The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-03-07
Mrs. Eo7b-
BY John STRANGE WINTER,

Lodge mad been bought by a rich Aus
tralian and was already in the hands of
workmen who would pnt IL into thorough
repair, spread over Blaukhampton and
everybody W; agog with curiosity and
excitement.
/ don't think that so much interest
would have been taken III Mr.. ana Mrs.
Markham If they had taken my other
house than the Manor Lodge. But the
Manor Lodge was interesting enough in
itself to shed q halo of romance over any
one connected with IL. and the fact that
these Australians had bought it and were
actually going to live in it, was enough to
make ali the neigbhorhood eager to make
their acquaintance.
The Manor Lodge stood ahout a mile
from the city on the left bank of the river
which runs through its midst. 1t was "a
large house standing two stories high,
built of white brick and having very wide
caves. The lower windows were all
French easements and were shaded by
wide %verandas, over which there climbed
In wild and INTENDED p%rofnsion roses and
honey-suekle, ivy and wisteria.
The gardens had once been beautiful,
With wiidspaEhways. u terrace e~yerloakipa
the small park, n fountain and several
marble statues standing here and there.
There were W couserpatories built
against the house aud two large wineries,
which had been kept in fair order by an
Did gardener who had been put into the
place as Il caretaker bv way of giving him
an easy berth. This old mar had after
his first week or so given up trying to do
the work OF three active men and so keep
tlse garden IN order, and haG quietly
slipped into troubling himself about noth-
Ing but the grapes aud peaches OF which
Mr.. Dellairs expected an occasional basket
to be sent for his table.
But very soou under the Markham rule,
the whole place began to assume a differ
ent appearance-the roofs and chimneys
were thoroughly overhauled. the old Win
dows were mended with new ones, the
white walls We're cleaned down, the veran-
las repaired. and the various creepers
were in the hands OF a skilled gardener
soon reduced to order and neatness. The
fountain was cleaned out and set playing
again, and one morning Mrs. Markham
brought a big bowl in which were eight
or ten gold fish which she turued into the
fountain in the large conservatory, watch
Ing their movements with the curiosity of
u child.
The very statues We're cleaned Of the
green moss and growth which is the out.
come of ages OF neglect and now they
shone forth once more in all their beauty,
once more Venus and Apollo enjoyed the
beauty of comparatively smooth lawns
and well-clipped hedges and quantity
shaped yew-trees, though not so smooth OF
trim as they would be after Il year or two
of the new order.
More than once Mrs. Trafford and Julia
happened to pass by the Manor Lodge and
saw all the signs of life and wealth about
the place. y think we will go and call OIL
Mrs, Markham next week, Julia,' Mrs.
Trafford remarked.
They could not from the road see a sign
of the house for the avenue made a wide
curve from the gate and was lined on
either side by a dense hedge of Portuguese
laurel; but they had good and substantial
evidence of the way in which the place
was being fitted up for Il large covered
cart with open ends passed through the
gates just as they reached them and this
cart was filled to overlooking with Il vari-
:ty- of tail pniIls, hioes, cacti and srec-
ferns. II think we will call next week,
Julia," said Mrs. Traffnrd ne they walked
On towards the town.
So the following week Mrs. Tratford
and julia took an open fly and went to
brentwood, the pretty house, half villa,
MALI mansion, which the Markham's had
taken until the Manor Lodge should he
ready for them. Yes, Mrs. Markham
was at home, and they We're shown in
to the pretty drawing-room where, in
spite of its being as yet but early autumn,
q bright fire was burning in the polished
CRATE.
As the door closed behind the powdered
tootman, Mrs. Tratford looked at her
daughter and raised her eyebrows; they
both knew Brentwood for the Marcus Or
lords had lived there from the time they
were married until the Black Horse had
left Blankhampton, mud they there
fore knew to a nicely what the natural
condition of the house was. Between our
selves 1t was verydifferent to thatin which
they now found it.
In W minutes Mrs. Markham came In,
u pretty, elegant woman, wearing simple
tea-gown of dark-blue silk, a thing that
had cost a deal Of money and yet was not
too fine for ordinary use. 81 am so glad
to see yon," she cried. holding out both
her hands to Mrs. Trafrord, "the more SC
because we brought a letter OF introduc.
tion to you and were waiting till we got
a little more settled TO send it to you.
1t is so kind of you to have come so soon.''
Mrs. Trafford was enchanted with her
new friend-''That is very nice to have
mutual friends-may I ask who?"
"Oh. yes-it was Colonel Clarke-you
know Colonel Clarke, at least he knows
yon. He said he was an old friend oil
yours"
"Yes,n said Mrs. Trafrord doubtfully,
She did not happen to remember Colonel
Clarke and she did not like to say so.
Stay. though" Mrs. Markham went or
In her soft sweet voice, 81 believe l an
wrong. it was Coles-Colonel Coles. How
stupid Of me to mistake. l get so mixed
umong names. Idon't often forget a voice
or a face, but the names do bother me ter
ribly sometimes"
"Oh, Colonel Coles. Yes, he was a great
friend of ours. So you know him? Is lie
not Il charming old man2n
Eyes, very charming. Bob and 1 arc
equally fond of him." Mrs. Markham re
piled. "Of course, we really don't know
many people in England, for ! was borr
In Australia and never left it until less
than q year ago. 1t seems such a biz
world when you leave your corne,
and travel over the parts of it that VOL
dou't know, but really it is only a little
world after all, for when we left Aus
tralia, my husband insisted on stopping
at Calcutta and going overland to BON
bay, because lie wanted to see sometliin:
of India. Whilst we We're np.country,
and YOU may believe we were not Ions
there. we met Colonel Coles. He was din
ing with us one evening and we were
talking oil our plans aud he said that b,
would give us a letter to u Mrs. Trafford
whom we ought to know il there was the
remotest chance OF our pitching our tent
anywhere near Bl~ankhamptol,. or course
we accepted it gladly, although we had
then no more intention of settling Al
Blankhumpton than at any other place
and then after all, oddly enough, hero we
are"
And here we are, more oddly STILL
cried Mrs. Tratford, gaily.
In half au hour they were quite In tn,
position of old friends, and Mt last Mrs
Trafford aud Julia looked at one another
as q sort of signal that it was time 70,
them to go.
mo, don't look at your daughter ii
1 a, - -., ~ A "