The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-02-02

@H1
~ tear, Captain Mnrtindalc," remarked
the ldlCyer,
bequest will not prove SO valuable as
might nave been the case some 20years
back. or even when | drew up this in
strument 10 years ago
| feared not also. for | knew that my
uncle's stud, through a 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 l WIS 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 a once large and fairly successful
stable. His only personally besides
consisted of his household furniture,
which was left to my mother-his only
sister-with a picture or two and some
antique chinaware of no great value.
What money he had eve possessed had
long been spent, with that free handed
liberallty which had made Geoff Dakyn
while it lasted-aye, and ever beyond,
let it be said, to the credit Of the 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 a second
cousin, one Richard Dakyn, 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
as it was, and | must make the best l
could of it. The question of course
was. Should l sell the horses at 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 Owl 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 off 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 a I'll with
them and said l must give her a new
suit of furs for next winter out of my
first win.
IF you ever get SO much as a new
tennis racket. you will be a lucky girl,
JILL" l rejoined, and indeed 1 thought
so. but | meant to decide for myself in
the matter all the anne.
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 Elias people? My re-
~lations with the Rev. Cholmondely-Da v-
export. her father, were already some
what strained" 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 well together at all. l
tried to respect him a much as l 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 an extremely good position.
He was rector of Rampington 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. am not
particularly religious or over ~squeamish
about such matters, and perhaps, being
only a plain soldier, l don't much IN
derstand them, but | do like a man to
be true to his %colors, and this l 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 visi-
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 in marriage? Again, itseem-
ed to me that a man who really be-
lieved in the predestination Of a 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 roo1., slipping his port with
such a complacent air, however well as
surd of his own safety. I am not much