The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-05-24
RUPERT'S RETURN.

light contend with the glare from the
girandoles. Below lay the orchard of
Vernon Garth, rich in heavily Powered
fruit trees-yonder medlar, here
pear next ounce. AS my eyes, unac-
customed to the day, blinked rapidly,
the recollection came of scene forty
five years past, and once more beneath
: the Oldest tree stood the girl l loved,
mischievously plucking yarrow, and,
despite it's evil omen, twining the
| snowy clusters in her black hair. Again
her coquettish words rang in my ears:
Make me thy lady! Make me the
! richest woman in England, and prom
| Use thee, Rupert, we shall be the nap
piest of Gods creatures" And l re-
: membered how the mad thirst for gold
! filed me; how l trusted in her fidelity,
| and without reasoning or even telling
+ her that / would conquer fortune for
! her sake, kissed her sadly and passed
, into the world.
Then followed n complete silence I'M
| til the Star of Europe. the greatest
: diamond discovered in modern times,
Law in my hand--a rough, unpublished
stone, not unlike the Jumps of spar l
! had often seen lying on the sandy lanes
of my native country. This should be
| Roses own, and all the others that
clanked so melodiously in their leather
bulse should go toward fulfilling her
! ambition. Rich and happy l should be
| soon. and should / not marry an I'M
| titled gentlewOman, sweet in her
| prime? The twenty years interval of
| work and sleep was like fading
! dream, for l was going home. The
. knowledge thrilled me so that my
: nerves were strung tight as iron ropes
aud l laughed like young boy. And
it was all because my home was to be
in Rose Pasc2ls arms.
| crossed the sea and posted straight
fer IIalkton village. The old hOstelry
WAS crowded.. Jane Hopgarth whom
Remembered us Il ruddyfaced child,
stood OIL the boX-edged terrace, cOurte-
Sying in matrOHly fashion to the de-
parting mail coach. An alteration in
the signD0Ird attracted my attention;
tie white ii cs had been painted over
with Il Elitre, and the name changed
from the Pascal Arms to the Lord
bishop. Angrily, aghast at this dis
loyalty. | croSs-QueStiOned the 'OStlerS,
who hurried to and fro, but failing to
obtain any coherent replies l was fam
II content myself with mental denun-
citation of the times.
Twilight had fallen before | reached
tie cottage at the entrance of the park.
This was in ruinOus condition.; here
and there sheaves Of the matched roof
had parted and formed creviccs through
which smoke filtered. Some Of the tiny
windows had been walled up, and even
where the glass remained Snake-like
! ivy hindered any light falling into their
thick receSSeS.
The door stood open, although the
evening was chilly. AS | approached,
the heavy autumnal dew shook down
from the frs and fell upon my shout
ders. A bat, SWOOping in an undulatiOn,
struck between my eyes and fell to
the grass, moaning querulOuSly. | ell
tered. A withered woman sat beside
the peat fire She held Il pair of steel
knitting-needles, which she moved with
out cessation. There was no thread
upon them, and when they clicked her
lips tWitched as if she had counted.
= Some time passed before l recognized
Roses foster-mOther, Elizabeth Car
less. The russell colOrs of her cheeks
had faded and left Il sickly gray; those
SullhclI, ullIlll6u eyes were
like the bright black orbS that had
danced so mirthfully. Her stature, too,
had Shrunk. was struck with wonder
Elizabeth could not be more than fifty:
six years old. had been away twenty
years; Rose was fifteen when I left
her, and l had heard Elizabeth say
that she was only twenty-one at the
time of her darling'S weaving. But
what a change! She had such an air
of weary grief that my heart grew
sick.
Advancing to her side, touched her
arm. She turned, but neither spoke
nor seemed aware of my presence.
Soon, however, she rose, and, helping
herself along by grasping the scanty
furniture, tOttered to q window and
peered out. Her right hand crpDt to
| her throat; she united the string of her
: gown and took from her bosom a DO
mander set in a battered silver case
cried out: Rose had loved that toy in
her childhood; thousands of times had
we played ball with it. Eliza
beth held 1t to her mouth and mumbled
it, as If it were q baby'S hand. Mad
dened with Impotence, I caught hel
shoulder and roughly babe her say
, ! where l should find Rose. But some
thing awoke in her eyes, and she
shrank away to the other side of the
house-place. 1 followed; she covered
on the floor, looking at me with 6
, ! strange horror. Her lips began tc
move, but no sound issued. Only when
/ crossed to the threshold did she rise
and then her head moved wildly from
side to side and her hands pressed
close to her breast, as if the pain there
were too great to endure.
l ran from the place, not daring t.
, look back. In a few minutes l reached
the balustraded wall of the hall garden
The house looked as if no careful hanC
had touched it for years. The elements
had played havoc with its oriels, an(
> many of the latticed frames hung OF
single hinges. The curtain of the blue
parlor hung outside, draggled ant
, faded. and half-hidden by thicl
: J growth Of bindweed.
| With an almost savage force I raised
my arm high above my head anC
! brought my fist down upon the centra
panel CT the door. There was no neet
) fer such Violence, for the decayet
= fastpningS made no resistance, ant
, some OF the rotten boards fell to thu
| ground. AS I entered the hall and saw
\ VIC Sth%lCIII III IAIttAlC, Ol1CC ~
! Kept. now widowed and crumbling II
| dust. quick sobs burst from my throat
l How ,nanv carols had we sung to it
, music! AS 1 passed my foot struck on
r ! Of the legs, and the rickety structur,
. groaned rs if it were coming to pieces
: ! thrust out my hand to steady it, bu
at Lly touch the velvet covering of tn
lii came off and the tiny gilt orna
| m~rtS ratified downward
. T:y now the full moonlight pierce
l TIC window and quivered on the floor
I AS 1 gazed on the tremulous pattern
e changed into quaint devices of hearts
s dnggers, rings and a thousand othe
E tokens. All suddenly another 0bjec
|. glided among them so quickly that
l wondered whether nay eyes had bee
!; at fault-a tiny satin shoe, stained erin
!. son across the lappets. A revulsion O
l. feeling came to my soul and drov
t away all my fear. I had seen tina