The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-12-11

suitably for your wife and children
why did you bury yourself in the ranks,
and let that young ruffian Taft usurp
your place.?"
sPll tell you. AS I said, Taft fatty
refused to clear out of the way, and
challenged me-yes, actually chal-
lenged me-to produce my proofs
against him. I had them safe enough,
and so told him-they'r re in that box
now. 1 shouldn't have spoken-what
would have been the good? 1t would
have broken my fathers heart, and
tarnished our old name; and the girl
was dead, had been lying dead among
the sedge and bulrushes for hours be-
fore we found her. All the ruin that
could come upon the Mannersleigh
family would not bring her back again,
SO 1 determined to keep silence, simply
because 1 could not see the good OF
speaking.
az had been all that day sitting
with my lord, but happened to be
the first to find the poor girl, lying
face down in the water, and as turned
her over tore open the bosom of her
gown, in doing it, when there fell out
| q letter in Taff's handwriting, asking
her to meet him in that place at 4 in
the afternoon. / concealed it instinct
lively, and seeing her hand clinched up
on something, forced it open and
took from it locket which he
had worn on his watch chain at
luncheon. knew it, because we had
all noticed it. There was a bit of
broken chain attached to it, evidently
where she had clutched at it in the
last agony of her struggle with him.
I showed the letter and the locket to
him that very night, and then, owing
to the gossip of one of of the servants
who had seen me take the locket, or,
rather, had seen me take something
out of her hand, was put up on the
trial as first witness. AS soon as l
saw in the report that it was known l
had the iocket, made up my mind
to clear out of the way at once, tor,
though I could keep silence, could
not give false evidence. could easier
bear ruin and social extinction for
myself than could break my fathers
heart by putting a rope round my
brothers neck. So that night bolted,
and then got over to Ireland and en-
listed in the Twenty-tifth. But 1
didn't know, never heard, he was
dead. When was it?"
"About year ago. Lord Archie
replied.
s'Ah, never heard it," sighing; 'sand
you say Taft has turned over a new
leaf?"
s.Presides at philanthropic and re-
! ligious meetings, and SO forth. l be-
lieve he's quite shining light among
the unco' guild"
"Ah, he'll need it ALL" dryly. 81
fear though, there's not much real
good in him. He was always a bad
lot, but my father loved him best OF
us all. Well, my time is getting short,
and if you will get me a lawyer here at
once, I'll settle about the trusteeship;
the sooner the better, there's no time
to lose. For the rest, it will soon be
over l shall not see tomorrow; OF
that I am certain. AS soon as you
hear OF it, 1 want you to go and see
Taft, and tell him all have told you;
tell him that you hold my written
word that it is all true, that unless he
admits my boys claim, and allows
him to take his place without delay,
YOU have my orders to disclose every
thing-everything But you will have
no trouble; and l should like to lie in
the old churchyard at home beside my
mother. You'll do all this for me,
Archie?" anxiously.
"I'll do it all to the best of my
power" said Lord Archie, with a
great lump in his throat and a white
mist dancing before his eyes, SO that
the sick man and the little meagre
room were blotted out from his Wis
ion.
II didn't know that he had gone, or
Ishould have doneit before. l always
meant to put my children in their own
place, but l didn' know the old man
was dead. only kept out of the way
for his sake; it was all for his sake"
Lord Archie rose to his feet. "In
go for lawyer at once; but Studham,
old fellow, can't you make an effort
and get well? l wish you would"
'It's too late now, Archie; but
thank you all the same"
''It seems such a pity regretfully.
"It can't be helped" patiently;
"and 7 kept it from him."
| And that night Private John Arnitt
died, and week later was buried as
John George Alrued. tenth Earl OF
Mannersleigh, when Stephen, his son,
reigned in his stead.