Omaha daily bee., 1885-08-26

bury enjoying his cousins hospitality. Hav.
ing assumed the post Of mental physician ID
Miss Clauson, he was no doubt reluctant "a
resign it until he had effected a radical cure.
Besides, the days slipped by happily enough.
There were drives through the green elm.
shaded Westshire lanes, which lead to hills
from the SUBMITS of which fine views of the
country and tho distant sea are obtainable.
AS Horace drove, and as Herbert invariably
occupied the box seat, Frank and Beatrice
had the body Of the large wagonette TO them.
selves, an arrangement which one of the two
found far from unpleasant.
There were the delicious rides together.
Young Purton left IL , place in disgust, and
joined an eleven OF old Cragtonians who were
wandering about England playing matches
q far better and moro healthy occupation for
a boy than hopeless lovemaking. The bay
horse turned out such a beauty thst Frank
broke his word to Mr.. Barker and did not re-
sell it.
Then there was company. Pleasantpeople
who visited Hazlewood House, and pleasant
people whom Hardwood House visited.
Frank was such n success with these that
Horace and Herbert were quito proud of
their cousin.
And there were walks with Miss Clauson;
and above all those delightful dreamy hours
when they sat under the sycamore, and in tho
cool shade talked Of everything in the world,
the heavens above, or the waters under it.
Or it may DO Miss Clauson was silent, and
Frank, watching every line of her beautiful
face, knew that the disease which he himself
had taken was becoming chronic and in
durable.
Altogether, it viii be understood that il Mr..
Carruthers failed in curing Miss Clauson's
complaint it would be from no want of oppor-
tunity, or from being debarred making IN
exhaustive study of the patient.
In plain English, frank had fallen in love
with Beatrice, in that good old-fashioned way,
almost at first sight. Ho had gone down be-
fore her gray eyes as surely as had the sus-
ceptible Sylvanus. Would he fare any betterl
About this date he often asked himself the
| above question; for he had by now made the
c%urate's acquaintance, and learned that he
was o rejected man.
He did not learn it from Beatrice, who,
like every true woman, wished to hide, and,
If possible, forget tho story Of a MANS dis
comtiture. Ho did not learn it from Horace
or Herbert. Although they were as fond of
! gossip as men always are, wild horses would
not have rent such q confidence from their
kindly hearts. Sylvalius himself was Franks
informant.
The energetic, bustling curate had returned
to Oakbury. During his absence the Talberts
had requested Beatrice to decide as to the
terms of intimacy which should for the future
exist between Haglewood House and Mr..
Mordle. Beatrice quietly told her uncles
that it was her particular wish that the Rev.
Sylvanus should be received on exactly tho
same footing as heretofore. This decision
gave the Talberts great satisfaction. They
~v1.a -Al - 80 I--
could go on unless they worked hand in hand
with the curatc. So when Sylvanus returned
he was Informed that he might tricycle. him
self up to Lakewood House as often as he
chose. Which, as he was resolved to case
harden his heart by accustoming himself to
seeing Miss Clauson in the light of nothing
more than a friend, was very often.
So Mr.. Carruthers and the curate met fire.
quently. They recognized each others good
points, and were soon on terms of friendship
such as fiction, at least, seldom allows to ex-
ist between rivals. Rivals is perhaps the
wrong word, for, if any stray fragment of
hope chung to Mr.. Mordle's portmanteau and
SO returned with him to England, it was
swept away for ever n ever as soon as the
owner saw Frank and Beatrice together. He
recognized destiny, and bowed to it as q we'll
bred man should.
1t was no doubt the desire to prove incon-
testably to himself that he was cured, that
made him, in a moment of brisk confidence,
tell Frank how he had Jared. The mannerin
which the communication was made showed
Frank that his w secret was no secret from
Mordle. If he did not meet confidence by
confidence he made no attempt at deception.
He looked at Mordle with q curious smile.
"You scarcely expect me to say I am
sorryg' he asked.
"No. Want no sympathy. Only want
you to be sure that when the time comes to
congratulate you 1 can do SO with all my
heart"
"Ah!" said Frank, smiling. "Noble-
very noble. When the time comes, " he added.
softly. Thereupon he fell into a train of
~thought-a train which ran upon u single
line and always took him to one particular
station.
This, then, is how matters stood at the
beginning of October. Mr.. CaTruthers hay
ing completed his diagnosis, not perhaps to
his entire satisfaction, felt that the moment
was drawing near when he must make the
supreme effort to expel forever that morbid
ness which he believed to have intrenched it |
self in Miss Clauson's system. Still he was |
bound to confess what many other practi-
TONERS ought to confess, that he was work.
ing in the dark. He was about to try a kill
or cure remedy, the desperate nature of
which would, strangely enough, act not
upon the patient but upon him who admins
tered it. No wonder, with so little to guide
him, he hesitated and postponed.
At this j~uncture tho Talberts gave a din |
ner-party-a mans dinner party. The fol.
lowing were the blessed recipients of invita- |
tions: Lord Kelston, who was staying for q |
few days at his place; Sir John Williams, Of
Almondsthorpe; Colonel White, the officer
commanding the regiment at the neighbor-
ing barracks; Mr.. Fallon, tho polished Royal
Academician who was sojourning at the vii !
lage inn, and making outdoor sketches OF |
autumnal foliage, and Mr.. Fletcher; of the
Hollows, the largest landowner, save Lord
Kelston, in the county. These, with Frank
and the hosts, made a party of eight-the
number which, according to an axiom of the
Talberts, should never DO exceeded.
From the above names and descriptions it
will be rightly guessed that the party was
distinguished, well-seiected and well-bal-
anced. Selection and balance were matters
upon which the brothers prided themselves
as much if not more than they did upon the
refinement of the Dime itself. In this par
ticular party, small as it was, culture,
learning, art, arms, landed interest and
hereditary sway were properly personified.
1t was, indeed, a representative gathering
after the Talberts' own hearts.
But two days before it took place an event
happened which threatened it i'll. Lord KEEL
ston wrote Horace one of those pleasant, |