Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-12-13
daIts aiio Sketfbes.


fast at = little inn in Cxrdigsnshire, II an
awkardly placed. A promise is a prom
Use, and hope you will try to help me tt
keep mine"
Certainly. If I can." said the son
bet ] was unable to understand from YOU
Letter what it all meant
And no wonder. ] don't well under
sfand IL myself But these are the facts
and a. we have been always honorable
people, We must face them. | am only
sorry that you are implicated. You re.
member hearing me speak Of my schoo
friend, Lewis Lewis. He was a fine. gen
erous fellow. but his father was in trade
A Liverpool merchant he would be called
now; then he was certainly tradesman
and as rich as Crnsus. ] don't suppose
he ever had grandfather
who has, IN these days." interrupted
Captain Stanton. ''Some Of our fellow:
don't know their own father; and nobody
asks about him"
II am glad to hear you say So" contin,
ued Lord Mortmain, ..for you are terribly
compromised. Lewis was worth a hun.
dred OF me; we were devoted friends II
Harrow, and whenever was in debt he
would have sold himself TO get me out Of
il; but we lost sight Of each other when
our school DAYS were over. ] went To
college, he to his fathers Office he got
richer and richer, I. poorer and poorer.
Such being the case, he. Of course. mar
Red IN hefress /. girl without penny.
Your, dear mother had. as you know,
everything but money-beauty, accom-
plishments, family, sweet temper. But
neither she nor knew how TO be econom-
ical, and We were over head and ears in
debt. We foundered deeper and deeper
in the mire, and by the time you were
nine years old, knew that we could never
get out of It. | was on the eve OF being
arrested and thrown into prison. when a
merciiul Providence sent Lewis TO call
upon u.s. He found out our trouble through
your dear mother, and in the most deli
cate way lent us the money to free us
from our creditors. 1t was nearly thirty
thousand pounds. don't wonder that
you start. When gave him receipt he
put 1t into the fire. Your mother and |
declared that we must pay him. Very
WE'LL he said. You shall give me your
boy When your dear mother looked
frightened. ne laughed, and added, we
will cancel the debt by a marriage of our
children Your mother in the abundance
of her gratitude. said that it would be de-
lightful. agreed, and the bargain was
made. You were introduced to your flu
tire father-in-law, who liked you, and
gave you Il sovereign"
81 remember II we'll" said the captain,
smiling. in spite of ill-concealed annoy
ance. "Oi course" continued his father,
''we said that under any circumstances
we should pay the debt. Lewis insisted
on our waiting till his child was twenty
one, and made us promise that we would
not let you into the secret until within a
week or so of her attaining that age; he
also sustaining from telling her. But the
promise has weighed even more heavily
upon us than did the burden. Your poor
mothers conscience was always pressed
down by it. We tried and intended to
pay the debt. We lived abroad as eco
nomically rs we could, but we never man
aged to save. and when my father died
was only enriched by his title and mort
cages. had not the courage to write to
Lewis. mot having any remittance to make.
so | never heard from him all these
years till the other day. Your dear moth
er on her death-bed reminded me of our
ing. and entreated you to fulfill it. NV
dear Edward. Miss Lewis comes of age in
week"
There was pause. Captain Stanton
looked grave. lie had long finished
breakfast. and was engaged with his
bread-crumbs. As he let tall the last
small roll from between his finger and
thumb. he glanced at his father At sight
of his rueful countenance. he burst into "A
laugh.
II will do my best" he said. but
why did you bring me here?'
"What relief to hear you laugh"
said Lord Mortmain. drawing long
breath. my dear Edward. if your poor
mother"
1T is for her sake, father, could
marry n girl of far humber rank to keep
her memory green. But why are we
here ?'
Il have been to Liverpool. and find that
Lewis. having doubled his fathers mil
lions, has given up trade. returned to this
county. bought a property, and built hiin-
self = palace. | wrote to Lewis from Liv-
erpool, and told him that you were COM
ing home from India. and would he,
uOpeu, TctuN ~ tulHil our loHH- petlttlUS
engagement. Naturally. | got dryish
one in retsrn. conveying that he would be
glad to see you at his place. and that
Eigen would be at home"
"WhoP ?" asked the captain.
"Eigen. suppose that is the young
lady's name"
ut sounds German. wonder whether
she dresses in costume. like the ladies OF
this hotel"
After some further conversation. which
need not be recorded. the father and son
shook hands, and the latter left the roo N.
Soon aiterward he was standing on the
bridge near the lonely inn. fishing rod
and tackle in hand. watching the impet-
uous leaps of the waters of the Tefy over
the pieces of rock that impeded its cou Sc
"lf could only leap over my obstacles
=" he thought.
Then he went into the inn to make in
quiries concerning Lewis Lewis and his
daughter Eigen. The people all spoke
Welsh. the landlady alone knowing n lit
tie English. He made out that MIR. Lewis
Lewis was rich and grand gentleman.
but could not boast of the long line of APPS
which distinguished most of the gentry of
the neiXh'orhood. As to Miss Lewis
Lewis. she was very clever and very
handsome. Captain Stanton devoutly
ho,.ad that ho miUht not find favor in her