New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-08
THE HUT ON THE MOOR.
BY L. LYNN LINTON.

., NO Vt was. Nature had made blundcr trpped
ver her own boundaries, broken her own laws
Tho heir Of the great Armstrong family OF Home
Mcknight have neen a Changellng for all the like
Is 10 his prOgenitOrs traccaOie al mind or tea-
tnTes: and had he been born couple of centuries
goo his want of direct resemblance would have GER
e;nlv cost more than one life on the plea OF witch
raft and diabOlcai tTansposltion.
JIugh Armstrong, ms father and the head OF the
family was a tall, hearty horid, magn hcent-look-
nc fox hunter. with the frame of an athlete ana
The head OF prze-tightef; and Juha, his mother.
o. TALL as hearty, ford and as magnificent rs er
husband was like a white-armed and deep roasted
Juno in hat and iabit with che flush of the north
u breeze on her comedy cheeks and the gray 81 inc
northern skies i'll her calm fixed ewes.
They were the haudsomest couple IN inc county,
and the most popular. He Was master ot the hunt,
she was tress OF society and lie foremost patron
sSs of all the local Charities; he set the ball
agoing among men. ana ehe Nept IL IA
the right line w,h the women; ho was me
ideal of an English cCuutry gcntlema ana she was
the IDEAL of that Enghsh country gentleman WI1ei
They were people who enjoyed themselves, ana ana
their duties without stint or failure; and WOO nau
neither a doubt nor a care, neither fear nor pam
ontsde that one inetTievabe mistake oil Their son
And that was q mistake which no arguments would
Justify, soften or explain,
Imagine as the son and heir of such people as
theso pale. tim, enthusiastic dreamer VINO az
horred tox-hunting and wonid not XII even eli. i
pheasant saden o, NOT an 66Iet SveS
sk,n not wholesome rel and white after the Engiish
pattern but olive-unted IN the shadow and cream
colored IN high lights creature looking as Inuch
ike a Spanish poet as it was possible for North
man to he--lookiuC too like who had come
from some far away place into foreign land and
strancc CLINE whence he ksew neither himself nor
his surroundings. Was it wonder then tkat
he wa, cross to his parents. or that he had been
sorrow from the first I Nothing about NM nIT-
nouized with their manner OF being ana t't pIicks
ont of which he built hs temple When SCI against
theirs we're all cross c0rneTed and askew lhestIoig
Openair life and generous physical euJoYments wmch
were so necessary to them. were both barbarous ana
degrading to him; aud the stG"leS, "hch
made his haupjncss were to them fOotshnesS or
IL, fuHg all
tney were not only content with the Old but sure
that everything OF modern invention was Giabohcal
when not insane. lie was an advanced Liberal ana
an enthusiastic evoiuuon!stIt1ey Were loiies
of the deepest dye and believed IN the
separate creation o. moths ara ou,leL-
flies and the absolute difference OF man
from all the lower ANIMALS. lie looked ON
snort as cruelty and vlviSectlon as righteous ne
c.sstv-they maintained that the veY foxes eu-
lived ne nun and that the man who would torture
rabbit for the sake of science and humanity was
only tit TO be strung up 10 the next tree. ne stig-
longing 10 primitive clVlilzaioh-th9y Ie f,
rolcher as worse than a murderer. lie Doldly
proclaimed his ntcntion. when he came
TO the estate, % throwing open the
preserves TO all coIners of shutting his gates so
that 10 hunt should pass through ms iana o.
granting leases to bis tenants winch sboald make
Them their farms virtually their own FOR lte-and
they looked on all these things as Communism nigh
treason and atheism. But what could De dOhe
with a Young fellow who talked OF protopasln
and "mined-stuti' as If lie understood Els
Own foolish words who doubted the phi
losophy Of Paley, and had a good WeIu 10
saw for Hume who believed III universal
brotherhood and the further fusion OF classes lie
made the blood Of ms handsome father-siX 1907 Two
in his bedroom sippels-tuIn not and cou WIN nor
TOR at his perversiies and l.Is mothers calm gray
eyes flame with Indignation at ms iollles but he
stood by his lniquties maniqly ana they hd0 10
He was was cross, and they did not denv
that fact TO themselves OF 10 oilers NeVo
ertheless he was their And bad as lie
was he was not bad all through, Outside his
principles-iieaven save the mark! they thougAs
with cOutemptu0us cOmpasslon-Ae was nee clet-
ture enough for his lost kind. They deSpIsed MS
kind from the bottom of their hearts, but they
could not hate him, yet Danish hiin from tbeIr
presence as Clarence Armstrong, Hughs younger
brother, wished and advised.
The next of kin and heir to the estate falling Julian
was Clarence who cherished the most profound ols-
like for this unworthy twig OF the brave Oid tlee
Yet even with hun 1t not personal so lnuch as
socal-ess because of the boy rs an lndlVfdlal IMAM
because of that family pride which he, Clarence
wOrshpped and be ,Juiian, discarded Inc g23d man
agemei of the estate ana the good name of the Arm
stTOngs were the central point OF existence 70
Clarence and knowing as he did that b'th WonIu
be lost IN Julans hands his one desire was 10 as
possess the recTeant heil thar things should lie az
mnsered with AL regard to the fetish oil Ola irau
ton lie would keep up the honor OF
the house which his nephew would destrcy !;
he would root out adl those pernicious
doctrines which simply lnfiamed the masses
and which, if not checked. woud SEND Ing
land 10 the deuce-and Julian wou!d plast' lostcI'
and nourish them he would teach the base scum
the difference between them and the RehtrF--'nu
Julian would mix up everything lnl0 eh* dp',A'-
uable hadQe-podge where Jack would DE as e"ou HS
his master aud Joan would rank with her lady.
Thus IT came 10 bc matter o. almost life ana dean
20 him thai ms nephew should ne PfeNeh'cu i''''
ever entering on his rghttul luhe1tAhct; -.
Clarence I'D not quite see now th!s
to he done; but time, eoou C"u :
i iuG s'rT these sree as to the Faes who
would put all straight, and somehow snap Oh u'S
running through the clear Armstrong wep.
BIT the father and mother, whle always deeply
deploring the strange twlst tiat nad p"ch
gwen to their boy. ever refused to send hhi
abroad uuder surveillance and IN disgrace. a-
Clarence 50 constantly suggested. IL was men
own, their sou, their heir, theH Representa- T
sorTv one trulv, but stu their OWL ana thoHPil
they did not love him ~ they would have dOpc Had
lie been cOugenial 10 ther tastes they az ho'
quite want TO lose nim and Though young itngh,
Carences eldest son, bore The family name ana wac
an Armstrong every inch Of bins. stll ne was oniy
HcphcW-aEd Julian was the enid OF thcr rove.
Wherefore they kept hun at home, and
COntentcd themselves with rating hiin
soundly when things went worse than
ieual with him, and he WAS more thaL
ordinarily absurd but such As he was, they put up
with HIM as well as they couId-ior all that ne was
.heiT cross.
So the time passed Julian went 10 college; took
fairly good degree, but N no Wite one Vi stcA
btliancy as atoned for ms failure IN cdsie.
righteousness and family duty. Had he carrie. on
all the hOuOTs they would have forgiven some OF hs
iOics but the truth was. the Young ieil9W va,
more OF a dreamer than wOrker-ah ehInusi'''
Tor ideas rather than seeker aitei facts
aud be cared moro to sDoEt at the debating cup
aud lay down the law al debatable social points
than sit in his own rooT and master the difficulties
% the Greek aoust and tle dterentIal calculus
Now all this was bad enough. An Armstrong, who
leld unsouod view. on the game laws the land laws
and tine rights If man, and who had not made SKY
rocket Of h''usef at college, was an lnh!ction a.
most has endurance but worse remains behind
aud that wo;,o was almost impossible TO bear.
The game. eopcrs pretty daughter! All what
misery for tic family at HOhne Wood lay ia the fact
That Debby Sca-sOler had a face and bgnre more
IKE the face and figure of classic Dread than OF
w ordinary EuqlIsh country giri; that she was
good and modest, vrtuOus and alieeuOnate
Vat sue was brave and pure, lovely and
Nseerel She was really most rare and
precious creature counting her humanity as
loSe valuable than her social class. The most