Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-10-22


a man Of the people. fy talent, cour-
age and good fortune he had risen
from the humblest post in the navy to
his present high position.
He shared, however. that too COM
mon weakness Of self-made men-an
exaggerated respect for hereditary
rank.
At the mature age of forty. when he
had attained the rank Of post-captain.
and was flushed with his recent sue
cess, he attempted to marry into the
peerage by proposing for the hand of
an earl.
But. failing in this enterprise, he
welded the only child and heiress of a
wealthy city banker. who brought him
as her portion half million pounds
sterling. the beauty of a Venus and
the temper of Xantippe.
With. a part Of the money he bought
the MAGNIFICENT estate Of the Anchor
age. ard with the lady he lived tenn.
pestuous life for twelve years, at the
end of which she stormed herself to
death, leaving him as legacy one fair
daughter, ten years Of age, named
after her mother, Anna Eleanora.
Admiral Sir Ira-then Captain Brun-
ton-did not again venture on the dam
gerous sea of matrimony, but brought
home his widowed mother to take
charge of the young lady, and engaged
a French governess to superintend her
education. But supplemented, old
fashioned dame and an unprincipled
French adventures were not exactly
the best guides for self-wliled girl.
And so it happened that when Miss
Anna Eleanora was about sixteen
years of age, while her father was at
sea and herself with her grandmother
and governess at Brighton, she acct
dentally formed the acquaintance Of a
young lieutenant of hussars, whose
boring barracks. With the connivance
of the French governess, who was
heavily feed for the purpose, the
young officer frequently met the little
heiress, with whom he finally eloped to
Greta Green, where they were mar
ried.
If, instead Of that romantic love,
which had misled the young creature,
fortune had been the object Of the lieu
tenant, he must have been wofully dis
appointed. for when the captain re-
turned from the coast Of Africa, and
heard of the runaway marriage, he
discarded his daughter and son-in-law,
and forbade the names Of either ever
to be mentioned in his presence.
AS the commands Of Captain Brun-
ton were as absolute as the laws Of
the Modes and Persians, the name of
the only child and her young husband
dropped from conversation and from
memory, and thus their offense, and
even their very existence, became an
old and forgotten story.
The captain rose from post to post in
the navy, until, finally, at the advanced
age of seventy-fve he retired from
active service with the we'll earned
rank Of an admiral and the well mer-
tied title of baronet.
His household at this late period of
life was very remarkable Illustration
of family longevity.
1t consisted of his grandmother,
hale old dame of one hundred and
eight years; his mother, a healthy old
woman of ninety-two years; himself,
hearty veteran Of seventy-fve; and his
granddaughter and adopted heir, Mid
IL,
gentleman Of nineteen.
The antique grandmother Of this
strong family was commonly called
'old mistress" "the old madam" or
"Old Mrs. Stilton." The ancient moth
er was termed young mistress" "the
young madam" or young Mrs. Brun-
ton." The veteran admiral was de-
nominated by his venerable ancest-
resses chat thoughtless boy" and by
his household, ''the young master"
And the midshripman was called by
the old ladies, "the dear baby" by the
admiral, "the lad," and by the SER
wants, little Master Vally."
At the venerable age of seventy-tive
with an emaciated form, withered
face and grey head, the veteran did
not even suspect that he was growing
old, far less know that he was really
an aged man, who had already exceed
ed the average duration Of human life.
The truth was that the existence and
the vigorous health of the two ancient
ladies, his mother and his grandmoth-
err kept the admiral in his prime. How
could any man feel old, when his moth
er and his grandmother still lived in a
green old age-and while they still
thought of him and spoke of him as a
gay young man, Who had not yet
sowed all his wild oats, but who re-
quired the constant supervision and
guidance of his elders to keep him out
Of temptation and danger?
And thus. while the whole family
honestly united in keeping up this de
fusion, could the admiral be blamed
for sharing it?
Among the domestic servants of the
Anchorage two deserve mention-Mr.
Jessup, late of Her Majesty's service.
now in that of Admiral Sir Ira Brun-
ton, to whom he filled the relation of
confidential attendant. and Mistress
Barbara Broadsides. the housekeeper.
Jessup was tall, thin, pale-faced and
grey-haired in person; and narrow,
prejudiced and authoritative in mind.
Mrs. Broadsides was short, fat, rosy
and fair-haired in person; and liberal,
merciful and yielding in disposition.
As might be expected, there was a
strong attraction Of antagonism be-
tween these two opposite natures that
led to matrimonial engagement that
was to be consummated after the death
of the admiral and his mother and
grandmother; but as the sibyls and
their descendant had fallen into "a
confirmed malady of living forever
Jessup and Mrs. Broadsides We're