Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-01-02
'anbrueh's
By ADELINE SERGEANT.
CONTINUED.

"Dear-old- MANI said Lady Fran
ces. opening her hazel eyes. why.
Connie, he's not DIT old"
Gle has son older than either OF
u.s.
sBut he married very young; heard
mother say so. He Is net 40 yet and
mother says that is not at all old, al
though It may seem so TO girls IKE
us"
What a good little child you are,
said Constance, a trihe scornfully. TO
think just as your mother bids you"
How else should Think inquired
Frances, with a fash Of anger. Mother
ig he best Judge. A believe she's the
incest mother in the world"
"She is very nice, | know that. You
see Frances, | haven't mother and
II sometimes seems so odd to me to see
YOU SO fond of--of an older person.
Now, there's Aunt Selma, | am not AZ
all fond OF her"
"Oh, Connier'
why do you say oh, Connie? Why
should like her? She is as hard as
a stone she cares for nobody but her
self. The only comfort In going back
to school is to get away from her.
And the full red lips assumed the sui
len pout which seemed so natural to
them. she would have kept me away
from the garden party II Col. Vanbrugh
had not persuaded her TO let me come"
II am glad you came" said Frances,
trying dexterously to eyade the sub
ject. Nobody could refuse Col Van
brugh anything, am sure OF that"
Constance gave her curious side
long look and sat silent moment be-
fore resuming the conversation. Then
,she said, carelessly:
II wonder il his wife Is still liying?"
Ills wife, said little Lady Frances.
"TIe has no wife"
ooh, yes, he has. But they don't
get on well together. There was
dreadful quarrel between them years
ago and they say that Col, vanbrugh
was perfect brute"
Constance, how can you say such
things?"
"Ah / thought you were making him
into hero" said Constance TRANQUILITY.
You take up such fancies. Frances;
you always did. Col. Vanbrugh is not
a saint"
"He Is like the cavalier picture
Frances cried hotly; Il don't believe
he could do cruel thing. It Is the
same gentle, yet resolute face the
grave. sad eyes OF the picture in their
gallery and Sir Rupert was one Of the
best and brseest men who ever lived"
ITS just as well that you should
know he liz married" said Constance.
with a little sneer. you would be
falling In love with him next"
This was ST another Of the speeches
which Lady Frances was too refined
and too right-minded to approve Of,
and she flushed to the very roots Of
her lalr and set her pretty lips tight.
to keep down a passionate retort. At
school she would prg3ably not have re-
strained herself, but she remembered
that Constance was her guest and the
good manners which belonged to her
race taught her to keep silence. Con-
stance understood the silence perfectly
and laughed to herself; she had no
sympathy with what she called dLady
Frances airs" The two girls scarcely
spoke again until the end of their
drive
Aldersleigh manor was an old, gray
house, standing in the midst of ex-
tensive but not very well kept grounds.
II was a stately but ling, and the old
ness OF It's color was hidden by a
mantle of Ivy, the deep green leaves
OF which were kept with difficulty from
overshadowing too much the mullioned
windows and darkenlng the rooms For
Gil that, the ivy was a cherished pos
session and considered one Of the chief
glories Of Aldersleigh.
The Vanbughs We're not rich. For
many years the family had been inn
poyerished. through reckless eXtrav-
agance Of one Of It's members. and
when the estate came into Roger Van-
brugh's possession II was in an exceed
ingly involved state, His advisers said
TO him Let the house" But this WAS
Just what he was resolved not to do.
The dear old house should never be
profaned by the feet of strangers.
Rather would he stick to his profess
sion. 80 out 10 India, leave his boy
to spend holidays and play times with
friends at the manor with a tutor and
shut UP the house when II was not
wanted Thus II came about that Lam
celot had for years spent part OF his
life at the house while his father was
in India. and that II was something
Of an event when the master Of the
estate arrived and showed that he
wished 70 make the manor take its
former place among the great houses
Of the county For he was rich now.
an old relation had left him his whole
fortune and there was no reason why
he should not live al home
There was Just one obstacle 70 his
success Nothing very much Nothing
but a rlmor- an old story, well-nigh
forgotten hut there are people who
will not let anything be forgotten and
Roger Vanhrugh had not perhaps suit