The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-06-15
- COPYRIGHT 1875. 49,

niece three years ago come next Au-
gust. Oh, you needn't stare so disbe-
lievingly. Here It all Is iii black and
Observation-Disclosures registrars GER
tihcate and letters by the Dozen"
Save for slight quivering Of the lip,
one would think that the old man was
stricken with Death i
..Do you realize, he murmured, with
difficulty, "that this means that my boy
has committed bigamy?" Z:
''.Of course do, and sure as my name
is Jacob Gregson he shall suffer for it,"
"And why, If these papers are anthem
tic, have you been silent these three
years?"
Because I never knew the rights
bout it till one week ago. You see my
niece never let on who was the. father
| of her child-and ever since its birth
she has been sickly and weak-minded,
so that she takes no notice Of anything,
not even of her little girl" ,
''And you mean to tell me, man, that
nv son deserted her in such condi-
tion?"
.'Oh, well, Sir Gordon, he's not quite
SO Uau DIS dill tudt' 4hCIc "CAC WV
Catherine Conroys in Newton-cousins
--one was killed in a railroad accident,
| and Mr.. Richard might have seen her
name in the papers and thought it was
his wife, who, ! suppose, like the fool
she was, had promised to keep the mar
riage a secret. But it wasn't-worse
luck for him. !"
ssThank God for that slight satisfac-
ton; but at the best it is a terrible
story"
"A terrible story, with only one end
ruin! Unless play Providence and
pull the fat out Of the fire."
'Youl"
eyes, me! found those papers hid
den away in the girls trunk. I've kept
.. 'em close. The doctors say that she
will never come to her right senses; so
that there's nothing but money and me
standing between you,-the salvation
of your family pride"
''And your plans?"
II have cousin down in Derbyshire,
motherly woman as ever you saw,
married to man who was once cor
poral in the royal marines ohm Whit
ford his name stumble folks, but
honest as the day. If you and can
make deal, they'll take out Mrs.
Richard Number One and her child, an
you'll never hear of 'em again, no more
than if they'd never existed"
''And your price for this piece of ras-
cality?"
give hundred pounds down, and an
annuity of five hundred year on my
life. After I'm gone, will leave you or
your son to look after your grand
daughters interests"
"'My son!' the baronet cried, in
startled tones. He must never know
the price I paid for his immunity, and
not for him only is the sacrifice made,
but for the poor, sweet girl who thinks
herself his wife,
Now Mr.. Jacob Gregson had not adj
hered strictly to the truth in his COM
munication to Sir Gordon Hillborough.
There We're those who knew him who
said that it was physical i1npossibility
for him to make an accurate statemant
OF any subject, and in this case he had
done justice to his reputation. There
I had been no dual Catherine Conroy in
the parish of Newton, and the verita-
Bile Catherine--Richard Hillborongh's
legitimate wife, had really been the
victim of the railroad accident after, not
before, the birth of her little one.
Poor girl, hers had been a brief and
unhappy career-the only child OF i'm
pecunious tenant farmers, who had
died when she was fourteen years of
age, leaving her to the tender mercies
Of the world, lowered only with e
sweet disposition and a face Of rustic,
loveliness. She had found refuge in the
home of her mothers brother, Jacob
Gregson, bankrupt householder, who
had managed to keep q roof over his
head by acting as sporting agent" for,
the neighborhood, profession whose
tides of profit ebbed and flowed with
constant contrast, now leaving HIM with
full pockets and wild spirits, and again
plunging him into the depths Of desti-
tuition and misery; but through good
and evil fortune he had been, accord
imp to his lights, kind to his niece, and,
after her death, had managed to scrape
together each week the few shillings q
laborer's wife charged for the care Of
the motherless babe.
Now he had his reward.
2 1.