The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-09-05
nat he saw he must shortly do ono Of three

| every way, seemed impossible. lie had
made, both in person and vicariously, such
inquiries at Sir Mangay's house as could be
made without exciting comment and sus-
pic.on. He had even been down once more to
Oakbury, seen the Talberts, but had learned
nothing TO his advantage. So course num-
Der one could not be counted upon to meet
the emergency.
Course number three, if the simplest,
was the most unpleasant so he was con-
strained to adopt number two; at least, pro.
| VislOnGIly.
Before his disgrace Hervey had occasion
ally done some work for illustrated period
icals As this branch of his late profession
seemed to offer him the best chance of sup
plying his needs, he called upon two or three
people whom he had known in former days,
and who, moreover, knew what had caused
his protracted absence He simply said he
was anxious to redeem the past and begged
! for a helping hand. Self h as the world Is
supposed 20 be, there are many willing to
help a fall n man on TO his legs. Hervey
received ono or two promises, which might
or might not lead to remunerative work.
The months passed very dismaly and
drearily for the second seeker, Frank Car
ruthars He knew not where to turn, where
| 10 look for Beatrice. However, be was bet
ter off than Hervey, for he had direct intel
! liyeuce from her Once a month she had
written to her uncles, but her letters gave 20
! clew that could lie followed They bore no
| ilrr.s; they were posted in London; they
! mentioned no places, not even a country.
| She said she was living an exceedingly quiet,
! CAIN life. She lon%el to see dear old Oak
| bury again, and wondered if it would ever
| /, her lot to do so. In each letter size re-
! rrctted the necessity for the step she had
! taken and hoped that if ever her unces knew
| her true reason for it they would forgive her.
! She trusted, nevertheless, that they would
never learn it. The only hints at locality in
any one Of her letters were that she men,
| toned that the weather was bitterly cold,
aud also that she spent much time studying
art; was, indeed, learning 20 paint in oils
These letters Herbert, who felt sympathy
! for his cousin, sent on to Frank, and Frank
pnrused them again and again, endeavorlng
b. the light he had gained to read between
! the lines. And tho more he read the more
mvstiGad he became. II Mrs. Rawlings tale
was true there was something which Her
bert aud Horace never could, never would
forgive; yet Beatrice wrote as ii forgiveness
was not an impossibility. Moreover, it
$ ruc,, Frank that her words expressed a
!
tie reason for her light. When should he
| find h,rf When should he learn the whole
truth.
He searched her letters in vain for his
own name, for any message to him. The
omission troubled him, not because he
thought himself forgotten, but because it
showed him that Beatrice felt there was
fate. which nothing could overcome, keeping
them apart. So her letters gave him no
hope
Had he been an idle man Frank Carruthers
could never have borne those months of sus-
pen-e. But he was bard, very bard at work
on a second book. Believe me, a man does
not write his worst when his heart is sad. A
deficiency of the gastric juice or superb
bundance of lithic acid may ruin a mans
work but not necessarily grief. ToOthache
NAV prove fatal to inspiration, but heart
ache need not. So pending the appearance
of his first book, which had for some reason
been delayed Frank was busy with sue
! cessOr.
About that first book, satirical, semi
political novel, which, by the by, made
great hit, Mr.. Carruthers, like allnew writers,
was as nervous and tdgety as young hus-
band whose beloved wife is for the first time
about to increase tho population. One day
| it struck him that the great work would be
more taking if adorned with illustrations.
| He mentioned his idea to the publishers, who
quite agreed with him, only adding that six
! full-page illustrations would cost so many
pounds, an expense they did not feel justified
| in mourning But if Mr.. Carruthers liked
| to bear the cost, well and good. Frank, who
| had money to spare, said he would see for
how much he could get them done.
| He called upon a friend, Mr.. Field. who
| knew all about such matters, and inquired
where he could find hands competent, yet
not too costly And this friend happened to
| be one of those from whom Maurice Hervey
had begged helping hand. SO 1T Will be
| seen that the herinafter-mentloned meeting
between Carruthers AMI Hervey was, like
all so-called chance meetings, when traced
back to its cause, quite natural sequence.
Indeed it is hard to SEQ how things could
have happened otherwise.
"There, a fellow called on me day or
two ago.n said Mr. FELL "a fellow who's
down on his luck now. tie might suit you"
"Can YOU recommend him! What is his
Nance"
~ don't know that can recommend him.
but Won may give him a trial. He calls
himself Henry Morris. He's down on his
| luck rs L Stthi
Write him line and ask him to call on
me,n said Carruthers, who liked to help men
down on their luck As he clevert
Hes been idle so long can't say. Lock
here. Carruthers, make him do the drawings
ON approval; and if were you | wouldn't
give any money on account"
Send him to me and I'll talk to him. "
Carruthers was just leaving the room when
| his friend called him back
81 say, Carruthers, I'd better tell you,
then you can't say l didn't. This chap has
been in quod five years for forgery. His
names Maurice Hervey. suppose he's out
now on ticket of leave He tells me he
means to run straight for the future. Now
YOU know all about it and can please your.
SELF
The consequence was that Carruthers, who
held the same belief as him with ''the harp
of divers tones" resolved to see this man,
and. moreover, to treat him as if he had no
knowledge of his antecedents. He was & !ad
to help any one back to the straight path
Carrut hers, who hated the bother of cater
ing for himself, still lived at his hotel. He
had taken an Office in quiet street some
little way off. Here he spent the greater
part of the day. writing his new book, cor
\ \ -. N..l h.. go