Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-12-12
TRUh AS GOLD.


We called him Lord John in our
school days, he was SO aristocratc
youth, but John Lord was the way it
was in the baptismal register in the old
Bellaire Episcopal Church. A proud
family, too, with plenty of money, and
enough dignity to carry it; a family
that had sent soldiers to the Revolution
and statesman to Congress, and about
whose hospitable board the best of the
land assembled On great occasions; yet
withal family that had instincts and
training, courtly, noble race, that sell
dom descended to mean things, the nat
ural leaders Of the old country aristocra-
cy.
It was twenty five Years ago that We
played together, the boys Of the old
Huy sencamp private school, and Lord
john with his proud, slender form, his
bril-, mt eyes, his curly hair of dark
aul".:n, was sixteen that year. His
brit: .ay came in term time, and old
Colonel Lord and his wife visited him
with their daughter Lord Johns sister, a
belle of Newport and Washington since,
but then only a fair-haired child Of
twelve. The old Colonel brought out
great hamper of cakes and chicken
and jellies and homemade confectionery,
and gave it smiling to Lord John for
you and your schoolmates, my SOU" If
the Colonel had been able to look fifteen
years along the current of years he was
the man to have felt like giving his son
a pistol bullet or ten grains of strych
nine, just to keep him from being
disgrace to the proud old family.
Ten years pissed: Lord John was
the vealthiest and handsomest young
man in the region and might have had
his pick Of girls from New England or
from the Sunny Nouth---of Senators or
of millionaires' daughters. For there
was that about him which made him at
tractive to every one. Tie rest Of the
boys had scattered, some in business,
some plain farmers, some had become
regular globe trotter&; Lord John was
almost the onl V ono who stald by the
DeIlaire homestead in the heart of love-
ly Maryland.
Whatever possessed Lord John to iy
in the face of bis training and so over
to Rallsville, the homely little factory
village, and fall in love with Mary Bee
ton, I don't know. She was certainly
pretty thing, appealing eyes and modest
ways, the daughter Of . farmer some
where along the Susquehanna, and had
only been at work g few months in the
factory where, indeed, tho Lord family
owned most OF the stock. They say
she was uneducated, but girl of un-
usual powers of mind; you go there to-
day and people will tell you Of Mary's
resolve to make something of herself,
Nobody knows what passed between
them or what promises he made her,
but brought up as she had been, to feel
that there was great gulf fixed be-
tween the "higher and lower" classes Of
society. there could at last be only one
result-the poor girl yielded.
They say that Lord John took her to
Baltimore and kept her there awhile,
but he covered his tracks SO we'll that
when he grew tired of poor Mary, aud
courted and won a famous New Orleans
heiress end beauty, the story about the
Reeton girl was long time in reach
ing the ears of interested parties. At
last just the day before the wedding,
the proud young Creole, in whose veins
the best of French, Spanish and Ameri-
can blood flowed, was in the summer
house on the bill overlooking the broad
Chesapeake. She was troubled and
unhappy; her feelings towards Lord
John had slowly changed, for there was
Ia lack Of devotion on his part that BODIED
i'll for the future. She admired his
brilliancy and that was all.
Into the arbor stepped worn and
faded beauty and confronted the proud
|Creole.
care you going to marry Lord John ?"
she cried. "Thcn ask him at the altar
who Mary Beeton is, and she turned
to leave the place.
| Angeyine Dutot babe her pause and
asked her with cold serenity the reason
for her words, satisfied herself of the
truth of the story from letters in her
betrothcd's handwriting, dismissed tho
wronged woman and returned to the
house--that of her relatives--where she
Ihad bced spending the summer. She
wrote letter to Lord John, only few
lines, advising him to marry Mary
Beeton. She told the servant to pack
her trunks and send them after her;
land within two hours she was on her
way to New Orleans with her faithful
lmaid and small hand valise for lug
Igage. That was the way she cut the
;yortiian knot-a heroine [ call her, and
What is more to the point, thoroughly
| practical woman. When she got back
| @ New Orleans she sent for her lawyer
Ind told him to put a trustworthy de
| ectiye o., the track Of Mary Beeton and
| md out all about her.
"Why, asked the lawyer, an Old and
| ried friend.
because one sin should not wreck G
woman's life any more than it does Il
lman's # she is repentant, if elements
Of good vet remain, shall take care OF
her, even though he refuses to marry
her. She has been cast like a sea wait
across my track, and cannot ignore my
plain duty. Under any circumstances