Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-12-02
CHAPTER XII.

castle iaSt as long as lie pHSlDiy c0ulu
He professed himself enchanted with tina;
pastoral landscape, with its calm Middle
shire beauty, seen in the rich coloring and
under the somber skies of autumn. He
was Interested in the river. and made
Stella show him the late Lord Lashmar's
boathouse, and the little creek that he
had been SO fond of. the rushy retreats
where he and his adopted daughter had
spent many a summer day. 1t was half
past ten when they arrived at the castle,
and Stella ran off to her room to wash heI
hands and 1%cnrrange her hair before she
went to her ladyship.
The statesman was keenly interested in
this poor dependent, and took occasion
to talk about her at the afternoon tea in
the library, where the shooters were al.
lowed to enjoy themselves in their muddy
boots and were refreshed with strong tea
and cheered with pleasant talk before
they went off to dress for inner After
noon tea was much the pleasantest meal
OF the day at this particular season. when
1t was just light enough to dispense with
lamps and just cold enough to enjoy a
wood fire. Lady Carminow, secure in the
consciousness Of sound daylight beauty,
lounged gracefully in an Oriental tea
gown, while Lady Sophia, who knew that
q habit was the one costume which really
suited her, balanced herself on the toes
and heels of her neat little boots before
the fireplace and honored the company
with n of those graphic descriptions of
. run which are SO intensely interesting
to the narrator and such an intolerablc
bore to the audience.
Me- - 1900 -
chair when she could find an excuse for
graceful spawning, was reclining on the
hearth-ug, caressing her poodle, while the
bishops daughters. who disapproved of
the lady but admired the poodle, showed
their experience of society by their polite
attentions to the dog and their cool avoid
ance of the owner. Mrs. Mulciber, look
ing like the goddess Of plenty in a tailor
gown, presided ut a tea table richly fur
nished with every variety of muffin and
bun.
1t was one Of Lady Lashmar's bad days,
and she was not to appear until dinner
time.
II have. had a long talk with your poor
brothers prctege," said Mr.. Nestorius.
luxuriously seated at Lady Carminow's
elbow and enjoying his second cup of tea.
"She is the most extraordinary girl l ever
met"
"As how 7" asked Lashmar. coldly.
"She is not twenty, and she has read
more than most women at fifty. She
knows half a dozen languages, and has an
Intense appreciation Of classic literature;
and yet she has all a girls humility and
q perfect Inconsistencies that she is gift
ed above the rest of her sex"
"But do you call it gifted to be able to
talk in huff a dozen grammars and die
tionaries Z" asked Lady C%arminow, con-
tcmptuously. 1.-THE wretched girl has been
tutored by old Mr.. Werner. an eccentric
Of the purest water"
"A remarkably fine scholar" interrupt
I'd Nestorius.
"In a word, she is a blue-stocking Of the
6rst water. You don't mean to say, Mr..
Nestori,ls, that you, who are so manly a
man. can admire the unwomanly in wOm-
Amp
There is nothing unwomanly in Miss
Miss-by the by, l did not hear her sur
name this morning. She was only intro
duced to ME as Stella"
"Her fathers name was Boldwood,"
answered Lashmar, ''but she has been
called here by no other name than Stella.
Her father was a blatant Radical, who
preached socialistic and atheistic opinions
to the operatives of Brumm. No influence
90 baleful for the %uneducated classes as
that of an educated man who has gone
wrong"
"Boldwood, a Treethinker and a Radi-
CALI exclaimed Nestorius. Upon my
word, l believe the man must have been
4 fellow ! knew at Oxford, a Balliol man,
one Jonathan Boldwood."
Jonathan was his name. Poor old
Lash had an idea that he had seen him in
the Oxford eight"
Nothing more likely. Boldwood was a
great athlete, and a very clever fellow
into the bargain. 1t was thought that he
would take high honors at Balliol. But
there was a screw loose somewhere. He
turned Radical and wasted his time at the
Union, where he was famous as a grand
speaker. He read Kant and Hegel when
he ought to have been reading for his de-
gree; and the end was failure. He pub
lished a pamphlet which sneered at the
university as an institution, and libeled
the dons. The rest is silence. He was
not absolutely sent down; but he was one
VI tAC ACO 4APoPuA0A AlCA Al lAC COllGSC,
and one fine morning he disappeared alto
eether, leaving his books and baggage and
Z sheaf Of tradesmen's bills on his table.
He was heard of three years afterward,
travelling in Spain, a student OF Romany
and the companion OF gypsies."
Mrs. Mulciber bounced upon Stella in
the corridor or the following afternoon,
introduced herself with affectionate IA
miliarity and wanted to take the girl to
the library. 1--WE all wan. you to come
TO tea" she said. "Mr. Nestorius has been
telling NJ how clever and how nice you
are"
To her surprise Stella fatty refused.
II used almost to live in that room when
I was 4 child" she said. ut is there !
most wildly remember Lord Lashmur-
my Lord Lashmar. His ghost haunts the
room. could not bear to hear talk and
laughter ahd to SEQ strange faces there"
'You are . very foolish girl" said Mrs.
Nulciber, with her kindly common-sense
tone. .sYonr life must be h~ideously dull,
Il p~ositive slavery, the hard work without
~ privileges Of IN upper servant, and
| 4oee = II opportunity Tor importing your