The Penn's Grove record., 1888-04-28

have a care again. And here's Ellie
to grow up without an education
heavens! I'm SO glad l learned some
thing at last-she can have all that
now. She should have everything, the
darling, IL 1 had it, and you and he
should have the rest. l lie awake
nights and picture how I'd spend a
fortune If l had 1t, and spend it all for
you"
Well, l felt such love more than re-
paid me for all the trouble 1 had with
her from the hour when l found her in
the little fishing hut on the shore; and
l told her so, and we had a very en-
joyable cry together.
l was sitting that night rocking my
self disconsolately by the low freight,
for we had already begun to economic
in the matter of lamps, when Ralph
came In from outdoors and sat down
opposite. Nina was on a sofa behind
the screen, with Ellie lying back in her
arms, telling stories In a low voice to
the child, who had not yet outgrown
them, and 1 marveled a little to hear
her and think 1t was my bit Of wild6re
famed.
Ralph sat looking in the FIRE and
occasionally throwing on a handful of
cones and watching the swift, fragrant
blaze they made.
81 suppose we shall have to 60 next
week." he said, "I've been over to
look at that little fiat. l suppose it
will do. 1t isn't the place for YOU"
"Oh. anywhere is the place for me"
I said, shat you can manage to put
me in"
-Four rooms In the heart of the
town." he said bitterly; ''nO views
from any window but squalid back
yards, nc river, no great hemlock trees,
no pine M to burn on open fires
just the barest getting along till we
can do better-if aver we cam"
"Well," / said, it might be worse.
We can be very happy if we are only
well and have each other"
YES" he said, ''yes. But it is hard
to leave all we have worked for these
dozen years, all that Is dear to us;
hard. too. to have slipped by 80 nearly
as | have done to a vast fOrtune-as
that would have been but for-if it had
not been-if l had only seen-but there.
there, the more one thinks, the worse
it grows. The world is all alike. Some
body else is slipping tolerably ear a
it, by what l heard in the office to-day.
One of those English fortunes falling
due to some uniindable heir"
II thought the things were all
Frauds" said |. 1.-THE great fortunes
in the Bank Of England belonging to
people over there"
"Oh, they are very likely" said
Ralph, absently. "ThIs wasn't one of
that sort. This is the case Of an
absent heir-the son Of a nan named
%Strachan, Reginald Strachan, a man
Of great wealth in London, and old
East Indian merchant, whose son mar
ried some young singer or other and
ran away with heroine Romena-
Romena Dysart. They have been
traced to this country, ard 1t is known
that a child was born and named for
its mother, who died presently. And
all further trace of him Is lost. The
case has been sent to our Office by the
English solicitors. II the son is living
he is a millionaire. If he is dead there
Is a fortune OF some hundreds of thou
sands of pounds belonging to that
child, Rowena Strachan-"
Suddenly there seemed to be an
earthquake In the room, the screen
went over with a thud, and Nina, still
grasping Ellie, had sprung forward and
stood between us, her eyes ablaze, the
color flushing her dark cheek, her lips
parted, "Rowena DysartI" said she.
THAT is my mothers name! 1t is
inside the r.ng-she said nv father had
put it there with his own-it is In her
marriage lines. And Reginald was
her husband. It's all about them and
the father, the cruel, cruel father, in
the letters. Oh, you a prove it all
1t isn't called Strachan, as you said; its
called Strawn, you know. And Nina
was her pet name. And that child, who
is the mistress of a fortune of hundreds
of thousands OF pounds. and they're
yoursl AL yoursl Why, that's just
as PLAIN as day. she said, without re-
gard to grammar. "That's mel'