Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-07-12
A FAMILY AFFAIR.
CHAPTER TX CONTINUED.
By HUGH CONWAY.

zane of, a man named Carruthers. 1t
vas no great :datch, and If MIR. Car
:uthers found domestic bliss it was well
hat he made his matrimonial arrange
nents before the BIO nm in oil, tobacco,
corn, or whatever it was, sent Mr..
ralbert to Lakewood House and county
society. Had he deferred it till then
he chances are that Mr.. Talbert would
nave insisted on his sister doing better;
or Carruthers had only moderate
liked income, as manager of some
works In the north.
Somehow, after her marriage his
lalf-sister slipped away from Mr.. Tai
oerts life. AS whole sisters and
brothers 30 often do the same this fact
not astonishing. Mrs. Carruthers
had several children one after
another they died oil. She wrote to her
half-brothcr announcing the birth or
the death of each. He answered her
letters in Il congratuiatory or concilia'
tory way as the occasion required
| IN 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
:trapping young fellow of seventeen.
Mr.. Carruthcrs left his widow an
annuity for life and few hundreds in
ready money. She lived well within
her in come, and expended her capital
in finishing her son education. she
NAV have had some of old Talbert's
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 be-
haved 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 ass stance. This was given readily
and the young man was once more set
off straight.
Then suddenly Mrs. Carruthers died.
Out of her annuity she had saved
enough each year to pay premium of
assurance, and Frank, then lust twenty
one, found that her foresight and love
put him in possession of some seven.
teen hundred pounds.
Whatever his faults might have been
he was pass onately fond OF his mother.
Her death seemed to make changed
man of him. He Immediately paid back
Mr.. Talbert's loan-better still, he
went 10 work like horse an intellec-
tual horse, of course. The consequence
was that he became one OF the most
shining lights of his year, and was, in
due time. rewarded by fellowship.
This was lucky; for after having re =
paid Mr. Talbert he had only money
enough left 10 carry him to the end of
his Oxford course.
Eventually he settled down to try
and make his living. or augment the
emoluments of his fellowship, as 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 few. But he stuck to
the business and latterly had been given
as much, even more than he could
manage. Hence the overwork.
Ills he Clergyman" asked Beatrice.
ale must be, i suppose.
NO" said Herbert. "He never took
orders. The fellowship he holds did
not make that indispensable.
"They ought all to be like that, y"
said Beatrice. "Men oughtn't to be
forced or bribed to enter the church
Besides" continued she, 'they ought
not to make man give up his fellow
ship 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 becoming quite a
philosopher on the subject of marriage,
She spoke about it as if it were an I'M
possibility that she herself would ever
be interested in the matter.
"My dear" said Uncle Horace, gal
lantly, 81 don't think man would
consider two hundred a year great
sacrifice if you were in the question. "
She smiled family at the compliment.
Still the system must be bad, she
said. lit might lead to all sorts of IN
pleasantness. A man might keep his
marriage a dead secret-might not
marry at all. All sorts of misery might
result"
"You may be sure" said Herbert,
whatever isis best"
EXACTLY So" said Horace.
III AN sure it is bad" she said deci-
sively.
Miss Clauson must have been in ad-
vance of her day, the authorities now
having in great measure adopted her
views and changed the system.
''Shall we write and tell him to
Gomez" asked Horace. ut won't be
any annoyance to youP"
''Why should it be what difference
will it maker Ask him by all means. !"
Then, hearing the patter of little feet
\ outside she left her uncles to answer
their letters and in a few minutes was
out in the garden romping with the
child.
Horace wrote a beautifully worded
letter TO Frank Carruthers, expressing
the pleasure no and his brother felt at
hearing of the promised visit He
begged him to fix his own day for CON-
ing and to stay as long as he conven-
iently could The letter was handed to
J Herbert for pcrusal and approval. Her
bert read 1t. and after nodding his head