Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-29

OF Nancy generosity, that lady was extremeI,
II think, Lucy, she answered .stbs hes
| thing that we con do now under the circnm
stances, is to begin to keep house together
iou see, win our united incomes We wouIf
fully have thousand year and that ,ronId an
able us to live most Comfortably and in batte,
style, w illS Is very essential as Nancy ha,
this idea, for if we decide on /. we shouid he
| gin TO look out for better honse9;, ~
But MIS-; Lotus only made some evasive re.
ply 10 TINS proposal; she was thinking sadly
enough OF the time when, had her sister.in-I law
offered to Join her in housekeeninv that II
WOULD nave peen almost everything to hei
fatherless children; but the offer was not then
made. '9 -' '-e-
CHAPTER xxlV--THE SUSPENDED SWORD.
While Nancy was drinking tea at her mothers
and smiling and chatting to her Young brothel
ahG sisters 81 the suspended sword had fallen,
which IN truth had hung over Gilmore's head
almost from mis- plfth, bringing intense rage,
fury, and utter establishment 70 his soul.
au sncy Ieit him when Mr. Stafford
him in his usual pleasant easy fashion,
An, hr. stafford, - he said, '.how are youi
was terribly shocked to hear she had had such
an attack
1T was very serious seizure, - answered the
lawyer graveiy; but she is SO far recovered
now that she has regsined her speech and narti-
ally the use OF her limbs'
- am most awfully sorry; you know she and
had little disagreement at the time of nv
marriage, but never expected or intended that
it should be serici Is. shall go down to Wroths-
ley TO see ner at once L Think,
The lawyer cast down his ewes considering
how best to break his news, but for moment or
two spoke no word
Have you seen her?' asked Gilmore.
Yes answered Mr. Stafford, now looking
up II was lately sent for to go to Wrothsley
on most extraordinary business; in fact so ex-
traordlnary that could scarcely believe the
evidence of my own Senses
'Ana what was that?'' asked Gilmore sharp
ly, who was struck by the lawyer manner
81 shall begin by asking you, - said Mr.. stat
ford, Iii you remember or ever heard OF an
elder brother OF yours, who was supposed to die
IN infancy?"
81 could not very well remember him a. he
died when was baby; but have heard nv
father speak OF him ami say he was a hunch-
back: But why do you say supposed to die? He
did die, fof when my poor father was buried 1
saw his little coffin in the vault at Wrothsley."
Yet now your mother, Lady Gilmore, de-
clares that he did not die
Wharf" interrupted Gilmore. and his face
grew pale.
Lady Gilmore declares most solemnly, and
made deposition i n my presence, and that OF 3
magistrate and Catholic priest, to the effect
that this child is still alive. He is now, of
course, grown to manhood, and was brought up,
Lady Gilmore atfirms, by his nurse, a Mrs.
brewster, with her full knowledge and COUNT
vance, and she now wishes, and indeed mas
acknowledged him her son, and he is al
present at Wrothsley.''
An oath broke from Gilmore's uuivering lfps
ut is a COMPOUNDED lie!'' he said loudly and
passionately. d" ! plot no doubt Matched by solue
of those Catholic priests, who have got round
my mother and Persuaded her to say anything in
her weak state. You don't surely for an instant
believe such a rubbish story?''
II would fain not believe it, Lord Gilmore,
but it is a most remarkable affair, and Lady Gill
more, who is in her perfect senses, seemed very
much in earnest
why, it carries absurdity on its facet What
possible motive could she have for saying the
child was dead if he were not?''
"a very strange one, if her account be true,
It seems your brother was born hunchback,
m e q OlSpnSU Of fail
who continually said harsh and bitter things 10
Lady Gilmore on the subject; and when you
were born openly declared that he wished this
child would die. so that you might become the
heir. And the temptation entered Lady Gil
more's mind-so she states-to take the child
away, and give out that it had died. She car
ried this out, she says, and took the baby and
his nurse TO an obscure village on the northern
coast and from thence wrote to your father that
the little heir had died of fever.
,''But how could such a thing be carried out?
There are such things certificates of births
and deaths, are there not?'
Certainly; and your mother forwarded a
forged certificate to your father and also had
carried with her TO this village little coffin.
She states she left the child and nurse there
and carried the coffin, hidden somehow, with
her back to town, and then drove with il 10
the house in Eaton square, and uncovered the
coffin she drove there, and it was carried into
the house by. the servants, who had been in
empty coffin had been securely screwed down
by the nurse before Lady Gilmore left the vii
lage, ana by LOrQ fillmore IS orders IL was
closed in second coffin in town, on which the |
age and date OF the boys supposed death was |
recorded, and it was then taken down to |
and deposited in the family vault.
''Then why" cried Gilmore excitedly. whose |
ace has grown paler and pal r during this mar !
,ative, twas this coffin not opene |, and this /
Insured story of sick womdn's fancies cast TO |
he winds?'
Lord Gilmore you should never have heard |
'uch a story from me If tn little coffin had not
,een opened. In my presence and that of one OF
II. 1-Har Y II
we wished no gossip in the place that |
We could help; in my presence then, and that of |
ir. Branaon, OF Brandon, who you know is
ma gistrate in your country, this coffin
opened, and we found it empty; and the one
oflin enclosed in the other just as your mother
described. The inner-coffiin has no inscription,
nut the outer one had. And forgot to say the
'atholic priesr, Father Hayward, was also
resent
YES, Father Hayward indeedl No doubt he
ras present to carry out his own plot? L believe
his is conspiracy to defraud me, and no doubt
his pretender that they have taken to Wroths-
ey has been brought up Roman Catholic?''
~ believe that is 500
~ thought as much. Well, Mr.. Stafford,
lean to fight this out to the very end, What,
pom by such a stupid fraud as this? I offended
~ mother by my marriage, and she is pas
ionate and even violent woman, and in her
niger she has allowed the priests to get hold of
er. and this empty coffin and invented story
re the consequences. -
at may be so but
basis. at is plot, and nothing but plot.
D rob me of my inheritance"
Amy man would fe ! as you do under the cir
nmstances, and must say nothing could JUS
fly Lady Gilmore in acting as she has done. If
er story be indeed tue the wrong she did her
dest son is not so great as the wrong she now
ould do you. But will show you her deposi-
1.-THE deposition of a mad woman!'' inter-
lpted Gilmore angrily.
"And one strange part of the case is that both |
our mother and this Mrs Brewster have pre-
srved the whole of the correspondence which
rs been carried on between them during the |
st tNventy-four years, concerning this boys
airing and education; and these letters bear
lie postrnarks of their different dates, which it |
ould be impossible now to procure. Lady Gill
ore also, when this young man was twenty
ne, advanced considerable sum of money to
ock and take farm for him, and Lady Gin
30 you believe all this, Mr.. Stafford?''
al have seen all these documents unfortu-
stely.
'sThen you mean to go over to them?'' said
ilmore passionately, the veins in his forehead {
arting with suppressed rage. I'm that case I ]
lall need another lawyer"
a. most earnestly ask you to consult not one I
1t dozen, Lord Gilmore. Let us have the best ]
Twice in town; consult with frst-rate counsel | /
! all the points that have had the unhappiness J
lay before you. And there is one thing have /
ought of-Lsdy Gilmore states that some four
i'd twenty years ago, on 8 certain date. she and
e nurse. Mrs. Brewster, took little hunch- n
.cked child to this northern village and that 4
q left the nurse and the child there She also | !
ates they have lived in the same village ever =
Il