Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-02-27

anu TIE Ntlltl dDlt bpliiiNs
had brought with her from farls.
ventured to urge upon ner the duty of
having the infant baptized, she shud-
dered. and to the horror Of aladalne
julien, replied:
.'Paptize her! the baptismal waters,
if sprinkled on her forehead, wouid
hiss and fly off in steam, as II thrown
upon red-hot IRON
About this time Baron ,yerton.
! summoned in haste from his official
duties in London, arrived at Eden
lawn on a hurried visit to his daugli-
ter-in-law. He was closeted with her
for an hour in the library, and at the
end of the interview he-the case nara
ened old Judge of a thousand criminal
trials-came forth alone, With his race
as pale as death, and with blank nor
ror stamped like madness on his brow.
Without waiting to see his grand
daughter, he ordered n carriage 10
take him at one to the r~ailWay-sta-
ton, whence he set ont the same houf
for London. He never came back 10
Edenlawn; but those who knew MN
well said that within a fortnight after
his flying visit there the, hair OF Baron
ElyertoD turned white as snow.
Months passed into years. and still
the mystery of Edcnlawn remained
unsolved. No news was heard OF hr.
Elverton. No explanation was offered
by Mrs. Elverton. The u~nbaptized III
FAINT grew and thrived in health ana
beauty as web as if his Grace the
Archbishop Of Canterbury had
sprinkled her innocent brow; and she
became the pet. the darling. and the
idol of the household, although her
wretched mother still continued 10
regard her as a creature thrice ac-
cursed. She was a healthy and a hap
by child. and consequently beautiful
and good.
80 good, doctor, so very good was
the constant report of Madame Julien,
or Madelon, as the old bonnie was
more Familiarity called.
$50 good is she; so very good! wen,
then. as she has no other name, let
us call her good-Or Alma. which Is
the same thing" said the doctor, one
morning.
And thus the infant to when her
own mother strangely denied the
rights of baptism, received the we'll
cmened name of Alma.
The infancy of the little heircSs
passed into the nursery until she had
attained the age of seven years, when
an accomplished governess was en-
gagged TO superintend her education,
and she was removed to the school
room.
But this migration brought Alma no
nearer to her mother, who continued
10 shun her presence.
Indeed, the greatest interest ever
shown by Mrs. Elyerton in her dauSh~
ter, was upon the occasion of Ii lat
ter being alta cked with scarlet-fever,
when the anxiety of the lady became
intense; and such anxiety as il was.
an anxiety that made everyone shud-
deri anxiety. in short--not that the
child should live, but that she should
die.
1t curdled the blood of the boldeSt
TO see, that while the life Of the little
girl was In imminent peril, the face
Of the lady was lighted up with n
wild, maniac hope But n morning
DR.. Watkins, who had been very
devoted in his attentions TO his little
patient, after paying his usual visit
to the bedside OF Alma, entered the
presence of Mrs Elverton, and with his
countenance radiant with satisfaction,
said:
II am happy to to you,
madam, that III little Alma is out Of
danger. She will get Well"
To the c~onsternation of the good doc
tor, the lady dropped her clasped hands
upon her lap, and while the old express
sion Of incurable SORROW came back to
her face, replied, In u voice Of deep de-
spair:
II had hoped it might have been 9th
erwise, but heavens holy will be
donev'
II was when Alma was about ten
years of age thnt Mrs. Elverton re-
ceived the only news of her husband
since he day of his strange disappear
me This was contained in an anony-
mou letter from st. Petersburg an
%nouncing his decease in that city. Mrs.
Elyerton Immediately wrote to the
British ministry at that court, to ascer-
tain the facts Of the case; but after the
most careful Investigation, the utmost
extent of information she obtained was
this. that a stranger, an Englishman, of
the name of Elverton, had died at st.
Petersburg. He had left no paper to
afford a clue to his identity: his linen
dhu oVAtS "pit hiuIAt" IL. tDu.
And at the time that this inquiry was
set on foot the body of the stranger
had been too long buried to afford the
slightest possibility OF its being identi-
fled even If disinterrei; and under
these circumstances the sanctity of the
grave had not been violated.
Mrs. Elverton never discovered the
writer OF the anonymous letter. She
did not consider the intelligence she
had received of sufficient reliability to
warrant her in publishing the death of
Mr.. ElvertoR or in placing her family
in mourning. Yet those familiar with
the lady's moods thought that i'm her
secret heart she believed i'm the death
OF her husband. and derived satisfae>
tion from the belief, for it was OBJ
served that from the day she first re-
ceived the intelligence-true or false
her coInteDance, though retaining all
it's profound melancholy, lost it's un-
natural expression Of horror and
despair.
Still, she took no delight in- the s0ci-
ciety Of her innocent daughter; still she
attended no place Of public worship;
received no company and paid no visits,
except visits of coincidence to the
houses of affiiction, or of charity to- the
abodes of poverty.