The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-11-16

thing to humiliate his people and the
girl who had spoiled his life. Some one
thing! 1t would be absolute and lasting.
1t would show how low had fallen his
opinion of women, of whom Julia Sher-
wood had once been chiefest to him. In
that he would show his scorn of her.
He would bring down the pride of his
family, who, he believed, had helped
out of mere selfishness to tumble his
happiness into the shambles.
He was older by years than an hour
ago. But he was not without the facul-
ty of humor That was why he did not
become very excited; it was also why
he determined upon comedy which
should have all the elements of tragedy.
Perhaps however, he had not carried
his purposes to immediate conclusions
were it not that the very gods seemed to
play his game with him, for while he
stood there looking out into the yard of
the fort Protestant missionary passed
the window. The Protestant missionary,
as he is found at such places as Fort
Charles, is not a strictly superior person.
A Jesuit might have been of advantage
to Frank Armour at that moment. The
Protestant missionary is not above COM
Portable assurances of gold. So that
when Armour summoned this one in
and told him what was required of him
and slipped a generous gift of the
queens coin into his hand he smiled
vaguely and was willing to do what he
was hidden. Had he been a Jesuit, who
is sworn to poverty and more often
than not q man of birth and education,
he might have influenced Frank Ar
mour and prevented the notable mishap
and scandal. AS it was. Armour took
more brandy.
Then he went down to Eye-of- the
Moons lodge. A few hours afterward
the missionary met him there. The next
morning Lali, the daughter of Eye-of-
the Moon and the chieftainess of por-
ton of her fathers tribe, whose grand
father had been a white man, was in
troduced to the Hudson bay country as
Mrs Frank Armour. But that was not
ALL Indeed as it stood it was very little.
He had only made his comedy possible
as yet Now the play itself was to come.
He had carried his scheme through
boldly so far. He would not finch in
carrying it out to the last letter. He
brought his wife down to the great lakes
Immediately, scarcely resting night or
day. There he engaged an ordinary but
reliable woman, to whom he gave in
structions, and sent the pair to the
coast. He instructed his solicitor at
Montreal to procure passages for Mrs
Francis Armour and maid for Liverpool.
Then by letters he instructed his solic-
itor in London to meet Mrs. Francis Ar
mour and maid at Liverpool and take
them to Greyhope i'll Hertfordshire-
that is, if General Armour and Mrs. Ar
mour Or some representative of the fam
lily did not meet them when they landed
from the steamship.
Presently he sat down and wrote to
his father and mother and asked them
to meet his wife and her maid when
they arrived by the steamer Aphrodite.
He did not explain to them in precise
detail his feelings on Miss Julia Sher-
woods marriage, nor did he go into
full particulars as to the personality of
Mrs. Frank Armour, but he did say
that because he knew they were anxious
that he should marry "acceptably' he
had married into aristocracy, the Oldest
aristocracy of America, and because he
also knew they wished him to marry
wealth he sent them q wife rich in vir-
tues-native, unspoiled virtues.
He hoped that they would take her
to their hearts and cherish her. He
knew their firm principles of. honor,
and that he could trust them to be kind
to his wife until he returned to share
the affection which he was sure would
be given to her. 1t was not his inten-
ton to return to England for some time
yet. He had work to do i'll connection
with his proposed colony, and wife,
even native wife, could not well be q
companion in the circumstances. Be-
sides Lali--his wife's name was Lali.-
would be better occupied in learning the
peculiarities of the life in which her fu-
ture would be cast. 1t was possible they
would find her an apt pupil. Of this
they could not complain that she was
pntraveled, for she had ridden horse,
bareback, half across the continent.
They could not cavil at her education,
for she knew several languages-abo-
riginal languages-Of the north. She had
merely to learn the dialect of English
society and how to carry with accepta-
bic form the costumes Of the race to
which she was going. Her own costume
was picturesque, but it might appear
unusual in London society. Still they
could use their own Judgment about
that.
Then, when she was gone beyond re-
call, he CHANGED one day to put on the
coat he wore when the letters and pa
per declaring his misfortune came to
him. He found his brothers letter; he
opened it and read it, 1t was the letter
of man who knew how to appreciate
at their proper value the misfortunes
as the fortunes of life While Frank Ar
mour read he came to feel for the first
time that his brother Richard had suf-
fered, maybe, from some such misery
as had come to him through Julia Sher-
wood. 1t was q dispassionate, manly
letter. relieved by gentle wit and
limiting with careful kindness that a
sudden blow was better for Il man than
lifelong thorn in his side. Of Julia
Sherwood he had nothing particularly
bitter to say. He delicately suggested
that she acted according to her nature,
and that in the seesaw of life Frank
had had sore blow, but this was to be
borne
The letter did not say too much 1t