Omaha daily bee., 1885-08-24
A FAMILY AFFAIR
BY HUGH CoNw
Author of "caued Back" and Ozark Days

visit. May i come for a week or two this
vacationl L I'M rather knocked up by hard
work, and my doctor tells me 1 had better
spend some time in q quiet placei in the country.
So l remembered your kind invitation, and il
quite convenient to you would come straight
from Oxford TO your house. OF course, al
though rather overworked, l am not an in
valid, or l should not think of trespassing on
you. Yours sincerely, Frank Carruthers."
"Whois Frank CarTuthoCsf n asked Beatrice.
'Some relation to us, is he notg'
ellis mother was my fathers half-sister.n
"What relation does that make him to me7''
Herbert stroked his beard and grappled
with the problem. tile must be your half
first cousin once removed he said at last.
"Exactly So" said Horace.
This point being settled, Miss Clauson re-
quested further information about Mr.. Car
ruthers. Thereupon Horace went into family
history, which it viii perhaps be better for us
to look up ON our own account. On such
occasions Horace was apt TO become rather
prosy.
Old Talbert's half-sister, who was some
years younger than himself, married, just
before the successful coup came OFF, a man
named Carruthers. 1t was no great match,
and if Mr.. C%arruthers found domestic bliss
1t was well that he made his matrimonial ar
rnngements before the ''boomn in oil, tobacco,
corn OF whatever it was, sent NJ. Talbert ia
Hazlevtood House and county society. Had
he deferred it till then the chances are that
Mr.. Talbert would have insisted on his sister
doing better; for C%arruthers had only a
moderate fixed income as manager of some
works in the north.
Somehow after her marriage his half-sister
slipped away from Mr.. Talbert's life. AS
whole sisters and brothers SO often do the
same this fact is not astonishing. Mrs.
Carruthers had several children-but one
after another they died off. She wrote to
her half-brother announcing the birth or
the death of each. He answered her letters
in a congratulatory or consolatory way as
the occasion required. This was about all
the correspondence which passed between
them. When Horace and Herbert were
lanky boys in Elton jackets and round collars
Frank Carruthers was born, and actually
lived long enough to give promise Of growing
up. Indeed, his father before he died saw
his only surviving child a strapping young
fellow of seventeen.
Mr.. CarTuthers left his widow an annuity
for life and q few hundreds in ready money.
She lived well within her income and ex-
pended her capital in finishing her sons edu-
cation. She may nave had some Of old Tai
berts views of things in general, although
lacking his means of carrying them out.
Anyway she sent her boy to Oxford.
There, for three or four terms, he behaved
disgracefully.
He got into scrapes, difficulties and debt.
So far, indeed, into the last that his mother
for the first and only time in her life applied
to Mr.. Talbert for assistance. This was given
readily, and the young man was once more
set off straight.
Then suddenly Mrs. Carruthsrs died. Out
of her annuity she had saved enough each
year to pay a premium of assurance, and
Frank, when just t~wenty-one, found that her
foresight and love put him in possession Of
some seventeen hundred pounds.
Whatever his faults might nave been he
was passionately attached to his mother.
Her death seemed to make O changed man of
him. He Immediately paid back Mr.. Tai
bert's loan-better still, he went to work like
a horse-an intellectual horse, of course. The
consequence was that he became one of tho
most shining lights Of his year, and was in
due time rewarded by u fellowship.
This was lucky; for after having repaid Mr..
Talbert he had only enough money left to
carry him to the end of his Oxford course.
Eventually he settled down to try and
mako his living, or augment the emoluments
Of his fellowship, rs an Oxford coach" AT
that particular time the supply of coaches
was beyond the demand, so for some years, in
spite of his brilliant reputation, passengers
or pupils-were few. But he stuck tothe bust
ness, and latterly had been given as much,
even more, than he could manage. Hence
the overwork.
All this Uncle Horace told Beatrice in his
OWL fashion-al except the wildcat episode.
That was past and gone; Frank was now a
successful man, SO his youthful sins might be
forgotten.
Beatrice until now knew nothing about her
fractional cousin. An intermittent and Ian
gushing correspondence had existed between
her mother and Mrs. Carruthers, but upon
the death of his first wife Sir Maingay had
not the least interest in keeping up any form
Of relationship with Mrs. Carruthers. 1t is
doubtful whether he even knew of her exist
ence. The Talberts, who were far too proud
TO disown any of her kin, had met the young
man several times and had liked what they
had seen Of him. They had asked him to
Oakbury, and after e~xcusing himself once or
twice he was now coming there.
SIS he q clergyman?" asked Beatrice.
"He must be, L suppose
''No,' said Herbert. "He never took
orders. The fellowship he holds did not
make that Indispensable"
''They ought all to be like that,' said
Beatrice. "Men oughtn't to be forced or
bribed to enter the church. Besides con-
tinued she, 'they ought not to make a man
give up his fellowship when he marries. Just
as he wants more money they take it from
him. He must either give up his wife or his
income"
Miss Clauson was growing quite a philo-
sopher on the subject of marriage. She
spoke about it as if it were an impossibility
that she herself would ever be interested in
the matter.
"My DEAR" said uncle Horace, gallantly,
81 don't think a man would consider two hum
bred a yeara great sacrifice if you were in the
question"
She smiled family at the compliment.
''Still the system must be bad she said. SIT
might lead to all sorts Of ~unhappiness. A
man might keep his marriage n dead secret
might not marry at all. AL sorts of misery
might result"
"You may be sure" said Herbert, ''what
Is Is best"
"Exactly SO" said Horace.
81 am sure it is bad" she said, decisively.
Miss Clauson must have been in advance of
her day, the authorities now having in a
great measure adopted her views and changed
the system.
"Shall we write and tell him to comeY'
asked Horace. sit won't be any annoyance
to your
"NNhy should it be-Nhat difference will it
make9 Ask him, by all means"
Then, hearing the patter of little feet out
side, she left her uncles to answer their letters,
and in a few minutes was out in the garden
romping with the child.