Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-12-13
and I am not a lion, but it frishtens

roar at him!"
80 / WILL" responded Mr.. Parker,
inspired with extra courage by the old
g~entleman's absence, ''the very next
time. Upon my word, my dear Mrs.
Allenby, he nearly frightened me out
Of N examination"
Mr.. Barker did not return within two
or three days, but on the morning after
his departure for Southampton Mary
had a letter from George. Uncle Michael
was q man after his own heart, George
told her, and not very much unlike Mr..
Barker. "And you need not expect
him just yet" DR.. Hyde added. "He
knows a great many people in London,
business and otherwise, and i daresay
he will remain a few days with his SIS
ter-in-law, the other Mrs. Allenby, in
Orthorpe Square. lie knows / am writ
ing to you, so does Mr.. Barker. Uncle
Michael sends you his love. Mr.. Bark
er tells you To take care of the boy; he
is immensely fond Of the boy, though /
| do not think it means a orner in his
will-he is not a mar of that sort"
Nothing had eenfurther from Mary's
thoughts, and she felt indignant at the
suggestion.
II think" said Georges letter, in
conclusion, "the other Mrs. Allenby
will be rather sorry for her conduct TO
you. Uncle Michael knows everything
from Mr.. Barker, and has asked me a
number of questions. / could only an
swer as / know, apart from it as a mat
ter of right or wrong"
Mary was not inclined to care what
Uncle Michael might think OF it as a
matter of right OF wrong. She had TAX
en- her W independent way from the
beginning, and was prepared to accept
the consequence now. She did not want
anything from Uncle Michael, Mary
told herself, and the lady in Orthorpe
Square was sure TO set him against her
in spite of Mr.. Barker.
But the lady In Orthorpe Square was
in sore tribulation. Writing from
Southampton. Michael Allenby had, in
a second letter, made close and particu-
lar inquiries as To Arthur's wife. He
had met a friend, he said, who knew
the young doctor very we'll indeed, and
heard from him that Arthur had left,
not only a widow, but a child.
"You have never mentioned this in
your letters to me,n Mr.. Allenby wrote,
land doubtless you had your reasons
for it. But knowing how fond | was of
the lad, you might have informed me
on a point which was sure to be of vital
interest to me. / am glad, however,
that he left them in such good hands as
yours, otherwise the poor girl might
have had to work for her own living,
and work in any shape would be dis
creditable TO a proud and wealthy name
like ours
And what will he think" the state
" lady asked of her daughters, when
he hears she is keeping clearinghouse?
Who can have told him anything about
herr"
1T is too late to think of that now"
her eldest daughter replied. There is
nothing to be done, unless you like to
go and beg her pardon: ask her to close
her house, and bring herself and the
baby here, as if this had been her home
from the first
Mary would not do it," said her
younger sister Margaret; ''she was too
deeply offended, and no wonder. Mary
could never be a hypocrite-she would
not do anything for money, and we have
not been kind enough to make her do it
for love-"
Mrs. Allenby saw the force Of this.
She was a determined woman and in
her way a proud one. She, herself, had
thought Of some such thing as her
daughter Victoria suggested, though
the suggestion was made in irony, but
she had tried Mary's patient, unyield-
} ing disposition before and always failed
in the contest; there was nothing for 1t
but to stand her ground.
II wish the girl was dead" she said,
bitterly. II wish she had died before
Arthur ever saw her, she had a beggar-
ly old father, too. They were nothing
but paupers and pensioners on Arthur's
generosity. She tricked him into mar
riage with her pretty face and pensive
manners, and now, if your uncle saw
her and heard her story, he would think
we had ill-used her. What right had
she to keep my sons boy from me?"
"She is his mother" Margaret said,
quietly.
II was Arthur's mother" vas the re-
ply. "And would I have let any selfish
love of mine stand in his way? / would
have resigned him, even for ever, and
to the breaking of my heart; and that
girl took him from me. / hate her! l
hate herl"
"Just now, my dear mamma" Vic
toria said, sweetly, lyon look as if you
could put poison in her tea; but it does
seem a pity she should be so thorough
ly in our way. You may depend upon
it, Uncle Michael will take a fancy to
her, she has very winning ways, and he
Is sure to admire what he will consider
her independent spirit, just as surely as
his money will go to Arthur's boy and
she will have the interest Of it during
her lifetime"
'Do you wish to drive me mad?" Mrs.
Allenby said, turning upon her tiercely.
Il have thought OF these very things
myself, and / could strange her."
$50 could l." said her eldest daugh-
ter, with sweet and savage slowness.
"She took Arthur from you and she has
taken George Hyde from me. He has
not said so, but it is the truth, my dear
mamma"
There was not a little of the tigress
disposition in Miss Victoria, just as
there was the supple tigress beauty. No
two sisters could have been much more
unlike than she and Margaret were.
Had not the youngest lady of the Allen
by family resembled Mary not a little
in her quiet strength of character, she
would have Jared very badly indeed al
the hands of those two.
Margaret is right" Mrs. AIlenby
said; THAT girl would not do anything
for money, and we have not gone the
way to win her love. / thought she
would have lost her little property and
been ruined by her wretched lodging
house long ago."
"Daisy is generally right" said the
sw~eet-vOiced Victoria. For a girl SC
quiet and romantic, there is more com
mon sense about her than we possess
between us. l thought Mrs. Mary Al.
lenby would have been ruined by the
house long ago; and so she would but
she has an excellent adviser and bust
ness man in George Hyde. Perhaps
Daisy will lend us a little of her CON-
NOR aanso What would Won advise