantly appealing to Philip,
and he appeared to take a perverse de-
light in always ranging himself on
their side and against the decisions of
Sir Everard. This tortured our father
whose weakness was almost a morbid
jealousy of his authority, and he fan
cied that Philip was anxious for his
death.
81 was in love with my cousin Maud.
"'Jack,' said this young lady to me
one day, as she put her hand on my
shoulder and gave me an impatient
push to rouse my attention, do you
hear?'
"'Yes I hear, Maude.' I answered,
keeping steady look at my float and
my ears we'll open, for knew it would
not do to trifle with her when she be-
haved like that.
'.;sJack, I hope you don't care about
me, for I don't cares a bit about you
except as brother, and they want tt
marry us up there She pointed tc
the terrace before our house, where
our elders were apparently in deep dis
course, and then added Il love Phil
ip.'
81 could not see my float for a min
ute or two after this abrupt announc
ment, and felt a sensation in my
nose as though I had been smelling at
mustard. I was very fond of Maude.
and had come to. think it impossible
that we should ever be separated. ]
could not even realize the idea of a
life without her, when it was sudden
ly presented to me. >, r
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