Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-02-27

DdCk, OF even WucIl uIG" up lIlIS All
strument 10 years ago"
| feared not also, for | knew that my
uncle's stud, through long run of i'll
luck and his own carelessness of ways
and means. rather than any diminution
of interest in his favorite pursuit. had
of late years dwindled almost to moth
ing, so that it was not likely l should
take much benefit from the bequest.
Still was glad to have been remem-
bered. Dear old Uncle Geoff, warm
hearted and true, Cheeriest friend of
my boyhood, had not forgotten his
nephew Little else had he to leave
him beyond his beloved nags, remnant
of once large and fairly successful
stable. His only personally besides
consisted of his household furniture
which was left to my luother-his only
sister-with IL picture CT two and some
antique chinaware of no great value
What money he had over possessed had
long been spent. with that free handed
liherallty which had made GeOff Dakyn
while it lasted-aye, and even beyond,
let it be said, to the credit of tho sport
ing coterie to which he belonged-most
popular of men. Even his racing plate
had gone to pay the interest of a mort
gage ON his real estate, which, being
entailed, descended now to second
cousin. one Richard Dallyn, who was
not greatly to be envied therefor, for
Stockwood Lodge was fearfully out of
repair, and the bit of pasture land about
it heavily inCumbered.
However. there was the legacy, such
= | ,,,.,l-o t1,,, l,act |
could of it. The question of course
was, Should | sell the horses ut once,
or wait to see what could be made by
running them? The sporting instinct
which is present even If undeveloped,
in most Englishmen inclined me to the
latter course, while my mother, who
had seen and indeed suffered much
from the indulgence of this instinct in
her own family, strenuously urged the
former-indeed she would listen to
nothing else than the immediate dis
posal of the animals
" If you had seen as much of it as l
have, my dear boy. the mater said
sententiously, "yOu would rather pack
them all of at once to the kennels than
have anything to do with horse rae
ing.
My sister Geraldine, on the other
hand, was all for having run with
them and said l must give her new
suit of furs for next winter out of my
first win.
II If you ever get so much as new
tennis racket. You Will be Il lucky girl,
Jill. " | rejoincd, and indeed 1 thought
so. but | meant to decide for myself in
the matter all the same.
But there was some one whom l was
bound to consider before either mother
or sister. What would Ella have to
say about it, and Ella S people? My re-
Iations with the Rev .CholmOndely-Dav
export, her father, were already some
what "stra:Hrd, " and as l had fully
made up my mind to marry the daugh-
ter | was naturally averse to anything
that would be likely to increase the
tension.
The Rev. Cholmondely and l had
never hit it off we'll together at all. l
tried to respect him as much as could
because of his daughter and because
other people seemed to and because
there was nothing in the least unreSpeCt-
able about him. So far from that, he
occupied All extremely good position.
He was rector of R1mpington and magis-
trate and rural dean. and both ecclesias-
tically and socially held in first rate es-
timatiOn in his own county. Still some
how could not respect him. l am not
particularly religious or over sQueamish
about such matters. and perhaps, being
only Il plain soldier, l don't much I'M
derstand them, but l do like man to
be true to his colors, and this did not
think the Rev. Cholmondely could be,
or why should he once a week insist so
strongly upon the absolute nothingness
of worldly possessions and social rank,
while upon all other occasions his WISH
BILE objects in life were to find the most
advantageous investments for his money
of which he had a great deal-and to
obtain the best settlements for his
daughters il marriage? Again, it SEEM
ed to me that man who really be-
lieved in the predestination of fear
fully large percentage of his fellow NOR
tails to an unhappy future ought to be
more concerned about it and not to be
sitting there in his handsomely appoint
ed dining room, slipping his port with
sured of his own safety. am not much
of theologian, and don't know what
may be the precise grounds for such a
! belief, but it seemed to me that if l felt
SO sure of it as the Rev. Cholmondely
did the thought would almost drive me
into an asylum.
On the other hand l was pretty sure
the Rev. Cholmondely did not respect
me at all. 1t would not occur to him
| to respect any one with SO small for
tune as mine, and indeed when l came
to propose for Ella he demonstrated
this in sufficiently plain terms. Had
he objected conscientiously to giving
his daughter to one of my profession,
could have reverenced his scruples.
But he assured me this was not the
case at all. He entertained the highest
respect for my profession. It was only
my rank in it that he took exception to,
and the absence of any family interest
to render it likely should ever obtain
any high military appointment. When
endeavored to point out the inconsis-
tency between his preaching and his
practice in connection with this, he be-
came so irritated that had to drop the
subject for the time, and no definite ar
rangement had been arrived at when !
came in for my uncle's legacy of the
| horses.
Now, here knew he would be fully
consistent. He abhorred racing, not
merely from principle, but, like my
1 aw4A - -