The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-03-14

1t was a hot sitting day with thun-
der in the air, the sun being hidden
by heavy ominous clouds. The state
Of the atmosphere did not improve
the state of Pierce Vaughan's mind,
he looked well nigh as ominous as
the skies as, his heart hard-set
against Sir Clement, he walked along
a pathway at the foot of the hill on
which Aboyne Court was situated.
He looked up at the ~princely man
sion in which signs of life and habita-
rion We're so rife, and groaned in
spirit as a hand, it was Lady Ger
.rude's, pulled up IL of the crimson
blinds, and she herself, as usual clad
in white, stepped out on to the ter
race to inhale a few whiffs of what
air there was outside.
In a less hardened mood he might
have murmured, "Poor Lady Ger
trude,n but in his present condition
"Fool," was the epithet he bestowed
on her, "for q woman is d fool,n he
went on soliloquising, "who allows
another woman so utterly to wreck
her life. She might have known all
along that Clement did not love her.
Everyone knew it but herself. l
think woke her up a little though,
the day | talked to her; she will be
still further awakened ere long"
And 50, Unseen by her as he
believed, he wandered along at the
bottom of the hill, "an heir,' he
continued, "Lady Marcia says, per-
haps there will be an heir ere long,
an heir who will inherit. The
best she can do is to drown it as they
do kittens, in the first pail of water
she can find. An heir, and what
about the Hampstead baby wonder.
Upon my word the whole thing is a
farce at which | should laugh right
heartily if | were not the chief stuff
erer. No, no, my cousin Clement, l
do not intend to let you go or with
this, or it you do, by Jove it will be
rather fun to black mail you, and
have Lisbeth made over to me
with a good yearly income for our
,,uintanor.a. I h.1tAy-n shat u-pt1l
punish you more severely than if |
revealed the whole of the rascality,
only, if it all came out | should
appear to be as great & blackguard
as you. Well, well, we shall see
when this bit is produced, what
effect it will have"
And he touched the pocket in
which the certificate lay and walked
on rapidly now quite out of sight of
The house.
At the further end of the wood
where he had originally found Lis
beth's note to Clement was a knoll
OF trees being cut down, because they
damaged, by oyershadowing, some
land available for crops.
Here Sir Clement was frequently
TO be found, telling trees being law
orite exercise OF his. Just as Pierce
Vaughan emerged from the wood,
the sun shoue out tittully from
behind a cloud and a scene of much
picturesqueness, presented itself.
Several woodmen were busy chop
ping and looping the boughs off the
PROSTATE trees, while others were
If ing them on to long carts made
especially for the purpose of their
removal. The bailiff had ridden
down On his little shaggy pony 10 see
what was going IN and was giving
his orders in a masterful tone-but
There was no sign OF Sir Clement.
The bailifi left his men and touched
his hat to Pierce Vaughan, who said,
as though in explanation of his own
arrival.
II thought | should fad Sir Glenn
EN- here"
$50 did |, Mr.. Vaughan. Sir Gle
ment said he should be down this
afternoon"
''Do you think he will Gomez"
eyes, sir. | do not think there is
any doubt about it, he promised to
bring some money t. pay the men.
He is only temporarily detained,
expect"
II will wait a bit them" said Pierce
Vaughan, seating himself on the
trunk of a felled tree, somewhat, if
the truth had been told, to the
annoyance of Brown the bailif, who
very much disliked him and never
ceased thanking his lucky stars that
Sir Louis had left the place to easy
going Sir Clement and not to that
other nephew who would always
have been prowling suspiciously
about till they would all have felt as
if they were being watched by a
demon.
Pierce Vaughan would scarcely
have felt flattered had he known
how all the dependents round about
Aboyne Court disliked him. Theil
position, however, compelled them
to be civil to him besides, had they
not known him from a boy, for he
had been almost rs much at Aboyne
Court as Sir Clement.
Brown had got off the shaggy pony
and tied him up, Both he and Pierce