Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-08-08
CHAPTER 1.-THE MAJOR AND HIS
HOUSEHOLD.

estate at Hurstleigh, in Surrey. On
leaving the Service, he declded-hOl
unwisely-that il was better 10 De
Triton in the country than a mlnhOW
in town; and acting upon this theory
he purchased "Ashantee' from rum
ed squire. Formerly the place hau
been called Sarbylands, after us OF
iginal owners; but Jen had chahseu
the name, in honor Of the one cam
paign in which he had participated.
He had been present at the down
fall Of King Koffee; he had contracted
during the expedition an ague Whlch
tormented him greatly during his later
life. and be had received a wound ana
q medal. In gratitude IS 20 De pLe-
sumed-for these gifts OF fortune, tus
Major. with some irony, had converter
the name Sarbylands into the 0aroarlc
appellation Of a West African KING
dom; and here, for many years, ne
lived with his two boys.
These lads, named respectively
Maurice Alymer and David Sarby, were
in no way related 10 the Major, VINO,
as has been stated before, was a oacn-
elor. but they had entered into MS
life in rather an odd fashion. Alymer
was the son Of a beautiful girl with
whom Jen had been passionately IN
love. but she did not return his III
lection. and married one Of his brother
officers. who was afterwards killed IN
the .Ashantee war. On returning 10
England. Jen cherished his hope that
she would reward his love by second
marriage, but the shock Of her hus-
bands death proved too much for the
fragile widow. She died within
week after receiving the terrible news,
and left behind her a wailing infant
which was consigned TO the cold char-
ity Of Indifferent relatives.
1t was then that the Major displayed
the goodness of his heart and the no
bility of his character. Forgetting
his own sorrows, he obtained permits
sion from the relatives to adopt the
child and to take charge Of the tritie
of property coming to the lad. Then
he bought Sarbylands, set estate and
house in order under the name OF
"Ashantee," and devoted mis- life TO
cherishing and training the lad, IN
whose blue eyes he saw look OF his
dead love. This PlatOnic affection, be-
gotten by the deathless memory Of the
one passion Of his life, filled his eX-
istence completely and rendered him
entirely happy.
With regard to David Sarby he had
passed with the estate TO Jen. The
boys father a libertine, a drunkard,
and a confirmed gambler, had been
forced, through his vices, TO sell his
ancestral home and within a year Of
the sale he had dissipated the pur-
)chase money in debauchery. After
wards, like the sordid and pitiful COW
Iard he had always proved himself TO
be, he committed suicide, leaving his
only sOn-whOse mother had long since
been worried into her grave-a pau
per and an orphan.
The collateral branches Of the old
Sarby family had died out the rela-
tives on the mothers side refused to
have anything to do with the child,
who-if heredity went for anything
might prove to be a chip Of the old
block and little David might have
found himself thrown on the parish
but that Major Jen. plying the forlorn
condition of the child, saved him from
so ignOminiOus a fate. His heart and
his house were large enough to receive
another pensiOner, so he took David
back to the old deserted mansion and
presented him to Maurice as a new
playfellOw. HenCeforth the two boys
grew to manhood under the devoted
care of the cheerful old bachelor, who
had protected their helpless infancy.
The Major was fairly we'll 70 do, hav-
ing, besides his pension, considerable
Lrivate property, and he determined,
in the goodness of his heart, that "the
boys" as he called them, should have
every advantage in starting life. He
sent them both TO Harrow, and when
they left that school, he called upon
them to choose their professions.
Maurice, more of an athlete than a
scholar, selected the army, and the de-
lighted Major, who highly approved of
his choice, entered him at Sandhurst.
OF a more reflective nature and stu
dious mind David wished to become
lawyer, with a possible idea of ending
as Lord Chancellor; and accordingly
his guardian sent him to Oxford.
Both lads proved themselves worthy
of Jen's goodness. and were soon in
active exercise of the profession which
they had chosen. Maurice Joined a
cavalry regiment, and David was ad-
mitted to the bar. Then the Major
was thankful. His boys were provided
for. and it only remained that each
should marry some charming girl, and
bring their families to gladden. an old
bachelors heart at "Ashantee." The
Major had many day-dreamS Of this
sort but, alas, they were destined never
10 be fulfilled. In the summer of
ninety-fve Fate began her work of
casting into dire confusion the hither-
10 placid lives of the two young men.
Frequently the young barrister and
the soldier came 20 visit their guardian,
for whom they both cherished a deeD
affection. On the occasion of each
visit Jen was accustomed 10 celebrate
their presence by a small festival. 10
which he would ask two or three
friends. With simple craft, the old
man would invite also pretty girls. with
their mothers; in the hope that his
lads might be lured into matrimOny.
The MajOr-owing to circumstances
heretofore related-was confirmed
bachelor. but he did not intend that
his boys should follow so bad an ex-
ample. He wished Maurice 70 marry
Miss Isabella Dallas, a charming blonde
from the West Indies; and David he
designed as the husband of Lady Meg
Brance. daughter of Lord Seamere. /
But Jen was mistaken in thinking that
he could guide the erratic affections OF
youth. as will hereafter be proved. Sure
enough, the lads fell in lOve;-bUt both
with the same wOman-a state Of