River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-02-15

| wife that IL makes me grleVe, too.
'sThen grieve no more, my darling;
| en- you with? All, / know. I'll run
| away with yon, and then you shall have
no grand wedding, as my mother insists
| upon"
Janet laughed.
''Oh, Henry, as if / cared for that
| But what was it you wished me to tell
Won last night You said before you
went away you would come this morning
| to hear"
Henry Wood drew her toward the
broad window seat near him, and his
face grew graver.
aJanet, dear, want you to tell me
| how your grandfather managed to lose
his fortune as he did, and how your
father has never been ablerto retrieve
it. Are you vexed at my question
ing?"
"Oh, Henry, mol But it is so sad-so
| very sadl However, l will tell you as
| well as / can. Listen, then. You know
for years, owing to the reckless way in
my great grandfather spent his money,
| the estate became involved, and when
| his eldest SON came to be master of the
manor he found himself in great diff
| culties.
However, he worked well and hard
/ 5tlnlIil1 10 give HIS Il
good education and pay eff the mort
cages, so that, at last, the estate was free.
| But all this time the house had been be-
coming very much as it is now, and then
fresh troubles came.
My Uncle Marmaduke died of con-
| sumption, and Aunt Jane ran away TO
| be married-she died long time ago,
| know, for her husband treated her very
cruelty. Then Uncle George was very
wild and spent great deal of money,
till at last grandpa said he should have
no more; and then for years grandmam-
/ mas mind had become weaker and
weaker with all these troubes-she
| could not bear them so well as grand pa
pa. Well one night when they
| were all sitting IN the oak parlor (my
father was abroad, you know, Uncle
George came in suddenly-for he had
been in London-and whispered to
l grandmamma. She was more fond of
| him than any of the others, YOU know.
and so no one was surprised when she
| got up and went out with him. But ev-
erybody was Mortified few minutes az
terward to hear dreadful scream, and
rushing out they found grandmamma in
| sensible on the floor in the hail.
Uncle George seemed half mad, for
he disappeared from the house in the
| midst of all the confusion. They took
grandmamma to her room; but, though
| she recovered from her swoon, she new
/ er recovered her senses, and they were
obliged to watch her day and night. She
/ talked necessarily of her George, and
ruin and duels, and said things no one
could understand.
Zone night her nurse fell asleep, and,
| awaking in the middle of the night
| found her patient gone. She rushed out
of the room and found grandmamma e.
the bottom of the staircase in kind
swOon. She was taken back to her bed,
but she never spoke again, and died two
days afterward. Curiously enough, on
looking for her dressing case some DAYS
afterward, my grandfather could not
| find it. Search was made everywhere
in vain. My father said it WAS a great
pity, for it contained most valuable jew
els given to grandmamma by hermother
and grandmother.
"Well, all these troubles broke grand
papas heart, and he died. My father
then married mamma-who, you know,
was as poor as he was-and I was born.
But things never prospered with him.
He lost, lost-always lost-and when
mamma died he gave up struggling
Poor fatherp said Janet, her eyes filling
with tears. 81 fancy mammals death
DIOkS LIS 6uub
self up then, and has been what you see
him, kind and loving to me, but always
determined to shun the world, you and
your mother being the only visitors he
has ever received"
Henry Wood kissed his betrothed
tenderly. cit is a very sad story, my
love-I see it all now But we will ban
ish it. Stay, though-what became of
the scapegrace George?"
'He shot himself two months after
grandma's death-He never came to
the manor afterward-and fancy it
must have been grief and remorse that
made him put an end to his life. Isn't
it dreadful?'
dreadful indeed! Your father seemed
to have been your grandfather's good
and filial child"
"Yes-he and Aunt Alice who died
eight or nine years ago. She never
married, you know-but she would not
live with us. She said that she was
sure the Manor house had lost all good
luck. and she would not live in it to see
its ruin"
"AhP' said Henry rising from his seat
and shaking his head: "Tanet, dear. You
have quite given me the horrors! Now,
for change, let us take walk round
the gallery, and you shall tell whose are
all these venerable portraits"
They sauntered slowly along, Janet
pointing out each ancestor as they passed
the portraits, her lover making his COM
ments upon it.
Janet, | can trace likeness in this
face to yours" he said, as they stood OPP
posite the fair young girl with the pow
dered hair and laced bodice. ''You have
her eyes and SMILE"
do you think SO? All, no, she is so
prettyw
''And pray what are your" was the re-
tort.
"She is my great aunt, Lady Leigh"
said Janet, without answering him. "She
died very young, believe"
And who is this ferocious old gentle
MANI" asked Henry, looking at a very
grim painting in a suit of armor with
drawn sword in hand. "He looks saw
age enough to swallow the whole lot of
his relations, Janet"
Doesn't he? That's Sir Marmaduke
Warden; he was quite as ferocious as
he looks, | believe. Nurse Grantly used
to tell me a dreadful story about him. |
His only daughter was very beautiful, |
and she wished to marry GENT.
Tor whose family Sir Marmaduke had |
great hatred. Well, this gentleman per-
suaded Sybil Warden to run away with |
him. As she was descending from the |
window of her room by a ladder, her |
father was in the west parlor and heard |
her lovers voice. He rushed out with |
his pistols, and, oh, Henry! in fury he |
raised his arm and fired. Sybil received |
the shot in her side"
',UId wretch" excalneu nenry Wood, |
Indignantly "If had been SYPHILIS low |
er, would have"
And, without completing the sentence,
the young man struck the hilt of the |
heavy, silver-mounted whip he had in |
his hand upon the armed breast of the |
knight.
The blow was scarcely struck when |
the picture swayed, Henry having bare |
" time TO spring aside and drag Janet |
with him as it fell, witha frightful crash, |
amid dence clouds of dust
Heavens cried Mr.. Wood. as the |
echoes died away, and Janet still chung |
to his arm. "Whata noise and smother |
Pah? am half choked My dear Janetl |
don't tremble so. There is no harm,
DONE"
''0h, Henry Lookp' cried Janet, as
the cloud ofdust gradually cleared away. |
There is door behind the pictured |
What can it be-"
There was, indeed a small door, with |
an old fashioned handle, which had been
completely concealed by the fallen por-
trait. Henry sprang forward and en- |