Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-02-09

the property may remain in the family
But one needn't listen to all that is said.
I'm very glad Jessie didn't happen to
be the elder''
"Where did you say they live?"
g haven't said at all, yet. Why,
Wilfred, how absent-minded you arei
But I'll tell you now. They have
leased villa in the suburbs, called the
Towers-a perfect paradise"
We had reached my boarding-ho
by this time, and Horace surprised me
by saying: ssYou're in such {, queer
humor, Wilfred, that 1 think it would
be better to leave you alone for tonight,
and spend an evening with you some
other time. So good night, and pleas
ant dreams of the queenly Lucille
He was right. l did not feel like en-
tertaining any one. l repaired to my
cosy sitting-room, and throwing myself
on the lounge, was soon absorbed in ex-
citing and perplexing thoughts.
was the distant cousin OF whom
| Horace spoke. L had not kno yn until
this moment that my relatives were any
! where near me. And now, the face of
the very one for whom the unknown
cousin was destined had struck my
| fancy, and was SO indelibly impressed
upon my mind rs to defy all efforts at
effacemeut.
This Sir Gerald Wyatt had loved my
mother, when the two were scarcely
more than children. They were cous-
| ms. But, after that, as Ivy mother had
often told me, they became separated /;
yet Sir Gerald had never forgotten the
love of his young manhood. To dissi-
pate his grief at the kindly but decided
| refusal he had received, he went to
travel on the continent. Years elapsed
before he returned, and when he did so,
he brought back a beautiful Italian
bride, to reign as Lady Wyatt over the
home of his ancestors.
| While he was absent my mother
married my father, to whom she had
been long secretly attached; although
| in point of social position he was not
quite her equal. Immediately after
their marriage they proceeded to
America. where my father, who was,
like myself, a physician, had hopes of
home country. But a few years of
fruitless endeavor to get good start in
business, broke his spirit, and unluckily
he gave way to habits of intenlperance.
While in this condition, ne had the mis-
fortune, in prescribing for a patient, to
make a fatal blunder, which cost the
patient his life; and for this my father
was unprecedented and imprisoned. But
while swaiting his trial he died; and
thus left in poverty and Obscurity, my
mother returned to her English home;
and as she was too proud to let her rich
relatives know of her situation, she
changed her name, buried herself in
humble village, and devoted herself to
her boys education. When | was
about eighteen years old, my darling
mothers weary eyes closed in their last
sleep, and was left alone in the world.
Every tie that bound me to my native
country having been severed at my
mothers death, and being of too indie
pendent and proud nature to make
myself known to my titled relatives,
returned to America-the welcome ref
uge of all free spirits. Determined that
l would not let life conquer me, by my
own exertions | managed to procure a
medical education, and then settled
down in this lovely little spot.
1t was easy, therefore, to understand
that Sir Gerald Wyatt had great diff
Guilty in ascertaining the whereabouts of
his cousins child; though he may have
ascertained the name of the man whom
she married, had never adopted that
name, and was not known to any one
by it. For many years, indeed, he had
not troubled himself about the matter
being absorbed in the love of his beauti-
full wife; and it was only when the lat
ter, transferred to the colder climate of
England, dropped and died, leaving
him no male heir on whom he might
bestow his title and estates, that he re-
membercd his cousin, my mother,
whose son, if still alive, would be his
nearest male relative. He was thus far,
as understand, in search of this rela-
tive; and here was within mile Or
so of him and he did not know it.
But | did not mean to reveal my iden-
tity rs yet; my plans were soon and
easily made. | concluded to go on in
the same quiet way, till chance should
throw my relatives in my path: and in
the meantime find out all that could
of them. Since | had seen Lucille my
head was filled with romantic notions,
but | nevertheless determined that in
the meanwhile my relationship should
remain unknown to her.
CHAPTER II.