Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-17

tho other way either-that he made 1t
his duty to discountenanoe the whole
thing. He sent Frank Truman off to
tho West for a few weeks to lock after
semo business for the firm, and in the
meantime he brought down old Talbot,
senior partrsr in tue Tuckahoe Mills,
where we had O third interest, to con-
sole Annie. l should have thought
Lefty would have liked the other match
better; but she seemed to think that If
Annie married this old widower, who
was as rich as all of us put together,
that would balance things perfectly.
And as Frank, when ho came back,
was too proud to speak, and none Of us
felt sure if it was indeed q matter OF
life and death with Annie, and so in
clined to let things take their course,
we were presently in as pretty q snarl
as heart could wish. Tuckahoe was
only ten miles off. and Mr.. TAlbot used
to drive over once or twice atweek; and
when he was not at our house he was
at Rob's. He was really rather nice.
though being twenty or more years
older than Annie, it didn't seem a rea-
sonable match. and l sometimes WON
dered if he didn't have an eye on Pa
mela, or if he couldn't be brought
around to that. Pam was stately and
impressive. and much better suited in
years and dignity. 1t would have been
a perfect match for her; Ind then little
Annie could take Frank, and thedouble
wedding would prove democracy
beyond dispute. Pam was gracious to
him, too-M on Annie's account, she
said; and the queen-dowager pretended
to help, SO that plainly the Talbot bark
was on sunny seas.
And it was while we were al in this
tangle that Harold was lost.
1t was all from the French nurse, 40
I said at one to Pam; and1 had said
often before that no good could como
of getting a chaitering foreigner to
care for the child. and make him learn
her tongue before he fohnd his own. 1t
was the queen-dowaga's idea, I was
sure. and / had no patience with it.
But Marie seemed a good girl. and she
was certainly picturesque and hand
some in her peasant costume, and 1t
was pretty to hear the little fellow lisp
his ''est-ce-ques." Rob made rather
more of her than of the other servants,
l noticed; but he was generous to them
all, and it was only natural that he
should have o to say to Prince
Harold's handmaiden. But when one
soft September Afternoon Prince and
handmaiden disappeared together
why, Lefty remembered it.
1t appeared from the incoherent &C.
count Lefty gave whea she came over,
distracted, to tell us, that Marie and
Harold had gone, as usual, q little be-
fore ten that morning. She had given
orders to keep him out in the pretty
little park until lunch time. and she
had delayed lunch a little when they
did not come, and then she had sent
one Of the servants after them, and she
came back with a distressing tale that
nurse and child had been seen to take
the ten o'clock train for Northington.
She had bought her ticket, SO the agent
said, chattering an ind,stincS some.
thing to him about Monsieur Graham
and a message. Now Northington was
a great junction twelve miles Of, and
one could 90 east, west, OF south from
it. and Of course we all leaped to one
conclusion. I nearly bit my tongue Of
to avoid saying: 81 told you sol" ane
to keep out of temptation l set off TO.
the little police station. while Annie
too distracted to think of the carriage
rushed down to the mills; for Rob hat
gone to the city that morning on bust
ness, but we didn't know what o,
where. and one can't send a Telegram
at random. Frank Truman offered t.
send the messages, and proposed ais,
to wire the chief of police, and to brinl
up the return messages himself, ant
Annie was glad to accept. Then, Will
we were all running about distractedl'
sending the servants here and there TO
information, and watching over Lefty
who threatened Mysteries, who shout,
drive up but Talbot with his splendi.
team. And while we were telling hin
and asking adv.ce-for we five womel
felt as helpless as babies in the emer
gency-in walked Frank with the re
turn telegram from the office wher
Rob's business was.
mot here. Left for Northington a
10. TO-"
Lefty read it, and shrleked. ''Oh,
knew it! l knew it," And for on
dreadful instant perhaps we women al
had the same thought; but it was to-
outrageous a possibility for a sister
, heart, and Pam stitfened at nee.
at is probably some business affair,
she said, something we~know nothin;
l. of. The trouble is now we don't kno,
, how to reach him."
, .'Reach him!' Lefty burst out. "Oh
5 he is beyond that now! Oh, that
: could have been so blind all thes
, weeks! You were right, Mira'-thi
to me. Il might have known the 81
creature would bring trouble; but
: didn't believe-I couldn't-that m
own husband could be guilty.
For shame, Letty!" cried Pan
Don't dare to say another wor
gainst my brother. There
, not a particle of reason"
: '.And I saw them together, las
: night" Lefty went on, utterly besid
herself, planning it all out. and
never suspected-little fool! He gay
' her money yesterday-her month
wages, he said-but who knows? An
oh! oh! to rob me of my child, too!
But what more she said l can't tell, fo
it was too dreadful. The family ske
eton was paraded before them all. an
all orr efforts to hush her only made