The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-09-24

tel ner DenefactOr the exact date, be-
cause it was day with n name. This
dark child with the star-like eyes had
begun lie upon Midsummer day.
Lasnmar questioned her sometimes
ABOUT her earliest experiences-very gent
~, lest he should evoke sad memories.
lie asked her if her father had ever told
her anything about her mother, or of his
own life. Yes. He had told her that he
was once a gentleman, that he was born
IN great house near the sea, far away
on the Scottish border. He had told her
that her mother was beautiful and ought
to have been rich.
Only one relic of the dead man had been
saved flom the fire. A SMALL tin cash
box, with the initials J. b., had been
found among the ashes and rubbish be-
low that portion of the guttcd pile in
which 6oldwoods rooms had been stu.
ated. 1t was identified as his by fellow
iodger nhd was ultimately handed over to
Lashmar, together with the key which
had been found hanging on his steel watch
chain. Watch, chain and key were given
up to Lashmar after the inquest.
The contents of the casket were disap-
pointing. 1t contained papers which the
smoke had blackened so as to be utterly
undecipherable. The original form was
there, but reduced almost to tinder. The
matter had vanished. The only uninjured
object was a miniature in double gold
case, which had better resisted the action
of the FIRE than the ill-made metal box.
The miniature was an old-fashioned paint
ing upon ivory; the portrait of man in
with large, dark eyes and a high, bold
fnrnhn16 Los chr,or i,,Ir I1,tb tbo
liar form of beard and coat collar that the
original had been foreigner; the type
was un-English.
Lashmar sealed up the sheets of tin
derry paper in a large envelope and sub
scribed It carefully, Burned papers found
in Boldwoods cash box" with the place
and date. He cleaned up the cash box
and put the miniature and the papers
back into it, locked it and tied the key to
the handle, then he wrote label '"This
box is Stella Boldwood's property, the
only thing saved from her fathers lodg-
ings."
Lady Lashmar was in London, Victo-
rian was at Oxford. Lashmar and his
protege had their little world all to them
selves, save for their devoted slave, Ga
brlel Werner, Lashmar's old and faithful
servitOr, who was his librarian and pri-
vate secretary. Stella's birthday had al
ways been made in some wise a festival
by her adopted father. He wanted the
child to lack none of those childish pleas
ures which fathers and mothers give their
children.
She wGs with him this morning, proud
in the recitation of her first Greek verb.
She had been learning Latin for more
than a year, and could recite bits of the
Bucolics with perfect intonation and pre-
cision, but Greek had been begun within
the last fortnight, and Stella was intense
ly interested in the beginning of a Ian
guage which she had been taught to con-
slider the grandest tongue that the people
of this earth have ever spoken. Had not
Homer recited his wondrous tale of Troy
in those sonorous syllables? Stella knew
the story of Troy as well as other children
know the story of Red Riding Hood.
They went in to breakfast together
Mr.. Werner was in the study waiting for
them, with his notebook and pencil in
his hand, going over a passage in his
book. lie wrote his manuscript in small
scraps, which he revised and rewrote
again and again, carrying the little book
about with him wherever he went, por-
ing and pondering over every paragraph,
every phrase; and by this laborious
method he had contrived to attain an
English style which read like literal
translation from Hegel or Schopenhauer.
The table was bright with flowers, old
English silver and old English china. A
large dish of strawberries showed crimson
against ii background of tea roses in q
great Japanese bowl. The substantials
were all upon side table. Lashmar was
wont 10 breakfast lightly on new laid
eggs and strawberries and cream in this
summer weather, and Stella cared only
for crisp light rolls and fruit and cream.
1t was Mr. Werner whose fine appetite did
justice to the good things on the side
table.
Stella gave a cry of surprise and rap
ture as she took her seat. Under her
folded napkin lay a glittering golden
watch, with a slender chain coiled round
it like d serpent. The back Of the watch
was enameled, and on the enamel appear
ed the initial S., surmounted by star
in small brilliants.
-'Oh, what a beautiful watch!' she
cried; whose is it?'
"Yonrs, Stella. You are so precise in
giving me my medicine when 1 am ill
that l am sure you know the value of
time; so thought you would like to have
timekeeper of your own"
How good you are to me! You are
always giving me pretty things. But a ).
watch! | never thought should have a
watch, like grown-up person.
"Iou are more thoughtful and more
exact than many grown-up persons, Stel-
la. You deserve to own a watch.'
II will be very, very careful of it," said
the child earnestly.
They were to start upon an excursion
soon after breakfast-an excursion plan
ned in honor Of the day. Fifteen miles
from Lashmar Castle there were the re-
mains of medieval abbey-extensive
ruins in n very fine state of preservation
and situated in a beautiful country Lang
dale Abbey was one of the places that ev-
eryone went to see, and it afforded an ad-
mirable excuse for a picnic. The bas-
kets were packed into the phaeton in the
stable yard and at eleven o'clock the car
riage came round to the porch.
Stella took her seat beside Lord Lash
mar in the plAeton, Gabriel Werner
mounted behi1.d and the groom leaped
lightly in his place when the horses were
in full motion deeminp that his dipnitv