Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-11-04

and cherished, Jonathan Boldwood's
daughter arrived ut her eleventh birth
day. She had remembered her birthday,
young as she was, and had been able to
tell her benefactor the exact date, be-
cause 1t was Il day with Il name. This
dark child with the star-likc eyes had
begun jic upon Midsummer day.
Lashmar questioned her sometimes
about her earliest cxperienccs-vcry gent
~, lest he should evoke sad memories.
lie asked her il her father had ever told
her anything about her mother, or of his
own life. Yes. He had told her that he
was once n gentleman, that he was born
III a great house near the sea, far away
on the Scottish border. He had told her
to have been rich.
Only one relic of the dead man had been
saved fiom 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 Quilted pile In
which 6oldwood's rooms had been stu.
ated. 1t was identified as his by a fellow
lodger aid 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 caskct were disnp-
pointing. 1t contained papers which the
smoke had blackened SO as to be utterly
undecipherable. The original form was
there, hut reduced almost to finder. The
matter had vanished. The only uninjurcd
object was a miniature in a 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 a man in
the prime of life. A grave, shallow face.
with large, dark eyes n n high, bold
forehead. Lashmar judged by the pecu-
liar form Of beard and coat collar that the
original had beer a foreigner; the type
was IN English.
Lashmar sealed up the sheets Of tin
derry paper in a large envelope and SUBJ
scribed Il carefully, Burned papers found
in Boldwood's 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 a 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 ut Oxford. Lashmar and his
| protege had their little world all to them
selves. save for their devoted slave, Ga
briel 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 w.s 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 information and pre-
| cision, but Greek had been begun within
| the last fortnight, and Stella was intense
Is interested in the beginning of n Ian
| guage which she had beer 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 syllablcs: Stella knew
| the story of Troy as we'll as other children
| know the story of Red Riding Hood.
They went in to breakfast together.
| Mr.. Werner was in the study waiting for
| IRGIu, WIFI Ills AOlCuUOA LIN pCISh IA
| his hand, going over Il 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 bordering over every paragraph,
every phrase: and by this laborious
method he had contrived to attain an
| English style which read like a 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 :, background Of tea roses in n
great japanese bowl. The ~substantials
were all upon a side table. Lashmar was
wont TO 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 MI. Werner whose fine appetite did
justice to the good things N 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 rouni
it like u serpent. The back Of the watch
was enameled, and on the enamel appear.
ed the initial s., surmounted by a star
in small brilliants.
"Oh, what q beautiful watch" she
cried; whose il I'll"
yours, Stella. You are so precise in
giving me my medicine when I am III
that I en- sure you know the value OF
time; so ! thought you would like to have
q timekeeper Of your own"
How good You are to me! You are
always giving me pretty things. But a
watch! I never thought I should have q
watch, like q grown-up person"
"You ere more thoughtful and more
exact than many grown-up persons, Stcl
Ia. You deserve to own q 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 q medieval abbey-extensive
ruins in a very fine state Of preservation
and situated in q beautiful country. Lang
l Arln A1J.Mw xs,oa ana ~ <hn n ana kho< ~.