New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1881-05-25
WHOLE NUMBER 176.

,sQ9 4ue11n e1om '4ue1osu1 s1om Ae15
1oumnO ApvI '6ep 1o9Js Gup 1o5uo4s
Aa15 'q5nH '6oq-6qBq eva sY .uol4
-Ilsod puB 0oBId ne mo1J mTq 5u!doaAs
AUsnpsa5 ssA 4vQa aue41oa eva me9s
Ross should leave home. aad moro anx-
ious that her son should be ct least heir
of Larchton Mere.
Austen never dreamed why she ques-
toned him so closely about his title,
lands and money; he was the last ever
to suspect evil in any one. So, when
he stood one morning on the terrace
overlooking the mere, and she came up
to him, he never imagined that that
was the first of a series of investiga-
tions and suggestions that were to end
in driving his elder son from home and
making his younger son heir to
Larchton Mere. Lady Cumnor went
up TO him with the naughty grace that
was peculiar to her and laid her hand
on his shoulder.
''Are you looking over your broad
lands, Austen?' she said. "They are
q goodly inheritance
Her ladyship's voice and touch al
ways soothed him, and he was almost
powerless in her hands. He could
never resist her; he had neither the
will nor the energy. 1t would have
been amusing had It not been pitiful to
see how completely she managed him,
how skillfully she brought him round
to her way of thinking; while he
thought that he was very firm in carry
ing out his own ideas. On this fair
spring day, she made her first attack
against the dead Spanish wife and her
dark-haired son. The white hand
touched him more caressingly.
'What a grand prospect, Austenl
There are larger estates than Larchton
Mere, but none more perfect. We
have every variety of landscape. You
must feel proud, Austen, at being lord
of such a domain
II do not know, my dear,'' replied
Sir Austen. II have never felt any
particular pride about it. But I love
Her face darkened, and her blue
eyes were Swallowed as she listened.
81 should have been proud of it had
1t been mine," she said.
But, Hester, how can be proud
of that which Heaven has given for no
merit of my own? could be proud of
genius or talent, but not of wealth
that has come to me from my father,
wealth in the gaining of which had
no share. often think if I had made
q fortune by my own industry might
have been proud of it, but could not
be proud of one that was placed in my
hand at my BIRTH
Your ideas are very good, doubt
less" said Lady Gunner, "but they
differ from mine. How strange it
seems that such q grand property as
this IS not entailed, Austen?'
Eyes, have often thought So" he
replied; ''but there has never been a
question with respect to it,
Has it always descended from
father to eldest son?' she asked; and
her lips paled as she spoke.
"No, not always. It has gone from
brother to brother. Sometimes even it
has gone from father to q younger son,
when the elder has preferred, perhaps,
military life or the life of q traveller.
There has never been any dispute about
it,"
II think" said her ladyship, slowly,
"that the law of entail is one of the
most absurd in the world
On hearing one of the articles of his
faith SO strongly attacked, Sir Austen
grew grave and serious.
why, Hester-why do yousay that?''
he asked.
call it mere relic of a barbarous
age" she said.
And again he repeated:
"Why. Hester-why?'
Because it is unnatural" hereplied.
"Why, from family of sons all equally
dependent on their father, should one
be chosen to be rich while all the others
are poor?'
You must look farther ahead, Hes
ter" said Sir Austen. "When you
strike at the law of entail, you strike at
all rights, at all aristocracy, at all di-
vision of classes. If the law of entail
were abolished, there could be no large
estates; the lands would be sold or di-
vided, and In two generations the old
names and places would cease to exist.
To do away with the law of entail really
means to do away with the aristocracy
altogether"
II would strike great many blows
if could" said Lady Cumnor, proudly.
Sir Austen laughed as he stroked her
golden hair.
II have never thought about your
political principles before, Hester" he
said. care you Radical?''
NO." she replied. II am not. Twill
tell you what / am, Austen; and you
must not scold me. belong to any
class of politicians who will give this
beautiful land of Larchton Mere to
my little son Hugh, and send your big
son to take care Of the land in SPAIN"
So she shot her first arrow; and, hall
afraid of the result, she did what she
very seldom did, raised her fair face to
his and kissed him. But she need not
have felt any fear. Sir Austen laughed;
he thought that it was only a jest-a
capital jest.
$780, he cried, ''little Hugh is at
the bottom of all this revolutionary bust
ness? The whole law of entail must be
altered to make him master of Larchton
Mere?''
"But the mere is not entailed," she
said. ''Do not laugh at me, Austen.
You can do what you like with it; you
can even leave it to me-
II have no intention of leaving it at
all for many long years. he said.
She fastened to add:
Il hope not, indeed! Austen, am
only talking for talking's sake. You
could leave it to me or to little Hugh if
you would?''
"Certainly, Hester. You are quite
right there; I can do as will with it.
But, although we have no entail, we
have what is almost as strong with US
the law Of tradition. The custom
and tradition of the family are that the
estates shall descend from father to.
son. DO you understands
Yes" she replied. II do not
know what makes me think of it or
speak Of II; but il seems to me that my
little son Hugh, the son of an English
woman, is the one who should be mas
ter of English lands, and that your
elder son, the son ofa Spanish mother.
should take for his portion the lands IN