Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1895-04-26
Nv.

CI1fAI lLlS Nv.
Ten years passed by and brought with
them great changes to Brynmar. Sir
Ralph and Lady Erskinc slept with their
ancestors in the family vault. Lady Hut
ton n sole mistress of the Hall and of
the large fortune left by her father. She
heard c from Magdalcn Hurst; and
then Il silence. deep and unbroken as the
silence of death, hid the mother of Lady
Hutton's ward from all who had eve
known her. The letter was u brief one,
stating that she had found her husband,
and, in accordance with her promise,
her child. Hilda had been adopted, she
said, by Il lady who did not wish her name
to be known; he seemed quite Indifferent
about it, and asked no questions.
Lady Hutton read correctly enough
that a broken heart was revealed in every
sad word of that letter. Magdalen Hurst
sent no address; she asked no questions,
, and Lady Hutton never heard from her
again.
Day by day Lady Hutton grow fonder
of her adopted daughter. Hilda was
taught to call her mamma, and in every
way she was treated as her own child.
No one knew the girls history. and
even among the servants only II small
number knew that she was Lady Hutton's
adopted Enlightenment people believed
her to be the lady's own child. She was
called Miss Hutton, of Brynmar, and it
was generally known that she would i'll
herit Lady Hutton's fortune.
No question ever came to Hilda rs to
what she would do with her life. Its
calm, simple pleasures sut!iccd; she never
looked beyond them; but Lady Hutton
was ambitious for her. Day by day she
watched the growth of that wondrous
l%oveliness, and built her hopes upon il.
The world she had given up and ceased
to care for should smile upon her ward.
h spared no pains over her education,
and she rarely allowed her to be long out
of her presence.
AS soon as she reached her seventeenth
year Lady Hutton intended taking her to
London. With her beauty and prospects.
lovers in plenty would surround her, and
from them Lady Hutton decided she
should choose the noblest and the best.
but not one word of these plans did she
ever mention to IIilda.
"Her heart will be untouched" thought
Lady Hutton; 'hcr fancy will be free. If
use my influence, she will marry whom
please, and that will he the most eli:.i-
BILE man who presents himself. She will
be something different from the general run
of young ladies. l shall have no trouble
some love affairs with her."
With her talents and wealth Lady Hut
ton could do much, but she could not con-
troll fate. Once, and once only, had the
girl asked any questions about her mar.
ents.
Mamma" she said one day to the
stately mistress of Brynmar, 81 am not
your very own daughter, am II"
"Who has been talking such nonsense
to you, Hilda?" was the impatient oucs-
ton.
"Elpsie, your old housckeepcr." replied
Hilda. "She says I am your adopted
daughter, and that l have another mother
living away from here"
"Elpsie will leave Brynmar if I hear
any more gossiping," said Lady Hutton,
haughtily. Listen to me, Hilda. Yom
are my adopted child; no one else in this
world has any claim upon you. I had a
little daughter all my own once, and
when she was taken from me you sup
piled her place. You have no friend but
myself"
LADY Hutton" said the young girl.
earnestly, "who was my mother? Tell
me something of her"
Her fair young face was pale and wist-
full.
"There is nothing to tell you, my dear"
replied Lady Hutton; "she was my friend
we were children togetler-I adopted
you; and surely, Hilda, you want no one
else save me?"
Seeing that the very mention of the
matter agitated and annoyed Lady Hut
ton, Hilda never alluded to it again; and
as years passed on, and she grew older,
the fact that she was only the adopted
daughter of her stately b%enefactress grew
more vague and indistinct.
1t was a pleasant life when Hilda
reached her sixteenth year, for then Lady
Hutton dismissed her governess and.mas.
ters.
"You must give yourself up to reading
now" she said, "for q few months, and
then I will take you into what you} will
think another world"
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