Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-01-04

| LOrU LduSuOlme HICGr all, ana S00
had talked against him. and vowed she
hated him! Could she find fault with
him now? No, he was everything that
was dear and good and noble; there
was not one fault or flaw in his gener-
Gus heart, in poor Nellys eyes, more
than in his frank handsome face. If
she could only hear of him sometimes,
know where he was, whether he still
thought of her; but beyond the infor-
nation that he had gone away again,
tidings ever reached her.
temperate. straightforward letter to Mr..
Huntingdon, begging him to reconsider
his decision, and speaking with honest
eloquence Of his great love for Nelly;
but the inveterate foe Of his house never
| with sore, angry heart, the young
thoughts from the pain of his unsatis-
fled longing.
The dreary days crept into autumn,
and autumn into winter, with a dull
stagnation that tried poor Nelly s:orely;
then, at last, came a terrible event
to break the mcnotony One frosty
morning Mr. Huntingdon went out
riding, as usual, and three hours late.
was carried back to tue Hall, dead.
The horse had stumbled violently, and
Mr.. Huntingdon was thrown IN his
head with such force that he never
spoke again. Oh! the terrible days and
weeks that followed, during which Door
Nelly wandered about in an agony Of
misery and remorse, upbraidiEg herself
bitterly that she had not been a bet
ter or more loving daughter to the
dead man. Poor little soul! she had
not much cause for self-reproach. since
all her little efforts of kindness and
goodwill had been received with cold
ness, and of late days even repealed.
Mr.. Huntingdon left no will; his
brother came into the property, and
Nelly was but poorly provided for.
"Of course you will live with us,
my dear?" her uncle said kindly, land
I hope you and your cousins will be
| great friends" And the poor SORROW
stricken child acQuiesced family, and
Looked forward with some pleasure to
the coming of the two girls, the young
est of whom was her own age. 1t
was arranged that Nelly should remain
at the Hall with Wilson until July,
when Mr.. and Mrs. Huntingdon
and their family would come down from
town to take possession. But their
| arrival did not bring much ameliora-
ton of Nelly's fate. Her cousins were
| fashionable young ladies, with their
heads full of vanity and frivolity, and
they affected to despise the country
| bred girl who had enjoyed fewer ad-
vantages, but who, they were forced
to acknowledge in their jealous hearts,
was sweety pretty, and lady to the
| tips of her dainty fingers.
Mr.. Huntingdon was much more easy
going and less stern than his dead
brother, and his wife was fashionable
woman with but one view in life, which
was the establishment of her daugh-
ters. She had been an heiress; SO the
Huntingdon property was likely to be
considerably benefited by the change
Of hands.
"Of course, my dear Stanley" she
said to her husband the day after their
Iarrival-'Of course we shall make things
very different from what they were
! in your poor brothers time He lived
in the most absurd seclusion; but we
must let it be known at once that we
intend to visit all the county; and as
for the ridiculous quarrel between your
family and the Langholmes, the sooner
it is made up the better. The idea Of
carrying on a traditional feud with
such parti as Lord L; Egholne would
be too absurd. I hope you will take
the first opportunity of asking him over
to dinner
I And Mr.. Huntingdon, being sensible
man, made no demur to the sage coun-
sci Of his wife. OF course they had not
the faintest idea Of the episode be-
tween the handsome young earl and
poor little pale Nelly.
So when a decent time had elapsed
the Huntingdons visited and entertain
ed; but the little country cousin never
shared their gayety. In her shyness,
at first she had declined entering into
society with them, and afterward they
utterly ceased to include her in any Of
their arrangements 1t was quite
enough taking out two girls. Mrs. Hunt
ingdon said, and inwardly in her heart
she was well content to leave such q
dangerous rival at home.
One day, when they were all sitting
at breakfast, Mabel said to her mother:
| Mamma, what shall I wear to-
| night?''
1t was a simple remark; Nelly heard
many Such; and 1t PASSED unheeded;
but the answer sent the blood thrilling
to her face and neck, so that she was
fain to rise from the table and walk
| away to the window.
You must be sure and look your
best, dear; Lord Langholme is coming
tonight"
Nelly wandered away into the garden,
with a surging brain. What should she
| do? Should she confide in her aunt,
and ask her to let her come down to
dinner for once? But suppose Lord
L.Lghclme had ceased to think of her
land there was a bitter consciousness
in Nel1y's heart that he had never sent
her a line or word since her fathers
death to prove that he remembered
| herr, she would incur the sneers and
contempts of her cousins, and that
would make her die Of shame. And
they were SO handsome, SO accomplish
ed. SO well dressed; she, in her, dowdi-
ness, would make a mean contrast to
them. Perhaps-and her heart throbbed
with sore pain at the thought-per haps
he would fall III love with one Of them,
and then-I hope shall die!" she cried
1 to herself will, nycnodinv l,i+tornoce,