The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-06-28
AeAANeE chEcknlTE,

teen. unemancipated from tho srh6ol
room. My father Was land is -banke1
at siston. The town lies in q vale,
and by agreat many people is thought
unhealthy. Having a kinsman whom
he can thoroughly trust as actin,
manager. papa these many years
since has abandored thu red house
in siston Broadway, and resided a,
the Manor. Walnsey. This is, howeve,
twelve miles from his place Of business
eight by rail eaasd to four by road
The Manor has one drawback,
stands in very isolated situation
Our nearest neighbours are our name
sakes, the -Escotts OF WalnseSsCros
and Valentie Lodge. the country sea,
of Capt. Milne Escott, lies westward
across the ~ilderness We call tn,
Heath a good three miles.
The month when my story opens
was that Of February Fill.dike, and
and it was iustifying its name. O.
storms we seemed to have a ceaseleee
succession. Heavy rains and higl
winds had been for several weeks the
prevailing meteorological condition
Ahce-my. younger =. sister-aud
L, were prisoners within doors
and we should have : found
time drag more heavily than it did
but for the presence OF Val. An only
brother is always a girls hero, and
Val was ours. In age he came be.
tween us, and his proper place At this
period OF the year vas at Rugby
But he had met Will, IN accident at
Christmas, and Was 8nly. fist con.
va'escent: 9.enGe his holidays had
elceeay lasted in excess q full fort.
night OF the working term. AS per-
haps Val may read this. I will be
candid, and add that :iiere were sea.
sons when, ewing to his teasing, we
heartily wished him back in: the Md
lands The Tuesday on which papa
announced his urgent summons to
Ferris court was, however. not one
OF those occasions. Boreas was
doing his best to bring: the: house
about our ears. We could not pos
sibly go out in the tempest. We were
not ultra enthusiastic readers, and
fancy work was ever Alice's bette noir;
therefore We must have settled into
tame subsection to enncs but FOR Val.
1t was hls business, as he put it, to
make things lively, and he did.
had ventured to demur to papa's
going. Surely 1t was my place to care
:or him as mamma would have done
had she lived, and his health had
troubled me OF late, thoughtless as
too frequently was.
"It is q dreadfully rough dav.
papa" l said. Cannot Sir Hugo
Ferris wait? It is such distance
too, to Ferris Court; and all across
country. You can't reach the place
readily by rail-"
"No; wish that 1 could" papa an
swered. "But the journey is quite i'm.
perative. Sir Hugo is one OF our best
patrons. He telegraphs that his de-
parture for Algiers is fixed definitely
for Thursday-an alteration of a week
IN his arrangements; and I have ur-
gent matters to discuss with him. He
inssts-toolishiy, but l cannot help
it-cn negotiating with the principal;
he will have none of Mr.. Bellows"
suppose my face was visibly lengthen.
ing, for before could reply, papa add
ed: 'Don't look so glum about it.,
Maggie. You'll be quite safe here in
charge OF Mrs. Climber, our new house.
keeper. l am convinced that, after
many changes and mishaps, we have
secured a treasure. l say this be-.
cause it is uncertain if l shall return
tonight.
"Not return tonight" / echoed
heIplessly.
no" he said. II have decided to
take the horses the whole way; and
as the roads are in a bad state,
Spence will put the cattle up in the
next village and then drive me back
the next morning. shall be sure oil
comfortable quarters at Ferris
Court" 80: -
"ls it quite-safe?".l asked -
"For ME to do you mean?''@:>
moo, for us: This house is so
lonely, and it is known that there are
mammals jewe.s-and the pictures
and the plate"
Papa scotfed at my fears. "We are
too far from the track of-the light
fingered prow!er to receive his atten.
tions,' he answered.
: But 1t was an error.
Ever since that. day I have had a
lurking belief in presentiments.
know very we'll that the. confession
will cause somesuperiorp persons, forti-
fled, in the lines OF q sane common
sense, to smile with pity at my eirlish
weakness. l am somewhat disposed
to smile with them; and yet it
is not more certain that a plot exist
ed to riilc the manor, than
that hour by hour after papa had
gone ! grew more and more vaguely
but genuinely uneasy. said nothing
to either Val or Alice. What was
there to say?. Nor to Mrs. Climber.
Somehow mad not taken to the fresh
arrival so warmly as the others.
did not dispute that her recommen Ell.
dat;ons were 6rst-class, that her de.
meanor to each Of us was precisely
what it should be-neithef overdefer.
entail nor too familiar-that she was
Il slillf!l house mistress and a paragon
of order. :. ~.
Dusk thicEened ut last,~ and we had
the approval Of orr consciences in
closing blinds and drawing curtains
to. and shutting out by every recog.
n,zed expedient the driving cloud rack
the desoIate fandscape and the con.
slant drip, drip of the complaining
trees. And then Val accepted stray
challcnge-mine or Alice's, 1 cannot
now be sure;the point is immat erial-
and proceeded, with flow OF boyish
e!oQuence which promised we'll for his
intended future at the bar, to vindi.
cate his latest hobby, the science OF
Irs.phiology. He had q notable little
collection OF autographs and speci.
mems OF caligraphy which ne rummag.
ed out Of his hoard OF treasures; and
upon these he descanted with all the
aogmatism Of the professor and all
the:fervoruf the disciple. As he was
pointing out to half skeptical critics
md listeners an nlieped resemblance