The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-05-28
CHAPTER l.

lD-DlHnl | SlliH Stt nlHl. lO-ulSui
No, surely it can hardly be. In one, two,
three. III seven hours. he will walk in To
dinner"
This to herself. At sweet seventeen.
spoke Camilla Harding. of Il young fell
low she had met but once before. To be
sure. ii had been at Il county hall, and
though they had only danced together
twice. she and Horace Brudencll had been
mutually we'll impressed, ana had got
on" as his friend Jack Forbes expressed
il. like wild fire" she is up in her room
now, her thoughts on her first love, as she
already calls him 10 herself.
He seemed to ike me wonderfully,
she reflects.
Lila is petite. The highest possible de
gree of health without the most distant
approach To cuarscnesS, that describes
her best. Her fluffy hair of light, light
brown. always looks as if it were going
t. bc blown away. and while YOU like ii
for dancing up. you lolr To smooth 1t
down. Her bluc-gray eyes and her full
little mouth have Il delightful expression
OF asking for protection, which To the
male heart. AT least, is very touching.
"You have no real beauty. child" old
Lady Prendergast. her grandmother. with
whom she lives at Silvcrmcad Park, had
often said 10 her. "rhcrc is nothing of
the Juno about you." and the proud old
woman would give her fine old head n
little shake and sit more bolt upright than
over.
The luncheon bell summoned the Young
girl from her revcricS. and daShing down
n Gioire de Dion rose she had been hold
in-. She trippcd and bounded down the
gloomy black oak staircase like a sun
beam in Il cavern. and c~aroling way as
she ven
Prompt as she had been. Lady prender-
ca>t WAS already seated in the great din
ing room. which was almost As severe as
herself and the staircase.
Here were these two close relations liv-
iug together for years. and the strange
thing was that the old lady. who was al
ways saying unkind words. hid beneath
all her harShne>s a passionate love for the
girl: while Lila. who scarcely ever forgot
I" he polite and respectful. had no spark
of gratitude 81 affection for Lady Prem
dergaSt. | may say n once that this was
the old lady'> grand cross in life. for she
was under no illusion on the subject. She
hoped. Of course. for love Of any kind
must hope or die: bur She knew that all
the Considerations severity. and all rho
indulgence. for she had tried both. which
she 50 lavi>hiy bestowed on her dead
daughtcr's child, had hitherto been a.
seed flung upon q rock. This thought
WAS present in all lis bitterness this April
afternoon.
"Of course" said the grandmother. Il
know | might as we'll talk to a wall as to
YOU"
"oh, gran'ma. don't say that; YOU know
do study. and play the piano some morn
ingS."
YES. as your father was Il good hus-
band IL my Observation-Disclosures"
We'll. he can never have been very
bad. for You say she worshiped him to the
end"
But, YOU poor, silly thing. that was
out of the wealth of her goodness. not
from his deserts. She loved him once
and forever, as Il mother loves her prodi-
gal; poor sainted A~gatha.' and the old
lady wiped away a genuine tear; land
her death was q curse from Heaven upon
your father for his in~corrigible gambling"
This was a little beyond even Lilla's
endurance. and she cried
ut Is no use your abusing papa, be-
cause it only makes mt love him. if pos
sihle. more and more every time you
blame him." and she looked the old lady
full in the face and the latter could not
bear the glance.
Hear, hear him speak for himself"
and Lady Prendergast pulled Il foreign
letter from her pocket. and, adjusting her
spectaclcs. prepared TO read. Lilla's face
changed in an instant.
"A letter from papa. And you never
fold me.'
always time enough to zeal what he
has 10 say and there was smoldering
rage as well as open contempt in the ring
of the aged voice. Then she read:
You will be glad, or, by-the-bye, |
suppose l should say sorry, TO lear that
l have, at last, had a turn of luck. At
the Vienna races l cleared six hundred
pounds, SO | write 10 say | will not trou-
bic you for my monthly dividend this
time. Also. hat ! feel confident that
this little win is the turn in the tide of
my fate. 1t is what l have long wanted
in order TO try a system at Monaco, which
has never yet failed, but which so few
besides myself have the self-command
seriously to test
His self-command"' scoffed her lady
ship.
"Go on. go on"
You know | am not fond of indoor
work. | shall, therefore, limit my plum
dering of Bianc x Co.. 10 ten thousand
pounds. and rhen set up a racing estab-
lishment once more AT dear old Newman
ket, where my unrivaled knowledge of the
craft must, if / have only the merest mod
icum of luck, rapidly make me II of the
richest men in England. To ME my fu-
ture is clear and bright, and. this being
So. my first thought is my darling Lila"
MY own papa" said the girl, almost
10 herself.
You have taken advantage Of my mis-