Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-03-25

family. He has his mothers marriage
certificate, the certificate of his Owl
baptism, and an undeniable record.
1T will kill Sholto Graham Patrice
said, brokenly, and good fellow as be
was, Thorburn could not help wishing
that she did not take the downfall Ct
= her old lover so desperately to heart.
Z must go and see Lady Gwenap 20
morrow, Ned. l mus hear what is 20
be done for him and--bis wife she
gulped out, and then she added, q. gen
erous and ample apology beamins from
her eyes as she spoke; you know he
has nothing, absolutely nothing, of MS
own. He sacrificed his independ-
! ence-'
When he sold himself for money.
Yes, [ know Ned replied, and Patrite
grasped the fact that Ned was not sym
Pathetic with her sympathy for SnoIto
Graham
1t was all too rue, too hideously true,
that sensational paragraph which had
appeared in the Standard and dozen
other papers. Poor Mrs. Sholto Graham
pitied lord had been the fools OF cir
'cumstances and fate THE well-at-
tested son If the old millionaire. who
had come home and claimed power and
proof the money bags on which mis- dis
tant cousin, Mrs. SLcltO Graham, had
reclined ungracefully for a time, was a
hard-fsted cosmopolitan. He had fought
| orth i,,
! quarter Of the globe, in order to make
the mighty mothe: bring forth fruits
He had died in his family, and written
much verbiage in describing his own
/. death thirty years ago. But when he
| came back to England with a family
Of children and grandchildren, money
| enough to leave them all we'll off, and
in very bad health, he grasped with
| greed at the gold which he haF only
| just learned that his father had left.
| He was ruthless to the Sholto Ora
| hams, telling the young husband open
! ly, in the plainest English, that he was
a disgrace to manhood for having sold
his youth, strength and good looks 10
an old harridan for her money, at the
| dle-aged wife that she had been
greater fool to fancy that any young
man would have touched her with the
end Of a barge-pOle unless she gave
him a golden one for the purpose"
He then suggested that they should
clear out Of his house without delay,
and advised them to be prompt in re-
funding the money they had spent since
they had been in unlawful possession
of his property.
This meant utter ruin to them, and
! Sholto Graham realized from the out
set that his wife's grasping cousin
would not move a little finger or abate
one jot or title of his rights to avert
that ruin from them. This gentleman
had led a hard life for more years than
he cared to count, and he had sue
! ceeded! He was remorseless hard and
unsympatbetic to all such as had led
hard Hves-and failed.
Sholt0 Graham's first impulse was
to seek his sister, whom he had been
neglecting from mixed motives for the
last few weeks. The house was shut
/
! with a seizure and had been hurried off
under the care of his wife and the ply
sician who Travelled with him to one Of
the German baths. At another time
he would have received this intelligence
uncOncernedEy enough, but this day it
cut him to the heart to find that Maggie
had gone OFF in he" luxurious anxiety
without giving a thought or, at any
! rate, leaving a note for him.
It came upon him that it would be
rash to spend any Of his little remain
ing ready money OIL a hanson, so he
walked back to the house that was no
longer his home, trying to shun the
glanceS of those whom he had known
during those spuri0Esly palmy days
which he had not enjoyed while they
lasted, but which he 1amented now in
anguish of spirit. He then girded
against all those whom he had sought
to avoid, declaring to himself that they
were rats leaving a falling house, and
already were meanly DESTROYS of cut
ting fallen man.
The servants had all been dismissed
within the hour after the blow fell.
Some Of them-Mrs GTaham's maid
among them-had transferred their ser
vices gladly to the newcomers, who
were anxious to "settle things and get
into the house at once"
When Sholto got back after his fruit /
less errand to his sister, he found his
wife and her boxes scattered about the
hall, and his own former butler gave
him to understand that his master
desired all the litter might be cleared
out without delay" There was nothing
for him to do but to load a cuple Of
cabs and go forth desIately in search Of
lodgings.
He had a vague idea that cheap ones
were to be had somewhere BhomptOn
way, so putting the wretched weeping
woman who bore his name into a four
wheeled he directed the driver "to go
and wait at Harrod's stores till he fol-
lowed in a hanson" Then he turned
to the house again to look after some
Of his more immediate personal be-
lOngings, and while he was directing
the cabman with shaky voice and
hand what to pick up. another hanson
dashed up to the door and a voice that
he knew well-a dear, womanly voice
asked:
rs Mr.. Sholto Graham at home?
Take my card I must see him