Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-04-02

Till EIIlHltt 1ney HAVE ltU d UuSy
life, working with their mother to free.
the farm OF it's encumbrances. Their
labors have been successful; they are
prospecting at last; and SO they have
felt themselves justified in taking a trip
to England, to make acquaintance with
their kindred. ~
And crossed the Atlantic alone!"
exclaimed Mrs. Hallett. #
stOh, no, they came under the wing
Of friend, the elderly lady who took
them to Aunt Maly's. They havefas-
cinated her, and !" Charlie turnedto
his silent father 'tand I think-I am
sure you willlike your nieces, sir-they
are charming girls.
But Mr.. Hallett put out his hands,
crying hoarsely: Keep them away
from me! will not have them here!'
And so saying, he went quickly into
the house, whittier his startled wife
would have followed ifher son had not
detained her.
"Mother, what does this mean?" he
asked. in his CONSERVATION. SIS my
father worse? Is it possible that he
knows what he is saying? He never
had any quarrel with Uncle Tom, did
he? Then what could have made him
speak 50 strangely?'
II do not know; perhaps a sudden
spasm. must go to>him."
"Ah, yes. go, and beg of him to ex-
plain himself, for they are coming here,
these cousins OF mine. / told them in
your name and my fathers that they
would be welcome; and so l thought
they would. How can I meet them
again? how tell them"
And then, grooming in his impatience
and alarm, Charlie hurried his mother
indoors.
On Monday morning Mr.. Hallett
pronounced himself sufficiently restor-
ed to go to business. He had repulsed
his wife when she attempted to win his
condolences; he had given no explana-
tion to his son; both, therefore were
telling hurt and anxious, though try
ing to conceal it from each other.
They would have pitied him had
they known what Sunday he had
spent, shutting himself away from his
family because every questioning look
they turned upon hun seemed to pierce
his heart and lay bare that which he
hid within it.
Yes, the upright, honorable John
Hallett, had a secret that he had buri-
ed SO deep down as to be sometimes
forgotten, until O. chance word or rec
election would bring it back to his
memory. He had trouble of which
no one knew anything but old Lisbeth,
and even she did not suspect its ma
ture.
In all honesty of purpose she had
told him, as he stood by his mothers
coffin, that Madane's dearest wish
|. had been to see her absent son Tom.
Il think she had a message for him."
Lisbeth added-''a written one:
know that just before your good father
died. she was talking to him OF Mas
ter Tom; and heard her say she was
sure he would come back if he could
come to the old home"
"Did she wish my father to will this
house to him?" asked John Hallett,
startled and incredulous.
u think So" Lisbeth replied. II
know he gave the dear mistress a.
paper that she cried over after he was
gone; but do not know what she did
with it,
That paper had never been found.
At first John Hallett's feelings with
regard to it had been of angry sur
prise. He was the elder brother, and
had always resided at the Copse. With
the appreciation of his parents he had
brought his bride here, and his children
were born under the root he had come
to look upon as his own.
He did not deliberately scheme to
wrong his brother; but he never made
any search for the paper OF which Lis
beth had spoken.
And so years had rolled on without
anyone disputing with John Hallett
his possession of the home so dear to
him. Lisbeth made no furtner al,u-
sions to the paper. She knew that
Master Tom was dead, and WAS not
aware that it might have been of i'm
portance to his widow and offspring.
And now, after all this lapse OF time,
the children of John Hallett's dead
brother had come to England. For
what could it be, he asked agitatedly,
but to claim their own?
John Hallett started for town op-
pr essed with new fear. Lisbeth
might have found the paper, and. sus-
pecting him OF foul play, posted it to
Canada.
How he got through the day no one
knew, for Charlie pleaded headache
and stayed at nome.
The disappointed youth would not
risk ehcountering his newly found rela-
tives, while he was unable to account
to them for his father extraordinary
refusal to receive them at the Copse.
He knew how much they were look
ing forward to this visit. Had not
their father talked to them of his En-
glish home, till thew would be able to
recognize every antique piece OF furni-
t,lrs in the house, every fine old tree in
the garden? ID
Mrs. Hallett's sympathies were with
her son, but she was too dutiful a wife
to say so, and seeing that she avoided
him, Charlie carried a book into the
strawberries, stunning the eyes OF his
elder sisters, who, for lack of any other
reason for his depression, decided that
he must have fallen in love-
And so he had. Already his heart
had gone out to bright, capable, brown
haired Nell, who seemed to him just
what q pure, good woman should be.
Min was most attractive girl; he
would be fortunate fellow who won
her; but she lacked the understandable
something that made her sister be-
witching. s* "a
At last he went indoors to find his
mother, and--if he could get her by
herself-to confess how keenly he would
feel a separation from the pretty Mel
lie, who was rapidly becoming dear to
him. ss.' q. ~ 4
He hurried to the morning-room,
and had entered it from the garden,
before he became aware that the par