Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-17
WRITTEN FOR THE EVENING STAR BY
INGERsOLL LOCKWOOD
ICouynghted.l
CHAPTER /.

GONE WHO READ this rather curious tale
- NAV be inclined to question my statement
when tell them that it IL founded on fact; but
To all such doubters / make answer that the
CIecEs are az old New England family and that
nv grandfather. DIR. Septimius Clegg the first
FOX I'm the third-was Benedict Arnold staff
surgeon and Just about as recklessly brave as
that great leader and that have in nv pos
session pair of very handsome silver-mounted
holster pistols, with which he amused himself
firing at red coats when he should have been
attending to his hospital duties And that this
being the case it will not be difficult task for
any one 50 inclined TO apply the litmus of in
vestigation to this relation and satisfy himself
of the absence of any Of the acid of fiction.
of nv father more anon, but may say here
that he was a uuiet country doctor. very in
telligent man whose ample means made prac-
tire unnecessary and that his leisure time. of
which he had abundance, was devoted to
the study of science with a view to the preven-
ton rather than the cure of disease.
am nv father all over again-a perfect
mental a. well as physical replica, even to a
dread of the noise made in tearing paper and
to the ownership OF ridiculousiy short, almost
rudimentary thumbs
In al the old deeds the Clegg farm is de-
scribed a. situate. living and being in the par
ish Of Poquonock. township of Windsor. COM
mOnwealth Of Connecticut. comprising 300
acres more OF less; but upon nv fathers death
l sold of the greater portion of this land as
the wooden mills and anchor foundry which be
established and IN the management of which
he had retained a controlling interest were
sufficient tax upon my time and attention
without working the old farm. At the date of
these experiences the Clegg residence was
without question one of the finest specimens
of colonial architecture in the old common
wealth. took great pride IL keeping 1t In
perfect repair. but IN spite of Its exterior and
interior dignity and grandeur, like my father,
i preferred to inhabit a smaller building stand
Ing about hundred rods from the mansion,
which variOusly known as Dr. Clegg
Office. study or laboratory.
Here was q delightful little world of my own.
where apart from lne noise and hustle of exist
euce and surrounded by my books. papers and
chemical paraphernalia lived life which
So sweet with cpnteHtment and fragrant with
deep and Jnrestrained thought that You may
imagine / passed most of nv time here. But
To make this possible il was necessary for NE
to have an assistant of far more than usual
competence and trustworthiness. In one.
Branwell Yokel. / had found such a person.
He extraordinary man, of wonderful
business capacity and seemed TO divine nv
wishes 80 readily that be spared me the trouble
of long explanation. a thing which was ex-
tremely distasteful TO me. He enjoyed my
confidence thoroughly that | can't remem-
Der ever having added up a column of figures
in any one of his account. And vet he was
not pleasant-faced man. and was so lacking
in urbanitv and amiabiity that frequent COM
plants reached ME. But his industry. honesty
and capability reduced all such censure to
unnoticeable quantity.
There was one thing the world was ALWAYS ex-
pecting me to do but which | never did. and
that was TO marry. There were two reasons
why refrained from taking a wife. one was nv
dread lest should get to love her better than /
did nv books and the other and the more sub
stantial was that / feared she nigh. in hec New
England love Of orderliness insis- 2on arrang-
ing my papers and tidying my st1dy.
But think rot that was in any sense of the
word a selfish man. Across the garden in the
grand old family mansion had three hearts
beating for me. three hearts so warm and true
that they kept my life filed with the sunshine
OF love. One belonged to Mrs Myra Clegg,
relict of Amos Clegg. a cousin of nv fathers.
She had been for Years at the head of mt house,
hold and was q woman of most lovable charac-
ter; the second heart Redeemed the cheeks OF
her daughter-a maiden so sweet in disposition
and fair III face and form richly to merit
the name which had been bestowed upon her
IEeOdOra. gift of the gods; while the third of nv
trio of hearts hung III the breast OF nv be-
loved Writ. my adopted son. At this time he
was within a short distance of the twenty
second milestone in the journey of life, and
handSomer. manlier. eleverer young man would
have been hard to find. Writ had but one
fault. if / NAV call it such. and that was his
shyness of women. Yet. strange to say. he en-
jOyed the reputation of being a mischievous
rOliicking fellow among his classmates in col
lege.
half suspect all this was nv fault. / had
made him even in early bOyhoOd n lover of
books and given his mind that peculiar twist
which now had good reason to deplOre.
When man reaches fifty. as | had. and sees
patch of white his temples. il is quite
natural fOr him to have serious thoughts con-
corning the Use 10 which he shall put the ten or
fifteen wears Vet TO his credit
This was nv case exactly. had large for
tune and 1 now desired 20 put INV earthly house
III complete order. SO that if should be taken
away there would be no confusion. no dread of
any catastrophe. only tears and regrets at nv
absence. followed by sweet calm and enrolling
devotion to NV memory.
To this end sought an interview with Cousin
Myra. a woman of extremely serene and logical
intellect. and made known my plans to her.
which were to bestow NV entire property upon
Writ and have him make Theodore his wife.
This done life would take on a new charm for
me. and seated in a snug corner of the dear old
fireplace 1 shouldn't die. but should merely
fall asleep with the sweet voices of these best
loved on earth growing fainter and fainter in
nv ears like music on the water as the boat
which bears the singers drifts gently down the
stream
To nv more than astonishment Cousin Mvra
proceeded To inform Inc that Theodore had
and with some show Of reason. too, must adj
NIT reached the conclusion that Writ disliked
her, that IL was idle for her to indulge in anv
dream Of ever becoming his wife. and that
therefore she had by her silence, at least given
q semblance of favor TO the suit of Mr.. Yokel.
MIR. YokeE' 1 stammered out.
why. YES. cousin. il seems that one day last
winter Mr. Aokel saved TheodOra's life.
''Theodoras hfe!' | repeated as in a dream.
"Why. have heard nothing of this"
Nor either. cousin. continued Mrs. Clegg
until two DAYS ago. Theodore kept it from
me. 1 now learn that while visiting the WOODEN
mills the skirt of her dress caught into the
machinery and that Mr. Yokels presence of
mind alone saved her from instant death"
And he has now asked Theodore to be his
Wife came from me in a tone which sounded
30 Cnlike my own voice that l was startled by it.
Yes. replied Cousin Myra.
i turned quickly away To conceal nv emo
ton One would have thought that this ac ton
on Iokels part would have opened nv eyes to
his true character. But il did not l attrib-
uted his failure to inform me of his love for
Theodore and his suit for her hand to nv own
repellent and unsympathetie nature. However
i none the less firmly resolved 70 ignore his
proposal completely and exert myself to the
utmost TO accomplish my long cherished pro-
ject of a union between Writ and Theodore, /
had observed them both with the trained eve
OF a specialist and was thoroughly convinced
that they loved each other. and Vet realized
now that had no easy task before me. con-
fronted as i was by the difhdence Of the one
and the sense OF duty Of the other. therefore
had recourse to a little rrse. / pretended that
certain matters made IL imperatively necessary