St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-25

my friend. A long time ago he was my
fathers lawyer. My father, he once owned
Buena Vista and all the land up and down
the coast for miles,
Almedo paused, as if expecting some COM
ment, but Ralph coughed and said:
"Indeed?"
sob, yes; he was very rich. 1t cut my
heart when he died and the land had to be
sold. But grieve no more.'
'That is the best plan,' said Ralph
vaguely.
mo, grieve no more, for now 1 know it
shall all be mine again very soon."
''The Colonel is going to sell back, eh!"
sob, no, no, no! Not thatr'
Seeing that a comment was needed again,
Ralph fell back on:
''Indeed?" ."-
"Oh, yes; you have met the Colonel's
daughter, the beautiful Senorita Dora?"
Yes" coughed Ralph, with lump in his
throat. 81 have had that honor
''Wel, she is to be my wife!''
Almedo waited again, but there was no
comment. The lump in Ralph's throat got
SO very large that he could not have uttered
a more euphonious word than indeed"
''Oh, yes; for that I have the Colonel's
promise. He made it to me five, six years
ago.
''When Miss Dora was a child?' said Ralph,
with gasp of relief; and the feeling with
which he had regarded the man, ripening
from Indifferent dislike to genuine hate
''Oh, yes; but that matters not" and Al
medo f1ecked the ashes from the tip of his
cigarette.
1.-The young lady has, of course, concurred
in her fathers wishes?"
''Oh, she will do that promised not to
ask her till after this birthday, but she will
do as her father says. And Senior Holmes?"
What is it. captain?'
s'The wedding shall be within two. three
MONTHS
"Yes?"
'Oh, yes; and if you are still in California
l shall be so pleased that you shall be pres
ent. Now the servants are locking up, and I
shall say to you good night
Ralph rose with the captain and said
'good night" but it was not done with the
good grace that usually characterized his
speeches of courtesy.
He went to his own room and to bed Won
dering the while why Captain Almedo should
make him the custodian of SO important
secret. The more he thought it over the
more he disliked the captain, and the more
convinced he became that the fellow was ly-
ing and jealous and that he had taken this
means of frightening away supposed rival.
The long drive, and the excitement and
festivities at Buena Vista left Ralph very
tired. His mind was in such tumult that
he felt quite sure there was no sleep for him
hat ,;,I+
ga. H." and Captain Almedo, with occasional
flashes of Lord Pelham, chasing each other
through his brain, he dropped off to sleep.
When he awoke the next morning and,
reaching under his pillow, consulted his
watch, he was amazed to find that it was
ten minutes past eleven.
At the library door, which was at the front
Of the great stairs, he met Colonel Morton,
who shook hands with him in the most cor
dial way, was glad he had had good Sleep and
comforted him with the assurance that Buena
Vista was ''liberty hail. and that half the
guests had not yet been down to breakfast.
'Dora has just gone in said the Colonel,
waving his hand toward the breakfast room,
"and as she is alone [ am sure she will be
delighted to have you breakfast with her,
On the instant Ralph forgot all about
Almedo. He found Dora alone. and he
fastened to take the chair beside her, to
which she welcomed him.
She was very beautiful in her superb cos
tune and amid the splendid setting of the
previous evening, but this morning. in her
simple white dress and with no adornment
but sprig of heliotrope below the round
white throat she looked to him more like an
angel than any human being he had ever seen.
They discussed the fete, and she naively
called his attention to some of the pretty
girls, who had been her schoolmates in Paris
and who were her friends now Then, with
low-voiced affection, she spoke of her mother
who she said had long been an invalid.
"Indeed, Mr.. Holiness she went on. sif it
were not that you came yesterday, 1 fear
mother would not have left her room. much
as she wanted to welcome my friends. But
when DR.. Ellerton telegraphed from the city
that you were coming, she made up her mind
to welcome you in person.
81 certainly feel honored by her great kind
ness" said Ralph, "but did not know that
she was aware there was such person in ex-
istence as myself"
''She certainly knew it; and want you to