The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-10-08
ran to him and touched hin, on

the sleeve
Mr.. Werner, dear Mr.. Werner, am so
glad! she gasped, breathlessly.
Slowly, and as if with an effort, the
dim old eyes withdrew themselves from
the church tower and gazed wonderingly
upon the pale young face looking eagerly
upward.
why Stella! Are you still at the cas-
tie! They told me you had been sent to
school. Why did you not come to see me
before?"
Il was not allowed to go out till her
ladyshlp went away, and 1 did not know
you were here. They said you had gone
to London
"They We're right, my child,'' answered
the old man, with a profound sigh; 81
did go to London. 1 was in London near
~ four months. A terrible place, child
fearful place-when one has lost the
hablt of Cities as l have. The din of the
crowded streets deafened me, the strange
faces made me feel distraught 1t is
dreary wilderness, Stella, for man with
| out friends; and had no friends in Lon
don-no, not one. But let us talk of it
no more. Come indoors and rest yourself,
stella; it is too cold to be standing here
so long,
lie led the way into cottage parlor,
llttered with the chaotic lumber of stu
oe1lts days and nights-a table crowded
| WIN pamphlets and papers, books piled
III every available corner, heaped upon
inc floor; dust, untidiness everywhere.
lhe owner Of the cottage had given up
the struggle for neatness and had allow
ed her eccentric lodger to have things in
ms own way. He was not troublesome
lodger, needed but little attendance, new
er grEmbled at the cooking, paid his way
punctually; but his long night watches
We're a source of fear to his landlady, lest
III porins over those dry-as-dust old vol
umes he should iall asleep and suffer the
house to be set on fire.
Have you been living here long?" ask
ed Stella, looking at the chaos and longing
to put things straight with dextrous
womanly fingers.
only since last November. Lord Lash
mar has been good enough to give me a
small pension, which 1 accept without
compunction, as l know that my dear
pupil always intended to provide for my
old age. And you, child, how has it
Jared with you since that fatal day."
Stella was slow to answer She strug-
gled with herself in silence for little
! while; the dark brows contracted in a
frown; the crimson of passion kindling
IN the wan cheeks, and then she burst
into tears. The old man drew her to-
wards him, gathered her upon his knees,
sheltered her wet cheek upon his breast
with almost maternal tenderness.
My poor child! my poor childr' he mur-
INJURED, death was very cruel to you and
to me that summer day.
"Oh, if we had only died, toov sobbed
Stella. and then in broken sentences she
told Gabriel Werner what her life had
been like since he left the castle, life
spent among servants, in the bondage of
menial servitude.
''She took away my books, too" Stella
went on tearfully; 'the books he gave me;
my Greek and Latin books; my book
about the stars, and Scott and Tenny-
son. But l have gone on learning my
lessons and writing exercises, though
there has been no one to tell me the
faults
THAT need be no longer, Stella. Come
to me every day, if they will let you, and
1 will so on with your education Yes"
cried the. scholar with sudden enthusi-
asm. ''it shall be the delight of my life to
train this bright young mind You
with the rapture Of comforting an ineffa-
BILE boo1l-"you shall help me to annotate
my book"
Il will!' said Stella, ''and l will keep
your room tidy, if you will let me- l
know how to arrange books and papers,
and keep them all in nice order, without
disturbing anything. l used to tidy his
papers when l was very, very little, when
l could hardly reach up to the table,
So day by day and every day. as the
leaves unfolded and the flowers came
pceping forth in the hedgerows and mea-
dows-tirst, the season of daffodils. and
then the season of king-cups, and then
the glad time of bluebells, and onward
even to the first of the dog-roses-Stella
lived her own life, and learned diligently
in the great volume of classic lore. till
even those modern Middleshire copses
that riverside of to-day, seemed peopled
with ideal forms, so interviewer became
the fables of the past with the realities of
the present. And every day the girls
care helped to make the old students life
more pleasant, providing for and fore
stalling his wants, supervising his mod
est wardrobe, beautifying his cottage
home surrounding him with an atmos
phere of womanly love and watchful
| ness.
Lady Lashmar was in London, in Paris
in Vienna, with her adored son. following
him as Il satellite follows IL planet-no,
with him but always near him. He haC
spoken in the House of Lords, and his
speech had attracted attention: had beer
talked about as a wonderful speech for ST
young an orator: and it had been said b,
some nf his party that Lord Lashmal
was Il young man who would make hi.
mark.
CHAPTER IN.
Tho years had come and gone ant
strange things had happened in the worlc
of history and politics; wars and treaties
invasions and expeditions, changes in lit
craturc, i'll science and art. New whims
new fancies, new theories had rippled tn,
river of time: but here at J4ashmar Castl
there had been no stirring events b,
which to distinguish the passing years
Life here had been monotonously placit
l fv.nt, .ll IL