The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-12-25

am not such q fool as to think | can always
have my children with me; and consequent.
ly, when they must leave, i want to see them
placed where / know they will not suffer. In
view of this, l must beg, 10 speak plainly
that your acquaintance shall cease forth.
with"
Kenneth, who had heard each word with
increasing amazement now found tongue to
say;
And Besse-Miss Minturn-is that her
wish too?"
"My wish and hers are the same, sir p
| Kenneth who had lately begun to realize
how much dearer Bessie was to him than faith
er, fortune, or anything else in life, and was al
ready much cast down by his reverses, was
stung to the soul by this last and bitterest
blight of all. Hardly knowing what he did
he turned abruptly around and walked away.
He felt that his cup of bitterness was now
full and that there could be for him no more
happiness in life. He had misinterpreted the
Colonel's last words, for where the Colonel
had only meant to intimate that his daughter
could have no wish contrary to his in which
the shrewd reader will probably think he
| was mistaken, Kenneth had understood him
| to mean that she had expressed the same
| sentiment with her father.
| After Kenneth had walked rapidly but
aimlessly tor an hour he found himself near
the railroad station, and quickly he formed
the same resolve that many young men do
when disappointed in love for the first time.
He would go west, and, although his main
idea was simply 10 get away from place
where he had experienced so much misery,
yet it is probable that, i'll his secret thoughts
| and only half confessed to himself, he dimly
| entertained the scheme of coming back in a
| few years, loaded with riches and honor, and
| by the brillancy of his lustre to cause Col.
Minturn and his daughter to gnash their
| teeth with chagrin at the memory lit might
have been" But whatever his thoughts may
have been, his actions were prompt, for in
less than another hour he was aboard the cars
and fleeing as fast as steam could carry him,
far, far from the lone Of his childhood. The
wide West swallowed him up and gave the
East no sign, and as the sun was setting on
the third day after Christmas, Kenneth
alighted in small mining town in the
Rocky mountains, just as the excited villa
gers in Westmore were discussing the news
of his having been found dead on the rail.
road track but whether it was suicide, muir.
der or accident, no one knew.
Christmas eve again. But this time it is
not raining The Ice King is full of activity,
and the old Snow Witchs geese will certain
ly freeze, for down come the feathers, whirl-
ing, tumbing, rolicking along as if a blithe-
some spirit animated each delicate flake
everywhere busy, wrapping the brown old
earth in beautiful, pure garment for the re-
ception of the glorious troop who shall come
again with song and gladness to celebrate the
birthday of our Lord. In the town of
Westmore the citizens are preparing to spend
the natal day, as the Redeemer certainly
would have us spend it, with joy and festiv-
ity, and the usual glad note of preparation is
made gladder still by the inspiriting influence
of the first snow storm.
During the past year no one in Westmore
has heard from Kenneth Langdon. No one
saw him leave or knew of his going, and as
body was found on the railroad track, terri
bly, mangled, it was supposed to be that of
the missing Kenneth and was buried as SUCH
But he was not dead, and this Christmas eve
finds him again approaching his birthplace
Whatever romantic ideas he may have had a
year ago are abandoned, and in their place
are there loathing of life and utter despair
The west was overcrowded and had no riches
nor honors to spare. Kenneth found it i'm
possible to run away from his evil fortune
and now, baffled in all his undertakings
without money or friends, he has finally been
compelled to retrace his steps and has resolv-
ed to sell his mortgaged home and with the
Australia ard there pass out the remainder
of his miserable existence.
TO do this it was necessary TO see SQUIRE
Urmston, whose office was in the city, and as
Kenneth wished to have all settled as soon
as possible, he passed by Weslmore and
sought the Squire AZ his office. He found
that gentleman just preparing to leave for
home, and, as the Squire supposed him dead,
Kenneth'sa appearance startled him consdera.
bly,.
But the Squire though startled, did not
believe in ghosts, and soon greeted Kenneth
very cordially. AS soon as he had made his
client comfortable he demanded an account
of his adventures. Kenneth briefly told him
all the principal events of his trip and of his
i'll luck, and wound up by stating the object
of his call.
During the recital the Squirrels eyes had
twinkled strangely for one who was listening
to such forlorn story, and when Kenneth
had finished he said
You have truly had hard times, Kenneth,
but before we proceed TO the business in
hand too have a story to tell.
although the court decided against you
in the case of Langdon VS.. Keystone Steele
Company, was not satisfied and in my
spare time continued to try to work up the
case, hoping to find some clue or evidence
to sustain new trial, but without SUCCESS
l had about given the matter up, when one
day about two weeks ago, | received letter
from Montreal, Canada, which inspired me to
renewed efforts The letter was from u
notary public and inclosed the dying deposit
ton of Rathburn, the missing secretary of
the Steel Company
1t seems that when your father called on
him for his money he expressed a desire to
have it in cash instead of bank check, and
as it was about the hour when the bank clos
ed, he concluded to call again in the morn
ing, when the secretary promised to have the
cash ready. After your father had gone the
secretary left the Office and on passing the
bank saw that it was still open. He went in
and drew the money, thinking to have it
ready in the morning, and took it back and
locked it in the safe. AS it happened, Rath-
burn and your father both boarded at the
same hotel, and when he learned that your
father had dropped dead, the thought of
stealing the money flashed through his mind
He yielded to the temptation, returned to the
office, secured the money and made the
entries in the books, thus covering up his
tracks. A few days afterwards he resigned
and left for Canada which he succeeded in
reaching without suspicion having attached
to him.
"All this was set down as l have told it,
and attested with the notarial seal. OF
course lost no time in gathering sufficient
corroborating evidence and called ON the Of
ticers of the company with a demand for the
money. They demurred some at first, but
when they SAW clear case they paid up like
men. Eighty thousand dollars, with interest
for two years, making total of eighty-nine
thousand, six hundred dollars shall have
to charge you slight commission, Of course
The balance-eighty seven thousand eight