Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-12-04
i i

CHAPTER /.
A spoiled hcauty@spoilcd by a devotion
md love such as fall to the lot of few
~womcn-Iady ltoodrn did not know the
meaning of the word care" She WAS
only seventeen when Sir Charles Roolen
woed II Won her; and from that time
he had surrounded her with such loving
care that her lot among women was quite
exceptional. Few knew such unalloyed
happiness as she enjoyed. AT times n
fieeting regret that she had no son to Sue
coed her husband would come over her;
but even that regret was softcned when
she remembered how deeply he loved their
little daughter.
The Roodens of Rood Abbey had been
Tor many generations owners of that fair
n fertile domain. The estate. which
was situated in one of the most beautiful
of the Midland Counties, was singularly
favored by nature, and not the least of its
charms was the bright flashing river
Leir, smooth and peaceful in places.
spanned here and there by rustic bridges
ana widening in its course until it devel-
oped into the broad, deep reach in front
of the Abbey itself.
Sir Charles Rooden, the ideal of an En-
glish landlord-handsome, brave, gener-
GUS. and Il true lover of all outdoor and
manly sports-was still young when he
fell in love with one of the most beautiful
girls of her day. Laura Milroy, the only
daughter of the Earl of Milroy. In his
blind idolatry he never perceived that
she was vain or selfish, that she was shall
low at heart; he discerned in her only the
attributes of IL good and noble woman,
n he loved her implicitly. His wife
was the center of his hopes and plans,
the one object of his care and worship;
and next to her in his affection came his
little daughter, whom, because of her
beautiful face and sweet serious eyes
eyes i'll which dwelt a sweet brooding
serioiSnesS-thcy named Angela.
Angela had reached her twelfth year
when her first great sorrow fell upon her.
A sweeter. fairer maiden it would hardly
nave been possible to find. To those who
knew how frail and uncertain human love
Is. there WAS something almost pitiful in
the devotion of the child to her father.
The blow. when it did fall, was therefore
all the more terrible to her. For there
came Il day. bright and sunny, full of
perfume and sweetness and song. when
Sir Charles Roodcn left home in the
morning with laughing. TESTING words cn
his lips and was carried back il, the ,yru-
ing dead.
The evening was as fair as the morning.
The wind stirred the lilacs and the long
laburnum-trcsses gently in the garden
below; nature seemed to be rcposing in
the peaceful calm that had settled over
NIL.
II wonder what it is. Angelo said Lady
Roodci. "A crowd seems to he moyin.
and coming in this direction. They are
carrying something. What can it bc.'
II do NOT see paia." said the child,
whom nothing else intcres;cd: and they
grew silent us the tall trees and the wind.
Ing of the river hid the crowd from thpi,
view.
~ wish papa would GOMEZ" cried the
child. presently: and then. after !, few
minutes. there was II sound of lra,spin.
footsteps. of hurried, husliel voices, any,
the old butler came hastily on to the ter.
race.
My lady. my lady, come in quickly!!'
he cried. "lDo not look toward the river,
Come IN"
Lady Hoodcn turned to him in wonder
WHAT" she .sasled. her face CROWN.
white and rigid.
Ny master was found in the river. imy
lady larvs replied. wringing his hands
"ln the RIVER! Found in the river. d,
You say: Then he is dend!!'
"lle is dead. my lady. md they mr..
bringing him homc!." answered he man
Will. Il wild cry Lady Roodcn flew from
tla hous" down to the avenue. where Sin.
met the men hearing the lifeless body o,
her husband. When she saw his dcnt
face. she fell, with Il low anguislled cry
to the ground, and was carried back HON,
senscless.
1t was not until the first shock was ovel
Tat II one thought of the child. The,
found her lying near the window of til,
room, in an agony of grief which no word,
of comfort could abate.
The mystery surrounding Sir Charlie,
Roodcn's death was never solved. Wheth
er he had attempted to cross the rive
where it was s%hallowest, and had beer
carried away by the force of the current
or whether his horse had become rcstiy,
and dashed into the water, no one eve
knew. No one had seen the barOnet; IL,
one came forward to say that they hat
mot him on that day. That it was n,
accident every one agreed, but how /
occurred there wal no living witness t,
tell.
How deeply the genial. generous mastc;
of Rood was mourncd was shown by tn
.%assemblage of rich and poor who came t,
pay a last tribute of respect to a neighbo,
and friend.
In his will Sir Charles had not forgotten
any of his faithful old servants OF any O
the charities he had supported. Yet tt
those who listened to the reading of tn,
document there seemed to be somethin,
strange in it. 1t was strange that no in
come had been settled on the daughter
for whom he had always such unboundet
affection: strange that no dowry had bee,
left to her; strange that not one farthinl
of what must ultimately be q large for
tune should reach her until her mother
death; strange that 30 vast a fortune
should be left to the absolute disposal o