Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-12-23
CHAPTER VIII.

His first protege came to him as fol-
lows:
1t was the first winter of his settle
ment at home. upon a tempestuous
night in the month of January. that
Captain Ti!;uy grew tired of sitting
over the tic i'll his comfortable library.
and so arose and opened the French
window. and stepped out upon the
porch to look ut the weather. The
storm had ceased. the sky had cleared.
and the snow lay cleaning white be-
meath the beams of the full moon. 1t
was almost as light as day. and as the
captain walked up and down the
porch. inlaling the fresh air and thank
ing Heaven ter the favorable change
in the weather he saw approach the
figure of boz. Astonshment at see
ing Il strange lad on the island at that
hour of the night held the captain
spell-bound. rr,il the visitor stepped
upon the ror,..i and. lifting a shocking
bad hat. said:
Pray. sir. does Captain Fuljoy live
here"
Yes: am Captain Fuljoy; but"
You don't know me. uncle! l am
Fulke Greville your nephew" said the.
lad.
"Tulke! Gre! Lord bless my soul
alive! Come in here and let ME have
Il look at you.'
And the old man pulled the boy into
the room, and stood gazing in conster-
nation upon him.
He was tne-looking youth of about
fifteen years of age. with a tall and
well proport;oned figure. regular fea-
lures, dark complexion and raven black
nd Int l,;e A.
travelstained. his shoes worn and his
hat battered.
Lord bless my soul and body!
Where did you come from? How did
you cross the water, and why are you
here at all:" gasped out the captain,
as soon as Re could recover his breath
and command his voice.
But as soon as the lad opened his
lips to answer. the captain interrupted
him by saying:
stop! hush! You are ringing wet
and shaking with cold. and hungry.
no doubt. You must have dry clothes
and supper and get warmed and rest
ed before you answer any questions"
AS soon as the boy was made COM
Portable. and seated in an armchair
opposite his uncle, he told his story.
His mother. Captain Fu!joys step-sis-
ter. had died first; his father had mar
ricd q second time, wealthy widow,
whose property was all secured abso-
1utely and exclusively to herself; but
he had survived his marriage only 81
few months. and died, as it was sup
posed. in embarrassment. All this the
captain already knew, but he had yet
to learn what followed
In imprisoned and indeed cXagger-
ated language, the high-spirited boy
told Of his real or imaginary wrongs
of the cold charity bestowed by his
Step-mother upon her husbands or
phan son; OF the cheap boarding school.
been sent; of the scant wardrobe. the
pittance of probationary grudgingly
doled forth, and so on
And what hurt my feelings worse
than all was the thought that 1 really
cause after all. you see Sir, she was
not my own mother"
MY poor boy!" sighed the good cap
tain.
''And so Mt last could not bear any
more. and ran away from school and
came to you. uncle" continued Fulke.
MY poor lad" repeated the old man;
"but how did you travel?"
Il walked all the way from New
York"
"Walked!
Yes; had no money, and sold my
clothes to lay for supper and lodging
every night on the road; was Il week
walking it; the roads were very lad.
And low, uucle, if you will put ME at
any work by which 1 can earn my own
bread you will find out that am not
an idle boy
Poor fellow! He had said that he
had no claim upon his stcp-mother;
neither, certainly. had he the slightest
claim upon Captain Fuljoy; he was the
only son Of Captain Fuljoy's step-sjs-
ter. But when did his rich heart ever
dishOnor a bill drawn upon his Dcney-
olence?
He did not put the high-spiritcd lad
to work; he put him to college. enter
ing him at the University of Virginia
at his own expense.
He had never cause to regret his con,
fdence.
The reports of, the youths dcport-
ment anC progress were always most
satisfactory
He watched the newspapers i'll the
expet tation of seeing some advertise
lDent en- the part Of the step-mother or
the teachers for the lost boy But none
such appeared. Nor was any search
or inquiry, as far as lie knew made.
The guardians of Fulke Grcvile
seemed to have abandoned or forgotten
him. Ard Captain Fuljoy. in his dis
gust and indiG lltion at their selfish
ness and Indifference. did not volun-
s.tecr to write and offer them amy in
formation.