The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-10-22

position and getting your superiority rec
ognlzed by the very best people,"
don't care for the best people, the
girl answered bluntly. "They are nothing
to me. | would rather be with Mr. Yer
ner than With the finest of Lady Lash
mars friends"
You forget that Mr.. Ncstorius is
among those very people. To know such
a man is a liberal education."
MIR. Nestorius is very clever and very
kind. but l would rather see him at Mr..
Nerner's cottage than among the fine peo-
pie downstairs
You are incorrigible!' exclaimed Mrs
Mulciber. "Your only chance of getting
on in the world is knowing smart people"
Then l shall never get on, for l hate
smart people,"
In the evening the Vavasours started
games; dumb crambo. charades, clumps,
the usual kind of thing. Lashmar de-
tested this kind of fooling, 50 he went off
to the library and plunged into the thrill
ing pages of Hansard. He was interested
i'll factory bill that was to come on next
session. He had begun to read after ten
o'clock. and he read on till after twelve,
by which time the house party had finish
ed their gaines and retired for the night,
Mr.. Nestorius yawning tremendously di-
rectly he escaped from that apprecative
circle of which he had been the life. Deep
in the report of case of trade-union
tyranny, which had gone almost as far
as murder and quite as far as arson,
Lhshmar was unconscious of the opening
of door near him, and only looked up
from his book when he felt q sudden
Frightening of the light in front of him.
1t was his mothers slave. standing there
in her black gown with Il candle in her
hand.
Il came to look for a book for her lady
ship. l lid not know you were here my
lord,' she faltercd, startled to find any
one in Il room she had expected to find
empty.
Can help you? What book is it?'
"Sir Thomas Mallory. The Morte d'Ar-
thur
why, that is the very book" began
Lashmar, and then stopped abruptly with
smile. looking at the pale, grave face
in front of him. which gave no answering
smile. 1T was the very book she had been
reading seven years ago, perched on the
ladder yonder at the other end of the
room. lnvoluntarily he glanced toward
the spot. shrouded in deepest shadow.
"There is another copy,' she said; Il
know where to find it,
She went 10 shelf little way off and
selected n small octave.
He had been looking at her deliberately
while she found her book and moved
quietly toward the door, looking at her
with the thought of what Mr.. Nestorius
had said about her in his mind.
One thing was certain. The ugly child
if ugly she had ever been-had grown
into /; very interesting woman. He did
not know whether to call her beautiful.
The small features were delcately mold
ed. but they had not the statuesque beau
ty of Lady Carminow's outline The lit
tic nose inclined to the retrouse. the lips
were too thin for loveliness-lips OF Mi
ncrva ,ather than of Venus-lps of Sibyl
or mystic rather than of lovable woman
The complexion was a pale olive, that
tint which suggests bronze rather than
marble. The hair was blue-black, lus-
trous, heavy. The eyes were the most
glorious o1bs that Lashmar ever remem-
bered 10 have looked upon: eyes full Of
thought and full of pride; eyes of a queen,
and of a queen who would rule her king
dom.
He looked at her gown, the black mer-
ino gown, with it's plain, straight skirt
and delni-train; just such gown as ev-
cry house!naid at Lashmar wore of an
afternoon. His mother had not been
over-indulgent to her dead step-son's pro-
tege.
He opened the door for her.
do You know that it is just past twelve
o o'clock?'' he said. 81 suppose your duties
are over for to-night?"
mo; shall be reading for some hours,
perhaps. Her ladyship is such a bad
sleeper"
"Rather hard upon you.''
Not al all. l am fond of reading. and
am always interested in the books her
ladyship chooses"
She was gone. and he stood riveted
where she had left him.
$50 this is the tawny-visaged brat with
the goblin eyes that my poor brother
brought into the castle in his arms that
midsummer night nearly fifteen years
ago." he said to himself. "Po0r old Lash
How proud he would have been of his
bantling if he ha,i lived to seq her as she
is tonight. A girl who warns an ex-
prime minister to enthusiasm; girl who
for distinguished looks and pride of mien
could hold her own in any coterie in Lon
don Paris or Vienna. And she has grown
up to this under my mothers stringent
rule"
And then going back to Hansard. and
finding it impossible to revive his interest
in trade unionism and Mary Ann, he said
to himself.
"She looks as if she had a temper
just the same kind of temper that made
her tiout Clnrice seven years ago in this
very room. She looks as if she had
nerves. Why doesn't my mother let her
go out into the world: 1t is like claiming
an gle 10 keep her here"
CHAPTER XIII.
Lashmcr heard voices-a musical bari
| tone-a Rubdued contralto-on the ter
race, under his window, ut eight O'Clock
next morning. and looking out saw Mr..
| Nestorius and Stella walking up and down
| in apparently earnest conversation.
"She is as much al ease with him as if
she had keen reared among cabinet min
isters,' he said to himself. Il hope he
won't tusn her head.