The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-03-30

failed, and owing to the state of Indif
at that time his request cast some dis
credit upon him among his fellow-of
ficers. He wrote to me, and did all in
my power to discover the runaway and
to find a satisfactory explanation of hel
conduct. My inquiries tended to con.
firm all that her own note suggested
ard his mother plainly stated. In re.
ply to my report, he wrote briefly. bid
ding me make no further INQUIRIES, as
he would make none-from that hour
he would think of her as one dead. He
wrote to ME at long intervals alter
ward. but he never referred to tins sub.
ject."
"But what was the meaning of il
alp"
THAT he only learned after the death
of his brother. The whole thing had
been managed with an adro cunning
worthy Ola woman! The mother had
invented and carried out the scheme
VIII oh had destroyed her sons happi-
ness and killed his wife. Yeti the
end of her days she maintained that she
had acted with the best intentions. and
have no doubt she was thoroughly
convin ed that she had done so"
"But how could she do all this and
remain unsuspectet?" calculated Maui
rice.
"Ah, that is the beautiful part of the
story; and briefly. this is how it was
done. She found ont young Mrs. Cuth-
bert, and saw her alone. You would
expect her to scoId and 10 reproach the
poor thing. Nothing of the kind. She
spoke to her so tenderly that at the first
interview she entirely won Lucy's con-
tidence. At the second interview she
took the interest of an ectionate
matron in the future Of the child which
was soon to be born. At both inter-
views she contrived to impress Lucy
with sense of the great loss poor
Frank had sustained ON her account
loss of friends, fortune and future pros
poets. At the third interv ew she per-
suaded the girl that the only real proof
she could give of he: love for him was
to leave him, and to leave him in such
way that he should never wish TO see
her aga,n.
''And was she so weak as to consent
had she no faith in him."
''She was very fond of him, and she
was acting under the influence OF kind
lady who had had much experience in
the world. and whose good intentions
could not be doubted. Lucy was a fool.
but am sure she did not understand
the Interpretation which might be put
upon that note. written at the dictation
of Franks mother She only meant
that she had deceived him in buoying
him up with hopes of their speedy re-
union at the very time when she had re-
solved for his sake never to see him
again. The note was written; she dis
appeared, and the two things were in
terpreted in the ordinary way. But she
carried the joke further than the mother
intended; for she did not even allow
her to know where she had gone to.
She took lodgings in the house of a
tailor somewhere in the suburbs of Lon
don. and died there about year a ter
Franks departure for India. The
tailor and his wife We're good natured
PEOPLE. and adopted the fr.endless
child. who was brought up under the
name which her mother had assumed
that was Lucy smith. AT Hollyford
the mother was triumphant or time.
Let me draw breath in admiration of
that woman's geniusn'
The expression on Mr.. Calthorpe's
face as he drew breath was certainly
not one of admiration. He proceeded:
- As years passed. however. and
Frank obstinately rem aimed away from
England and refused 10 receive the
81 ghtest assistance from Holiyiord. or
even to correspond, the mother became
troubled in spirit. The reports of his
heroic deeds and rapid promotions only
CALLED her the more, and at length she !.
her secret to her step-son. he |
was shocked, and instantly set about !
trying to put matters right He placed |
the whole affair in the hands of COM |
petent lawyer. with instructions that he
was to spare no expense in the euort to |
discover the fate OF Mrs. Frank Cuth-
bert The search was tedious one
but ultimately success. III. as You know,
although he d not live to see it. Only |
a .ew week alter Colonel Cuthbert's |
return to England the lawyer was en-
abled to plac. in his hands tine COM
plete proofs which enabled him to
IDENTIFY his daughter in Lucy Smith.
He took her abroad. provided her with
The best masters money could obtain;
she proved an apt pupi, having already
edu ated herself to a much higher
standard than most women reach, and
l. length he brought her here, properly
finished and polished. to present her to
lis friends as the heiress of Hollyford
:. That is the whole story; now.
THAT do you think of Mss uthbert?'
Maurice was much agitated as he an
'wered impetuously:
"Think3-that she. believing that I
Knew ttis st tory. and pretended not to
ecogniAe her-that she was justified in
he meanest thou hts she entertained,
nd in her scorn OF us BOTH
CHAPTER III
LAST WORD.
How miserably nonsensical all his
antasies appeared to him now in the light
# the facts related to him by his fat her!
The truth should have been plain to him
rom the first; any one OF the meanest
apacity would at least have suspe ted
!. She was more than JUST: ed in re-
'arding him as an impOstor and-s;nce
he could do so-qui' e right to amuse
erself by leading such contemplate
reature on, merely to see how far he
rould 90. Il
Yet the positions and the characters ,
t the two girls were in his eyes so very
that even when Mabel Cuth- ;
ert seemed to be most like Lucy he had
OF realized the truth. And then the f.,
evelation followed SO closely upon his {
rst glimpses of what he had regarded ,
S an impossihi:ity, that he had no time I
D consider the mater. s
Was he trying to find excuses for I
imself? He became impa lent OF his I
wn stupidity. Who could believe that ]
e. knowing Lucy as he had done. and