Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-02-09
CHAPTER xxi.


Several days before the occurrence of the
incidents set forth in the foregoing chapters,
there had arrived at the village of Bar Har
Dor a note that awakened no little interest
in the family of the Gulnares, jewellers at
the lovely mansion of desert Rock" A
card, bearing the address, ''Windsor Hotel,
N. "" accompanied the letter that read as
follows:
DEAR D.: have just learned of the sud-
denly-planned departure for America of
very dear friend. AS we are great chums,
and know something of the loneliness of j
young girl in a strange land, have given
her several letters of introduction to old
time friends who knew me as plain Miss
Jerome. May count upon you, too, to
show her some attention. She is one of my
most admired and dearest friends. 1 don't
think you will consider me going too far
when add, she must therefore, be very
lovely and attractive
The note was from the wife Of q well
known English peer.
Upon arriving in New York, Lydia mailed
this letter with several others of similar
character. 1t was reforwarded to Bar Har-
Dor and one result of it's receipt was the
sudden departure of young Mr.. and Miss
Gulnare for New York city with the pur-
pose of pursua3ing Lady Lydia Broadacres
to spend with them the remaining weeks OF
their sojourn at Desert Rock.
Having once entered upon her mission,
Lydia was resolved upon carrying it
through to the end. Natalie must be found,
or her own suspicious forever laid at rest.
She decided upon paying brief visit to a
certain remote village. best made known
by a sentence copied from previously
mentioned note of Mr.. Richard Oxford's:
81 shall often think of him, far away in
that quiet little village of Drifton in Penn
sylvania."
Informing her aunt that she had heard a
great deal about the coal mines and the
unique scenery of the mining district OF
Pennsylvania, she declared her intention Of
Immediately inspecting the region around
about Hazleton, IN Luzerne County.
Under assumed names, they registered at
a little hotel in the village of Upper Lehigh,
within two miles of Drifton, in Pennsyl-
vania.
Prof John Fairfax, dignified, gray
haired old gentleman, was in charge of fe-
male seminary in the town. He was well-to-
do only in the size of his family, consisting
of several daughters and two sons, Arthur
and Dana Fairfax
MIR. Arthur Fairfax was absent-no one
knew where. Still this fact, although not all
reassuring, was by no means conclusive
proof of his guilt So ''my Lady LYDIA" re-
solved to profit by his absence.
Ere her departure she had learned much
about the town, more about the Fairfaxes,
and, most of all about Mr.. Arthur Fairfax.
She heard, too the history of his disappOint-
ments and his present unhappy state of in
decision. But, the more she learned about
him and the more she saw OF his fathers
family, the more she began to think that it
was impossible that he should be any thing
else but innocent.
Lydia was what might be called q prac-
teal dreamer; and, to be candid, many of
her musings latterly were chiefly u.>on one
subject, and much in the following extra
ordinary vein:
Her estates were large; her tenants man
fold. They, of course, would vote for the
man of her choice, should he offer himself
as Parliamentary candidate. How much
better would be her life could she marry
man whom she might thus help. How much
happier than if mated with some rone, her
equal in wealth and station, perhaps, but
tired of life and in 6lGSs; whom was no am
bition and no apparent interest IN the world
at large.
These, and thoughts like these, constant
ly fioated through her mind. Can she be
blamed if they were in connection with but
one man!
Her very mission, together with the ex-
tremeIy satisfactory results OF her investi-
cations as to Fairfax's character and ante
cedents We're such as could scarcely fail to
interest the coolest and most fastidious
woman Lydia found her interest growing
so warm that she, at last, allowed herself
to come to defnitely-shaped resolve, al
though somewhat staggered at first, by the
very holiness and unwomaDly nature Of
the latter. In character it was somewhat
as follows:
When she should eventually find this man,
Fairfax, he and fate-"together with a little
assistance from me-" so she naiYely told
herself must once and for all "dccide this
matter" as she was pleased to call it
But deep down in her heart was the con-