Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1884-02-28

our toitng, struggling millions mourn
our ruined homes and wasted farms.
The sword hangs rusting on th. wall,
The piowshare turns the fruitful sod.
The wales where rang the bugle-call
Now blossom IN the smilo Of God!
asl.,s ~ -. Chicago Tribune.
LADY BEST'S MISTAKE.
BY JEAN MIDDLEMAss,
They lived in acreeper-coyered cottage.
nesting among verdure in the highly.
cultivated valley of one of the Home
counties. There was o small dairy.farm
attached to it, upon which Lady Best be
slowed all her leisure hours and thereby
managed to add no inconsiderable sum
to her income, which since her husbands
death had been rather limited.
With the money derived from this
source she had been able to send her
only son, Arthur, to Oxford-Arthur.
who was the apple of her eye, the one
only being for whom she really cared
She had given him first class educa.
ton, andfit had not been received IN
stony ground, for Arthur was clever. and
book-worm, too much so for worldly
purposes, since he had induleed in study
and contemplation till he had become q
dreamer. By the time he reached the
age OF twenty five it had been declared
by all the neighbors, and Lady Best's
circle generally, that Arthur would never
do any good for himself in life; hard
verdict, considering that he had not a
single vice, and was handsome and manly.
looking. Not that his habits and pur-
suits were exactly manly; fishing was the
only sport in which he had ever been
known to indulge, and he spent his time
for the most part in wandering listlessly
about the valley, wearing clothes of q
somewhat aesthetic cut, which was par.
ticularly distasteful to his rural neigh.
bors, slouching felt hat on his head.
and book-generaliy poetry in his
hand.
4Idolizing Arthur though she did, il
depressed Lady Best not little to see
him take to an effeminate do-nothinp
life; and since be. had now wasted more
than q year in this sort of dream, she
began to despair of seeing him embark
in any OF the professions for which she
had hoped his education would have
fitted him. What was she to do-how
she was to change the current of events
she did not know.
"Was he in love? Had he a disap.
pointment?" her acquaintance asked her
till she was tired of answering. The
question, however, at last suggested a
remedy. Why should not touch of the
very disease from which people thought
that he was. suffering, bring about his
cure.
Girls! she would surround him with
girls; of course, while she had due re-
gard for good looks, never forgetting
that in her estimation nothing made the
eyes glisten with SO much pleasure az
the sight of gold.
s So Lady Best gave tennis party and
invited all the beauty of the county, in
cluding two or three heiresses, bnt be.
fore the afternoon was half over Arthur
had disappeared. He had wandered
down the valley away from ''the noise, .
as he called the musical laughter Of
these maidens, promising himself to re-
turn as soon as they should be gone.
Lady Best was disappointed but not
crushed; she would try again, this time
in quieter, but she hoped in more
efectusl way.
"Arthur was out so much she was al
times very dull, " she told him; ''more.
over she wanted some assistance in
effecting one or two dairy reforms. Her
eldest brothers. daughter-Hannah Mil
ton--aged nineteen, was, she understood,
decidedly practical, energetic girl. She
had not seen her since she was baby,
but she should like to invite her on
long visit, md make her acquaintance.
Had Arthur any objection p
"No; none whatever. OF course his
mother was perfectly free to do as she
liked"
But would he be civil and kind tc
this unknown cousin when she came?
"If she pleased him, certainly; but,
doubtless, she would in ne way interfere
with his pursuits.
Not very encouraging if Lady Best
had any serious intentions in reference
to Miss Hannah Milton, who-we will
observe in parenthesis-she believed
would sooner or later come into the pos.
session of at least hundred thousand
pounds.
Not q word of this did she, however,
utter to Arthur, but. without further
discussion, wrote an affectionate letter
to her niece asking her to come and stay
at the cottage as long as she could
endure the frugality and smallness oi
their impecunious life.
Miss Hannah Milton answered By re-
turn Of post that she should be delight.
ed to avail herself of her aunt's invita-,
tion more especially as her father was
going abroad on business, and she
should be her own mistress for the next
two months. She might be expected tc
arrive, bag and baggage, at the cottage
on the 9th of July. It was then the end
of June.
To this announcement followed post.
script that she hoped her dear aunt die
not object to living animals, as Of
course she could not leave hers all alone
at Milton Hall during her own and he,
fathers absence.
Lady Best was delighted OF the sue
cess of her letter, and wrote again tc
say that both she and Arthur were par
ticulary fond of pets.
Arthur had read Miss Milton's letter,
and merely said that he hoped the dogs,
if they were dogs, were thoroughbred
he hated everything that was not perfect.
80, IM INC Otu OI Ouy, tuo CoGbdSo
whenever Arthur went out-for it could
not be expected that he should endure
fuss and clatter-was conyulsed witt
preparations for the arrival of th,
heiress.niece and her retinuc. A bed
room was turned into boudoir for hel
private use. and two bedrooms adjoin
ing wereaet aside for herself and he1
maid.
The cottage was one of those elastic
establishments with countless small
rooms, capable Of taking in q far large1
number OF people than it's exteriol
would lead you to imagine.
Hannah Milton's home was in tn
north. 1t would be quite evening be
! fore she would arrive, and Lady Bes
passed all the day in state of feverisl
nvc;tanoanf franderin0 from room h