The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-02-17
YRREl EHOB BOYS.
BY W. n. uoRr.1s

ward heard on excellent authority, was
that she was afraid to venture within
reach Of her husband, who had ordered
her away from him Immediately after the
boys death, assuring her that he was moi
master OF himself, and that she would ia
well to keep out Of his sight for some time
70 come. So she took him at his word
and He'd down to the hecountry, to the hourc
Of forget what friend, who undertook To
comfort her In her afiiiction. Bracknell
remained In London, and, az was told,
continued to go TO his club every day, to
gamble heavily and to drink hard,
called upon him several times, but he
was always out, and one day when I
ohanced upon him In the street, he told
me roughly that need not trouble to look
him up again.
"Kindly meant, I've no doubt, /" he said;
"but should be very much obliged to nv
friends II they wouldn't be so--.etc., etc. =.
ofiicious When / want to be condoled
with Ill let them know"
After that | could only leave him to
himself. Even II he had been willing to
listen TO mo, | should have been puzzled
10 discover any plausible form OF consola-
tIon; and certainly should not hive bit
upon that selected by my mother, who In
the oyerflowing Kindness of her heart
wrote him u long letter, in which she re.
minded him that among other I,lessinos
he still possessed his wife. / believe she
was afterward a little ashamed Of having
taken this bold step, and would never
have lot me know of ii had sbe been NH.
to resist showing me Bracknell,s reply
which was brief and pIthy, "
'Dear Mrs Maynard: / told your aon
ths other day that didn't wish to be con-
doled with, and | don't But / must say
TINT hardly expected TO be congratulated
Lady Bracknen IL not with me lust now.
or she would, | am sure. desire me 10
thank you for speaking of her as a bless-
ing. II ls probably the first time in her
Life tliat she has been called by TINT name.
and should think Ii woud he the Inst
Sincerely yours, BRAcKNEI1. .
My mother shook her head nj this
"He ought not to speak no Of Ills wife y
che said. And when brought forward
certain EXCUSES on BracknellIs behalf Il
would not shock her by mentioning all
those that might have been mentioned.
nor would she have believed in them IL /
had she only shook her bead the more
telling me that had no realizing sense OF
the saeredness Of marriage.
Whether / deserved that rebuke or not
ia Of small consequence but / might fairly
have retorted that nv dear mother. for
her part was little too sublimely indif.
ferent to the worldly side Of that contract
and that by her present conduct she was
In danger, not only Of making two people
more unhappy than there was any oc.
casion for, hut of getting herself into seri-
GUS trouble us well. However. / doubt
whether ANYTHING that I cuuld have aoid
would have prevented her from asking
Lady Mildred to come in to tea every other
meet her, She had nude up her mind
that this couple ought To lie mauied and
even that 1t was the will Of heaven that
they should be married. II would have
been too much to expect that the will Of
heaven should be set aside to please Lord
6taineg or Mr. Beauchamp, the latter OF |
whom, as my mother pointed out, nights
have proposed long ago, II he had chosen, I
but had preferred TO 40 of to Norway and
aatch salmon.
And so, during the summer, our house
Was made the scene Of what, to u common
place person like myself, wore very much
the appearance Of clandestine love max.
Ing. @.m#@
Lord Staines' suspicious were at length
aroused, and no sent for me to pour
hem into my ear. . IL was on fine au.
Eumn day that, In obedience to his sum
mons, walked up to Staines Court and
was shown into the library, where he now
lat from morning to night, and where, In
lpite Of the warmth Of the weather. n fire
was burning. He looked very feeble and
,roken, bending forward in his chair and
s
holding up thin, trembling hard to the
,laze.
"Maynard, /" he said, II want You. like
|. good fellow, to speak o word Of warning
% your friend Leigh. would rather not
peak myself, because, as YOU know, he
ias been caused trouble and disappoint-
mont by our family already, and i should
70 sorry to seem unfrlepdly to him. So