The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-02-22

Tor even the falnteSt cue, none cCuld be
gained. 1t remained a mystery, as if the
ground had suddenly opened and swallowed
her up, SO suddenly did the baby heiress Of
Caledon disappear from her home and the
loving hearts that cherished her. Mr..
Caledon was never the same man again;
he grew silent and sometimes harsh Even
the presence of his father and mother
failed to cheer and comfort him, as Of yore,
though they strove to the utmost to change
his grief for his wife and child and set his
mind in differ ent channels.
''It was thus that Lena Barrett found him
on her return from her parents, with whom
she had been living, and she at once set
about devising means for winning the
master Of Caledon for second husband.
In this she succeeded, for Mr.. Caledon,
urged by his parents, who feared their
sons reason would become impaired by his
grief, finally married the beautiful Widow
Barrett, and installed her as the future
mistress Of Caledon.
'.Now, indeed, was Lenora Caledon tri-
umphant; the position she coveted was hers;
she was supremely happy for a season. But
there is crease in every roseleaf, tits said,
and Mrs. Caledon found hers to be no ex
ception to the general rule, for she had
been married but short time when who
should appear but Agnes Armund, who
simply asked to see Mrs. Caledon, and in
the interview that followed gave evidence
of avery correct knowledge of the where
abouts of Dorcas Caledon, for whom the sor-
rowful father was then mourning his life
away, praying ever for only one glimpse Of
baby DorcaS before he died.
''It would have been naturally supposed
that Mrs. Calelon would have caught eager
ly at this clue of restoring to her husband
what would have been such stimulant to
his failing state, the restoration Of his be-
loved child But far from it, indeed, were
her intentions, she had no idea Of being sec
ond to little Dorcas in the affections and
generosity Of the master of Calcdon; be-
sides her own children were just gaining
favor with their steEsather, and there was
no doubt if he died without leaving an heir,
they would inherit the Caledcn property.
To the fulfllment of this wish Mrs. Caledon
bent all the energies Of her strong, passion
ate nature.
"By skillful bribes she secured the promise
of half-crazed Agnes Armund to keep the
knowledge she possessed a secret. She
also worked upon the fears of the poor
creature, declaring if she were to reveal
the whereabouts of the babe or even re-
store it to its father, she would certainly be
imprisoned for abduction, and no doubt
a long term of penal servitudc would be
her reward. She took care, also, TO enlarge
upon the debt Of revenge that Agnes owed
Philip Caledon Cor the sighting Of the
great love she bore him.
CAL these combined suffced to bewilder
and confuse the already tortured mind, and
so with evil tenacity she hugged the pre-
cious secret to her bosom, and lived on, ever
unhappy and wretched, yet bitter and un-
relenting.
s'But in few years, worn b. grief and
vain searching for his lost child, Mr.. Gale
don sank into his grave, and Caledon
Heights was without a master, and the old
name extinct, except for old Mr. Caledon,
whose heart was broken at his sons death,
and for whom he hadnever ceased to mourn.
'sMrs. Caledon, though she mourned her
husband, it seems was not mconsolable, as
she married again shortly after his death.
Irna and Irving Barrett, on opening the will
of Phillip Caledon, were found to be his
sole heirs with one clause only in the will
that was should the lost heir Of his estate,
his beloved daughter, Dorcas Caledon,
ever be discovered, then the estate should
be hers with the exception Of legacy to
both Irma and her brother.
SIT was after the death of Phillip Caledon
that glimpse Of the great wrong she had
committed to this man began TO dawn upon
the mind Of Agnes Armund. Buteven then
the desire for revenge was too strong to al
low her to make reparatlon. She loved to
think of the heiress of Caledon as a depend
ent among strangers, to gloaJ over the
thought that when she should have grown
she should go out into the hard world and
be q poor, oppressed, hard-worked drudge
for the same pitiless world that had treated
her (AgneS) so cruelty.
$50 the years flew on. Dorcas Caledon
was still an inmate Of an orphans home and
Caledon Heights still was the property Of
the Barretts. Itwas when Dorcas Caledon
was ten years old that Agnes Arulund con-
ceived the idea of bringing her to her right
full home and there have her educated and
reared as were the Barrett children. Per-
haps it was desire to annoy the mistress
of Caledon, whom she hated, or perhaps a
feeling Of remorse prompted this act. bow
belt it was done, and Dorcas Caledon be-
came an inmate Of her rightful home. How
she was treated by the inmates Of Caledon
I can not justly say, but in not too indul-
gent manner, 7 should infer, from the fact
that at the age of fifteen the girl ran away
and could not be traced OF again heard OF,
though strenuous efforts were made to dis
cover her whereabouts both by Agnes Ar
mund and Oliver Dudley, . young man who
had always felt a strong interest in the IL
tie waif who was maintained at the Heights
in so strange manner. He had just re-
turned from abroad, and determined, as he
had promised the child, to see after her well
fare; but she, evidently tired of her dull
unhappy life, had fed just at the moment
when her presence was most desired, and
search as they might no clew could be OBJ
tanned of her"
s.Here the lawyer paused, and Mr.. Dudley
handed him folded paper. He opened it
and again read on:
sOne, two years passed, and Agnes
Armund and Oliver Dudley were beginning
to despair of over finding the girl, concluding
she must have died unheard of, when, what
was Agnes surprise and delight, one day,
while driving in the park, to suddenly meet
the long looked-for one, and not poor,
wretched or haggard, as her feverish fancy
had painted her, but blooming beautiful and
happy, and richly dressed and in company
with ladies of unmistaxable wealth and high
standing.
Little moro is there to tell; you are all
familiar with the burning of the opera