The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-08-07

country, IS lost 10 MIN IN tne morning Inlst
| of his dawn of memory.
There was something concerning his
| father, the elder Vladimir Desparde, whom,
| however; he does not remember ever to have
seen. But his mother never held up her
| head again. She used to cry over him and
his sister, and pray to the Lord to take them
| out of this world, and save them from the
| evil to come"
"Ahl" gasped Aspirita, as she listened to
every word of this little story.
AT length the mother took to her bed,
| from which she never rose again. One day a
| minister came and sat by the bed and wrote
a letter for her. which was sent away. After
that she grew weaker. Another day gen.
| tleman arrived, stranger, who afterwards
proved to be Lord Beaudevere."
"well. Brandon, why don't you go onP'
eagerly demanded the attentive girl, seeing
| that her brother paused.
II am trying to remember what Desparde
| told me of this stranger. OH he did not
know who he was until long afterwards.
Lord Beaudevere had this mother and her
| children Immediately removed to more
| comfortable house, and provided them with
| everything they could want. Desparde re-
members distinctly his mothers peaceful
| death, while Lord Beaudevere stood, with
| ViUenne in his arms and Vladimir by his
side, promising the dying woman to be a
| father to them while he should live. Then
Then a long, long voyage in sailing ship,
| all vaguely remembered by Vladimir"
"Did his sister-did VIvienne recollect
| nothing of this?'
Nothing Her earliest memories date
from their life at Cloudland, whittier their
| guardian took them Immediately on their
| arrival in England"
"And we know all the rest from hearsay-
how the bachelor, Lord Beaudevere, repre-
sented these children to his neighbors as his
| little cousins and wards; how he sent Valdi-
mir to Eton. and afterward to Oxford, where
| the young man distinguished himself as
much by devotion to study as by skill in
athletic sports; how the guardian sent him
| on his continental tour, and at his return
| celebrated his majority at Cloudland, pres
| entlng him to the tenantry as the heir; how
| the baron procured the most accomplished
governess and masters for Vivienne, and
| took her to London and had her presented to
the queen. All this we know of these two
| individuals, whose earliest days were passed
in squalid tenement house a foreign
city" said Aspirita, scornfully.
"Well, the fellow is the heir-presumptive
| of the title and estates of Lord Beaudevere
| If it were not so he might never have dared
| to aspire to the hand of the Lady Arielle
| Montjoie. Or il he had his aspirations
would have been treated with contempt"
Then If he is the heir of the barony OF
| Beauvedere he must be so through his
| mother, for he can not be so through his
| father, SINCE the name of Desparde is not to
| be found in the Beaudevere genealogy," said
| Aspirita sententlously.
'It is probably through his mother, who
ever she was since Beaudevere Is one of
those baronies that, failing male heirs, de-
scend to the female. But know nothing
about it," replied Brandon, testify.
"Do you know that he really is the heir?"
Eyes, because it is so set down in the peer
age. Under the tabular list of noblemen,
with their titles, family names, seats and
heirs, you will find this entry: 'Beaudevere
baron; family name, Beaue; seat, Cloud
land, in -shire heir-presumptive, Valdl-
mir Desparde, Esq"
"Ahl Just now you alluded to this young
| mans father as Vladimir Desparde the elder.
| So that the son bears the exact name of his
| father"
Eyes, the exact name of his father"
HE knows that, does hep
"Yes, he knows that; but that is abso-
/ lutely all he does know of his father"
"Then we will try to enlighten him " ex-
| claimed Aspirita, with blaze of malignity
| from her big black eyes.
"You DO know something, then?" cried
Brandon, starting.
"Yes, do. 1 know that Lord Beaude-
we're is merciful in leaving Vladimir Des-
/ parde in his ignorance, and that he would
Il
| him in obscurlty," said Aspirita, solemnly.
"Sisterl WHAT do you mean? WHAT dis
/ covery have you madei" exclaimed Bran
| don, in great excitement.
"0ne that intend you to reveal to Valdi-
mir Desparde. And when you shall have
/ done so, should he be the man of honor we
believe him, he will release Lady Arielle
from her engagement to him, and he will
4 fly to the uttermost parts of the earth
rather than wed with her"
| What is this discovery? Explain your
self" exclaimed Brandon Coyle, starting
| up and standing before her.
Aspirita put her hand in her pocket, and
| drew forth a folded newspaper, yellow and
faded with age, and so worn all around its
creases that it threatened to fall to pieces on
| being opened.
"What is that?' demanded Brandon,
reaching forth his hand.
Don't touch it yet. 1t Is the New Orleans
| Courier of sixteen years ago. Uncle sent me
| up with his keys to open his secretary and
| fetch him some document which he described
| to me. That was this morning, while the
bailiff was here. Well, l went up to his
secretary in the library and unlocked the
| upper drawer, but had hard work to pull it
last, pulled it too far, and it fell with a
/ crash
For heavens sake, get onr' impatiently
| exclaimed Brandon.
"And the jar. or something, touched or
started the spring of a secret space at the
back of the drawer that flew open and let
this paper tumble out There was nothing
else in the hiding place but this paper. OH
/ you will call it fate-its falling into my pos
| session in this wayI
| The young man eagerly seized the paper.
He looked at the lines she had indicated
| until his gaze dilated into a stare, his cheeks
grew pale, and his chin fell-aghast with
| horrorl
"Oh, this is terrIblel terriblel terriblep' he
exclaimed, when at last he could speak for
/ emotion.
| 'If this be so terrible in your eyes what
must il be in his?'' whispered Aspirita.
"What, indeedl Oh. this is worse than
| the worst that could be imagined, he NUT
| tered.
"He-Valdimir Desparde-ought not TO be
permitted to marry Lady Arielle Montjoie,"
| whispered Aspirita.
Ought not7 He must not and shall not
OH that Lord Beaudevere could have known
this and kept it concealed" bitterly ex-
| claimed Brandon.