Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-09-08

'your poor father has not left you a sixpepce.
Hugh" she added suddenly, "haye you any
relatlOns?"
mo-" / replied. mot one"
"Are yon surc?' she continued. 'rh'nk,
my DEAR"
1 did think, but 1t was Of 10 use. Ny brain
would not %conjure rp one beng to whom L
could possibly lay any claim.
No uncles, or aunts,o or c0usins?' persisted
Mrs. Munster; when suddenly 1 exclaimed:
"Ycs, Mrs. Munster: now | remember, I've
got an aunt At least, j had Iii aunt; but
she may be dead, like father"
Let us hope not" said Mrs. Munster.
swell, my dear, tell me what she is like,
and where she Is 10 be found.n
IL don't know what she is like" l replied.
VI never saw her"
Never saw herg'
mo; she never came near us: but I've
heard father speak about her. She was my
mothers sister. and her name is Martha Pen
dragon, and she lives at Cornwall"
Martha P~endragon," repeated Mrs. Mum
ster. us she marriedy'
reflected for a moment, then 1 remember
ed having seen letters addressed to Mrs.
Pendragon," and 1 said as much
"And where does she liye?"
'St. Gurlott's, Cornwall"
Mrs. Munster wrote il down.
"'Mrs. Pendragon. VI. Gurlott's, Corn
WALL Ii looks promising, as ] dare say 1t.
Gurlott's is q very small place. Make your
self as contented as you can for a few days,
my dear. ! will write 10 the lady and ask
her what she means to do"
/ could do nothing else but wait, and / ac-
cordingly did so: though | found II utterly
impossible to take Mrs. MINISTER'S advice,
ana preserve a contented frame OF mind.
Ny exceedingly hazy recollections of my
aunts communication were by no means
such as to inspire confidence. / began to
ask myself, for the first time, why ii was she
had never been permitted tO visit my mother
in her home; why my mother, who was evil
IDENTITY fond OF he. sister, had never made q
journey into Cornwall to see her: above all,
why my aunt had never come TO visit my
own mother when she was dying? Thus |
speculated for four DAYS, at the end OF that
time | saw Mrs. Munster receive a letter,
open ii, read it, ana glance strangely al me.
1t is from your aunt, my DEAR" she said /;
then. looking al the letter again, she added:
'She Is your aunt. | suppose?'
From Mrs. PendragonT' / asked.
Yes" she replied. with a strange smile;
''from your Aunt Martha
| wanted 10 hear more, but no more came.
Mrs. Munster again turned her attention to
the letter and began studying it as intently
as II she were carefully working out some
abstruSe mathematical problem. Presently,
her husband calne into the room, and she
handed him the letter. My curiosity received
q fresh stimulus when | saw him start at
sight of IL read IL twice, and then glance, as
/ thought. half pityiDgly at me.
IL suppose it's all right" he said, turning
10 his wife; 1.-THE boy mus: 90"
She nodded her head thoughtfully.
at seems a pity, doesn't it. after the edu-
cation he has hadg" she said to her husband
then, turning to me, she added, Let me see,
Hugh, how old are you now"
replied that | was fourteen.
And are you sure YOU have no other rela-
mons except tn;s-this Aunt Martha, IA she
calls herself?'
replied that during the last few days
had been racking my brain necessarily on
that subject, bat without avail.
well" she said, II suppose your Aunt
Martha Is better than nobody, my dear-she
seems a good-natured sort of person, and is
quite willing to give you a home: but II
seems pity to take YOU from school before
your education is complete, and il we could
lind another relation who would let you stay
here il would be SO much better for you. L
will write again 10 our aunt; she may know
Of some one, though YOU do nnt-your faith
er's relations, for instance; but If she does
not-why, the only thing you can do Is to go
to Cornwall"
accordingly had to wait q few more days,
at the end of which time a letter was receiv-
ed from my mysterious relative. This IN
ii failed 10 bring with it disgust or amaze.
ment, and conveyed only disappointment.
Your aunt tells me she is your only rela-
tive on your mothers SIDE" said Mrs. Mum
ster, and your fathers family she knows
nothing about. She has fixed Thursday as
the day on which You are to go to her; there
must leave us I'D" for it, won
Thus IL was settled. On the Thursday
morning /, accompanied by my small stock
of luggage. started on my travels, and saw
the last OF MINISTER'S.
CHATTER w.