National Republican., 1877-03-11


"Onc Of the prOttlcst girls 1 have ever seen /
could not help looking at horr
~ Nm not going 10 he jealous Hal, for Hettir
loves mo as truly as love her; nevertheless, nv
uncle thTr items to turn me out OF house AMI
homo II Disgrace the family by such an union"
"Wbat mult does he find In tho LADY,
"lIcr father was uadcsman; ami you know"
replied Paul, with a scornful iaugh. sowing to
our grand uncle, that'a beneath US"
"Tkn0w, my dear ALLOW? Excuse mo: know
nothing about III Only rs the second time to.
cay I've heard your great uncle mentioned also
Paul hurst out laughing; but thon. with deep
annoyance, he said, yes, Of courso-everybody
'bonor'--I the buvbear ofthe family! We should
have been thousand times happier " my great
never cXIstedi II has, in my opInion' bceo a
curse to hts descendants crushing all their better
nature under the absurd pride of 'aristocratic
''gut what does II all mean. if It's no secret ?"
"Nonc In tho least You shall hear all about
It My ancestors were simple farmers in Ian.
cnshirr, and about as poor as church mico. My
great. al.grardiathcr, wIdOwer, welded tho daugh.
Ter ofa poor baroGct, who possessed a family OF
tar more pride in his small head than TODD In his
iorL.er. This marriage dia NIL the mischief
"My grcntgrnndlather had been happy enough
IN his simple way during his first marriage. but
hls second wife, in.critng her lathor,s prejudice,
My family that ali day long, until / bolievo
she nearly drove the farmer into his grave.
"Prcyiously, however, she succeeied In driving
my great .Prnndiather's only son by his first wife
irOni TIE house.
"Shc said his habits wero low. He protested
there was no disgrace in honest labor, and that
her wrCtchcd pride had made hem beHgars.
"llc went to London without n penny, and for
"Meantime. his father died, and tho widow was
lett with her only son in bitter poverty. Soon
aiicr,a . letter containing money arrived from
VIII Fondrck-letters that no longer offended
his stcp.mother. They were as full OF pride and
tail talk as hers might have been.
HE said he had mot by chance a grand rela-
tion in London, OF whom no had never heard.
This relation had befrieoded him In his poverty
had finally adopted him, as It wcre-had in.
rubbing shoulders daily, hourly, with tho elite of
''Iis stcp.mother would only too gladly have
joined him-or, at least have sent her son To Lon.
don; Tut VIII would not hear II. His turn had
relations would dissrhce hts noblo friends.
Nevertheless. you may imauine-frrit's natu.
rnl to human naturr-tbat sho and her son boas' ed
tv"rywhorc OF their son and brother; and there
hogan THO wretchod pride Hui, which has como
"Finnly, win Fcndrick. who had done much
towards hts stepmother'. and step brothers sup.
rurt. died, and was buried.
Hc lCn two thousand ponnds to hIs family, and
box which was not to bo opened until the ~ Of
June, 1885,"
"ESauily. IT this condition was broken, the
muiey was to go TO hospital"
"A peculiar viii, truly! But what Ia the box
su!Ivso" To cOntaiDf'
"flc nauc Of the noble relation who assisted
him. ana hls claims to enter tho hrtt society,
which, to use his own words. 'hc had brilliantly
adorned"
"ifut Why the delay"
ITO To- those he had personally known never
be awain Of his poor relntions "
"Hc truly turned the tables on his step
"Ics; the two thousand pounds was the foun.
dhtOn a. my nncle's present wealth, tho box the
foundation Of his pride"
~ Ard # this pride Is not overcome. how about
~ I"aIry her, HnI-cnIy this is n sccrct-Alng
| over the law, and AXE place with her uncle, u
| bo"kst Her IN the city,"
And act like t."
| Fool. Oh. yes, l know you'd SAY that"
"IArdOn ue, was going TO say like trump
| and u hraye.hrartcd fellow. The true love oC \
| true woman turpnssos either birth or w'nlth.
| But what more about tho box2 1t amusos me"
| "Nrfc than It does me, who am ashamed of IL.
VOL, the 2ld will soon hc Eerc-the day for
which wO have waited so msny, ycars-aud my
uncle has invited large gathering Of particu lar
| ncnds to party, and TO witness tho opening OF
the mystcIi' us box. The fact Is, he desires to
| note the effect produced by the big names ho cx-
| poets TO read out as tho relations Of VIII Fond.
rick, also his own"
| "hnd you2'
| "Shalibe, l can assure you, non est before the
| ceremony takes rlace. hut here we at your
| coor. TbaDks no. l can't 20 In. Still, III
smoke g = egHr Nv WIN you this evening" If agrco-
| 50 they parted, Paul to bo further harasscd
ic,!ic; Harry oienbrook to relate the history Of
the f.IdriCk mystery to HIS Iather over the din.
Despite Mrs Butler and her bosom friends
| sncorS, they held the Fendrcks In some little
| secret veneratIon. who might they not be 1
From what exalted stock might they not be
Great, then, was The excitement when tho 22d
| arrived. Those who were invited TO the parry
| were In huttcr OF expectation; those who were
not, ASSUMED injured indifference which could not
| conceal real curiosity.
| tia Id ard frightened; her lord and master more
eondsscendingly pompous than over, and Miss
Fanny more graclSusiy patroniIlng, and most
AS to Paul, he paired OF with Harry Clonbrook,
ard showed himself as little as possible,
box, c!ampcd down years ago, was TO take place
| after supper Owing to this, even the dancing
Never, TOO, was suppcr.tablc moro quIckl,
filled, never so rapidly deserted, so eager was
every guest to return to the drawing room.
bright chandelier, stood the Fendrick mystery
the box. 1t was OF hard, dark wood, campet
lit certainly lOoks like q family plate chest,
WHISPERED one, as the guests, eapoctant, gathered
II wonder il their rotation was lordr" sal,
| another.
That thought had also come to Fanny Fen
her father? How often bad such things occurred
DId the boy contain tltle'd,tds, or what'
Etenthless was tho excitement when smith
TO The gay assembly, approached tho box will
Bang, hammet.-hammer. bangi
aud yielded easily.
| Inc smlth inserted MS chISel under tho I'D ani
Every neck was crnncd forward. Too iluttere,
even TO be mnous, MIR. fsndrck stepped ner
ytusly to the hON
On The ,op laid brown paper parcel. on whIc
was written
"My pa sport to minslo amongst the best soc
ey. To be opened first.
| "W. FESpRICK"
Trcmblingly Mr.. Fendrck the elder ramOve
the paper, aided by the agitated Fanny.
| at feels like-like-" the latter began, dub
ously.
Then, turning pale, she staggered back with
| piercing scream OF horror.
The brown covering had fallen away suddenly
leaving In Mr. FcndTick's hands a bright piuH
coiorSd Jootmah'S coat and cGndry.hued coHfint
| diiOnI
| A paper had futtered to the floor unseen b.
the aghast father and daughter. Mrs. Bulle
maliciOusiy darted forward, and gained posse:
| sion.
"What is 1t, my dear?" whispered Miss Since
| "Such iun! WE'LL It serves EN- right, that |
does"
"Rend 1t aloud, dear-do."
And Mrs, Butler did.
| "'Tho rich relation who helped me when wa
starving was John Fendrick, butler to Lord Ten
pletoD. lilo procured mo q lucrative place as
fOotman, and leave my dignity and my livery
my step.mother's descendants. 1t is tho reveng
take upon that pride which turned me out {
The painful, humiliatng scene which followe
need not be described.
Suffice II to say that MT Fendrick and famil
left Chaplain for another suburb, where they col
triyed TO avoid boasting OF their birth and the
ancestors.
Paul married Hottie Travers, and did not CIV