Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-11-19


at all events 1 am convinced that 4
great wrong was committed by that |
man, and that an innocent lady was
made to suffer the consequences.
-InnOcentl1 repeated Laura Della |
mere. In an indescribable tone
@Yes, innocent white, faWless as
truth itselfi1 said Mrs. Crecy, firmly.
Il would pledge my life upon that But
surely you are mad TO breathe such a
theme here Hushl Forget il, dear;
my Lord Incheape comes"
These two ladies were seated side by
side in two great blue easy chairs, in the
center Of brilliant company; the place
was the little gem theater in Dormant,
the Crecy residence, and the occasion
was a grand entertainment given to the
local gentry by the Squire and his wife,
in honor OF their only sons return home
from the university for the last time.
A fairy extravaganza was about to be
performed by several Of the youthful
bellies and beaux of the neighbOrhoOd,
and the goodly company were enjoying
light talk while waiting for the azure
and silver act-drop curtain to rise upon
fairy land.
@Faithl 1 take this as very kind of
you!" exclaimed the jolly Squire, who
had hustled forward to meet Lord Inch
cape, and he grasped the pale, sinewy
hand his iOrdship offered with a warmth
that might have crushed the fiabby mem
Der OF fine gentleman
Il wanted to see your boy, Hal, re-
piled Incheape, his dark unsmiling eyes
softening a little as they met the simple
delight expressed in the Sources.
nineteen now, isn't he? I've heard
Edgar Arden speak about him-he likes
him.
@Auberon's his mothers boy. There
amt much of rough old Hal in him, "
along, George; won't Alice be pleased?"
He led him down the aisle towards
Mrs. Creey. murmur OF surprise and
interest following them.
The Earl of Inchcape was still in the
prime of life; a noble martial carriage
and the easy grace which is learned in
courts. spoke OF a time not far past
when he must have participated in all
that was most stirring and glittering in
life; and yet, as he walked down the
center Of that gazing throng, he might
have come from the antipOdes so struck
were they by his appearance in public,
and so sternly unresponsive was he to
all their glances.
But his proud mien altered when he
stood before Alice Crecy and Laura Del
lamere-they were indissOlubly linked
with a time when his earthly felicity was
at its zenith
These two fair women had been the
faVOrite associates of his wife, En-
gelonde, his beautiful young wife whom
the world had for five years deemed
dead The lady had been his second
wife a fascinating American; and for
one fair summer she had ruled, a queen
of society, in his ancestral castle, and
these two ladies had been her chosen
aids in the entertainment of her guests
So inseparable were they that fiatterer
had POLITICALLY named them the Three
(.ranaG mira which unnef haVa
Cured to the earl with poignant assO-
Citations as he now stood in their pres
ence for the first time in five years, and
looked from face TO face, visit ully, as If
he missed the third Grace from her place
But he put an iron cOnstraint upon
himself and greeted them with faultless
fOrmality. One would have supposed
that the naughty earl had not one
"reminiscences in common with these
| once Intimate companions of his adored
wife; and the eager interest of the on
I lockers subsidized as they saw there was
TO be no scene for their amusement
@YOur son is to remain at home with
/ you for the future, 1 understand, " said
| Lord Inchcape to his hostess.
An involuntary smile indicated the
mothers pleasure in the subject chosen
/ by his lordship.
THAT is his owA election" said she,
proudly. Sand a very we come one to US,
although we would not have exacted 1t
I as a duty, for AuberOn possesses some
/ gifts beyond the requirements of a coun-
/ try gentleman"
MADAM, your son is a genius, Edgar
! Arden says remarked Inchcape, "A
/ poet aud a musician. He will lose
nothing by a seasons retirement in
happy home with a mother who compre-
bends him." and he pointed the compli-
ment by cOurtier bow.
U hntT-a forfaf oft -
/ cried the Jolly squire. chuckling. SI'n
lay my head against a penny you'll find
him as game a hunter as any humping
turnip squire among US all "
~His fathers son could be nothing
less than a thoroughbred English gen
tleman." returned Lord Inchcape, with
that softer look which he always gave
to bluff Hal Crecy. Sand what of your
fair daughter, madame?" added he,
addressing Mrs. Dellamere. as she not
a grown-up young lady nOW?"
This is her first presentation to So
| ciety,9 answered Mrs Dellamere; "she
is now seventeen and as tall as she
means to be-which, however, is not up
to my shoulder
Il remember her as a little witch in
short frocks and long golden curls, the
| inseparable playmate of Auberon Crecy, n
| said Inchcape dreamily. SThey used to
come to the FOsse for Viva; what a pic
ture the little group made. We used to
watch them from the WindOwSR
AS he spoke he turned his gloomy gaze
upon the ground, and gnawed his lips
In those days which he had inadvertent-
I ly recalled, his fair wife Engelonde was
by his side when he watched the pretty
trio.
~Loveday affects to have outgrown
her early sentiment for Auberon, -
said Mrs Dellamere lightly "She will
now crave a fema,e companion of her
own age. ami 1 trust she will find one in
your daughter when she returns to you.
Is not her education nearly finished now,
and may we not soon look for her?S
Mrs Dellamere was one of the most
graceful of society queens. and posse s.
ed infinite tact, and she would no more
/ have pr, sumed to ask these questions
than she would have thrust her hand
into the fire, If she had known what a
wound she was probing.
Lord Inchcape's face hardened into
stone, and as she uUwittingly caught his
eye she met such a whitening look Of
derision that she with rev her own with
I precipitation utterly abashed.
Il fear Lady Ulva will not return
to Stafford for some time" said my
lord, eoldlY; then with a re -Olute change
Of subject he went on to say: as that
her grace the Due hess of Carts brooke
see yOnder? 1t is, indeed, and seeming
ly as Vivac Gus as she was eighty years
ago"
He leaned against a column beside the
. ladies'. and folding his arms, relap ed
into silence, the trigid re erve of a mis-
anthrope-
Mr.. Creey's hand stole toward Mrs.
pres, ed il meaningly.
PerhaDs they knew inst a little more