Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-10-22

charms Of an 1s-year-old schoolgirl,
FRI sh from England, and Mrs. Dia-
mond's services were required no
longer. Coming down country she
bad stumbled upon Teddie Blake,
fever stricken aud virtually alone, aud
II was undoubte iiy 10 her care that
he owed his recovery from the re-
lafse, which had been wo Sc than the
original at ack. She had deferred her
own plans 10 the ss1~ss;enee Of the
patient, had superintendent his trans
fer to the steamship from the BON
bay hotel, which she had hardly dared
10 hope he would reach i've, and was
witness of his convalescence on
board ship, as day by day his rength
and spirits returned. SO it was not
wonderful that Teddie turned TO her
for paper and pencil on the very first
occasion that he felt he could scrawl
line, and imperiously demanded that
he be allowed to write ''to his peo-
pie"
care you sure you can do it?" Mrs.
Diamond askei, producing her writing
beard, but not giving it over to him
uneond tionally
"Quite sure--that is, not bit Of it
= but I'll try"
Thought you said you had nobody
belonging to your"
"No m re have-no real relations
but an adopted family that is the
dearest in the world--not mere ac-
cident of birth like other peoples
families. | must write them Just
few words 10 say I'm a i've and coming
home, and i'll he ready when al op
portunity comes for posting it, though
il can't reach Moyl.s allan more than
an hour or two before / do myself.n
"Moyliseallan, repeated Mrs. Dia-
mond, "what do you know of MOyIis-
callan? ! only heard of the place for
the first time a month ago, and now it
turns up again."
'It's my home, Blake said, pain
fully scrawlilg the date at the top of
his sheet of paper. 'fThe castle be-
longs to me, only I've never been
able to live in it. My people live at
the reetoly-it is to Mir. O'Malley, the
rector, that I'm writing. And what
did you hear about Moyliscallan, the
>. - qvebs,ee on all the earth?"
"sss-s., esai,esi Mrs. Diamond, ex-
citedly, '.e.s- is the oldest thingl My
cousin, Georse ngeways, rented
the castle from some one some years
from you itapp -=--:s..:s Icy .. =.
is engaged, married probaoly ~ this
time, to one of the rector's girls, Ellen
O'Malley, a daughter, suppose, Of
this very old gentleman you're writ
ing to. ! had the letter Just before I
met you at Rahmednuggar and had
scarcely given it thought since.
One Of the rector's girlsl
Teddie Blake had seen death glaring
at him from a wall of black Afghan
faces; he had looked fever in the eyes
m re thal once; bat he had never
known what despair meant till Marcia
Diamond told him her little story Of
odd condolences sitting on the steam
ship deck, halfway through their
homeward voyage. For a moment he
repeated the words, "Ellen O'Malley;
there is only one daughter at the rec
tory and Mrs. Diamond, whose eyes
were on the silk sock she was knitting,
went on cheerfully; ''Oh, then, that
the girl. l did not hear from George
Strangeways direct; the news came
through my brother, but, of course, it
is the same-the young lady at the
rectory. Fancy old George succumb-
ing to an Irish girls fasciuations after
going all over the habitable world
unscathed till nowl"
:" Is he good fellow ?" Teldie
asked.
Something in his voice made Mrs.
Diamond give swift glance at her com
panion, and in that glance she under
stood everything.
He is very good fellow" she
answered, little more seriously than
she had hitherto spoken; ANY girl
will be h ppy aud tenderly treated by
him, though he is an elderly man
30, 1 should think - and little eccen-
trio and old-fashioned in his ways.
You will find letters telling vu all
about it when you reach England, you
may be sure. Don't you think you
had better let me take that writing
board downsta rs again? 1t will be
time enough to write when there is a
chance Of posting your letter"
He let her lift the writing things
away, only putting out feeble hand
to crumple mp the sheet on which he
had begun his letter. Then he lay
back with his eyes shut, and her tact
took her little apart, for the struggle
which he had to go through now must
be fought out alone. By and by his
servant came AMI helped him down
stairs, and Mrs. Diamond saw him
again no more that day.