Evening star., 1885-06-06

came back with distressing tale that nurse and
had she aa
sSaisertns .s an indlstinet something N to
Now Northington was great junction twelve
| miles of, and one could go east west or south
from it, and Of course we all leaped to one con;
saying, 81 told you SOP and to keep out of
temptation set of for the little police station,
while Annie, too distracted to think of the car
riage, rushed down to the mills; for Rob had
| gone to the city that morning on business, but
wna1 at Gr 0fg
| offered TO send the messages, and proposed also
to wire the chief of police, and to bring up the
| to accept. Then, while we were all running
about distractedfy. sending the servants here
Lefty, who threatened Mysteries, who Should
| drive up but Talbot with his splendid team.
| And while we were telling him and asking ad-
| vice-for we i've women felt as helpless as ba-
| bies in the emergency-in walked Frank with
| the return telegram from the office where Rob's
mot here. Left for Northington at 1910"
Lefty read 1t, and shrieked, "Oh knew it!
knew itr' And for one dreadful instant per-
| haps we women all had the same thought; but
1t was too outrageous possibility for sisters
heart, and Pam stiffened at once.
| "lt Is probably some business affair."" she
| said something we know nothing of. The
trouble is now we don't know how to reach
'Reach himr' Lefty burst out. "Oh, he is
beyond that nowi oh, that could have been
SO blind all these weeks! You were right
Mira'-this to me. 81 might have known the
sly. creature would bring trouble; but didn't
beiieysI lS e couidn't-that my own husband
"For shame, Lettyv cried Pam "Don't dare
to say another word against my brother. There
| Is not particle of reason
| went on, utterly beside herself, planning it all
out, and never suspected-little fool! He gave
apd oh oh he
| OF my child, too!' But what more she said 1
can't tell, for it was too dreadful. The family
our efforts to hush her only made it worse.
! Pam had grown white at her first words but
now she just turned to the gentlemen and said,
think she meant anything. She is out OF her
| tainiy looked a little disgusted. But what we
have to Do now is to prove her wrong by find
horses Mr. as si YOU please W to tbe
nabob-"I can catch the 1:5O train for Mort h.
ington; and if he's there, as of course he is can
meantime, Mr.. Talbot can direct the search
here for the child. We have them both to hunt
up now, and my halt is the easier.''
"How good you are!' Pam said, putting out
her hand. "And"-she flushed and hesitated-
I ""you will not tell him-except about the baby.
1 may trust you, am sure, as-as one of our
selves" And she didt think, till Frank had
thousand thanks, dear Miss Graham, and then
| with one glance at Annie rushed of-she didn't
| think till she saw that gleam of his eye and
Annies answering smile, what she had said.
We got Lefty to bed with some difficulty, and
Mr.. Talbot went for the doctor. By that time
the servants had begun to come back, but ali
| the satisfaction they brought was that a slen-
der, dark eyed man, supposed to be foreigner,
| had been seen hanging about Marie for the last
said at once and IL is all a plan to steal the
! child for reward"
Perhaps it is sweetheart" Annie sug-
gested.
MY dear" said, little sharply. ''of course
ut is as natural q supposition as the other"
| said Mr.. Talbot. which was what was to be ex-
pected from him. But could have told him
ook her one @ s she
made her faith in-some One--deeper and truer,
sort of tender pity every time the poor child
shrleked out some fresh arraignment of Rob.
We had a miserable afternoon, though, thanks
TO an anOdyne, we queted poor Lefty after a
| while There were consultations and plans,
and messengers sent Off on vague traces which
the police fancied they had found. Practically
we were waiting for Rob. in the hope that with
Lefty was rousing again and asking for news
Annie, at sight or sound of something, rushed
down the avenue, and then there was a cloud
OF dust, and TalbOts team, which he had sent
to the station on the chance OF their coming on
the five o'clock express appeared. There sat
she very fearful and he very triumphant, were
on the back seat. In another instant Rob was
down, and we were all about him, and the
Queen-dOwager would have torn Harold from
his araas If he hadn't been firm.
"NO, nos let me give him to his mother" he
trightv There was shrek above as he rushed
into the hall, and Lefty came running down.
unsy met a1d M wonder the child
pretty as a picture, Rob half kneeling and
Lefty leaning down, all in white, aud her
stained window on the landing bathing them
at was my fault darling" we heard Rob say
ing, "but never dreamed of your having such
o fright"
And Lefty answered wildly: "No, no. it was
That was ali Very well as Sentiment. SENT d but not
precisely explanatory: We had all that pre-
sently, however, and simple enough it all was.
In the city, the day before, Rob had met his old
friend Carthame, the portrait painter, Just out
for few days from New York, and at sight of
him the idea had flashed on him that a crayon
sketch of Harold would be the prettiest possible
surprise for Letty's coming birthday. Carthame
mas special reputation on children, and his
%isssd. nsas IN S'f'h'ns''n was chance not to be
"Aii right" Carthame had said; "I'n do it for
you, though wouldn't for everybody in such
hurry. Bring the boy down to Northington
tomorrow, and I'll manage head for you, at
So Rob had hastily arranged with Marie the
night before charging her to tell the queen-dow-
aser. And here Marie dissolved in tears, and
owned that she had met her-her cousin that
same evening, and it had driven everything out
OF her head, and she had quite forgotten that
part of the scheme.
"If had not been really obliged to run into
better, Rob went ON. "But all l could do was
TO tell Marie to bring the boy down, and would
meet her there, and never dreamed of all the
fuss, till an hour ago there was a tremendous
ring at Carthame's door-he's with his sister
there.and in walked Truman as white as a
ghost"
Frank admitted the pallor He had been. he
said, SO taken aback at finding the two together
that for one dreadful instant he had not known
what to think.
OF course, when it was explained, 1t seemed
nothing at all. We laughed at our agonies, our
frantic teiegrams, our messengers, and the rest
But must say 1t had results that were far from
unimportant. II was really d lesson to Ietty
and she has behaved better since; it brought
about an understanding between Annie and
Frank, and, 'Realy," Pam said, delighted to
be able TO abandon gracefully her asistOcratic
objections, "after what has happened we must
be glad to have him one of u.s. Only I'm sorry
for MIR. Talbot. supposed he understood that
been here since, notice"
ut is about all you have noticed" laughed
Lefty, cor you'd know there was no end of
lamentatiOn over him."
"Oh, dare say he'll console himself" Pam
said. "Of course Il his time of lite-and can't
Il should hope not, indeed" Lefty said. in
high good humor. "As for his consoling him
self, II you take 1t that way he's done 1t al
ready. If you hadn't been half blind for the
last month, you'd have known what brought
him here: Mamma wouldn't think of it at first,
ing again." tOh, indeedD "But he's been SO
urgent of late' (since he found he couldn't get
Annie), "and after all she's Just q nice age for
him, and 1T is only ten miles away and such a
lovely house, and mamma Is sensitive over
her position here lto be queen-dowager isn't
Well, that did take our breath awav for n