Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-07-23

AT this hour, Stephen-in the dark ness
and stormp' Madam Vivian exclaimed,
her affection and anxiety quite overcom-
ing her ill-huE.or. my dear boy, you
must not think of i'll Are there not your
W room and the ~study-both with good
fires, and warm and cosyP Stephen, dear, |
pray do mott"
VERY. well then, aunt, to please you"
he said, going towards the door neverthe.
less; 'but / shall just have a look at the
night"
mot on the cliffs-pray, Stephen, not on
the cliffs9' Madam Vivian reiterated.
'Stephen, do you hear me-"
II hear you, dear aunt" he replied, with
a kind OF grave patience; ''are you afraid
that q capful of wind would take me of
my legs and blow me over Treyarthen
Headg"
"A capful of wind do you call ftp" cried
Madam, Indignantly, pointing her white
hand to the withdrawing boughs of the
great elms outside, as their dark forms
were visible against the lighter back
ground of stormy, cloudy sky, through
which the faint moonlight struggled dim
ly. 81 lave been out in a gale Of wind be-
fore now, and | know one as well as you
do, Captain T%redennickl Come and sit
down TO chess this instant, under peril of
my displeasure-Llanyon will send us up
some tea presently-and forget your quar-
ter-deck and dirty weather and night
watches for once"
MY dear aunt, | am no more able to re-
fuse compliance with any request Of yours
than my late uncle was" said her nephew;
and there was a glimmer of ridicule in the
EnilOr'S Eaap plaasopt ayac nc ha turnaJ
obediently, moved the little inlaid table in
front of Madam's easy chair, and placed
thereon the acknowledgement ivory chess
men which he himself had brought home
from Canton as a gift. Common report
would have it. indeed, that the late John
Vivian, Squire of Roseworthy, parish of
st. Awen, Cornwall, had carried the trait
of conjugal amiability, to which his
nephew alluded, so very far that it had
carried him at length INTO the regions Of
conjugal slavery-but then common re-
port is always slandcrous.
Chess was Madam Vivian's f~avorite
game; she delighted as much rs she ex-
celled in its intriguing, its deep-laid policy,
it's ambuscades, and well-won Victories;
and it was her boast to say that she never
met her match on the field of the chequer-
w pNh'', SaNNpbl III q llNNNllllCh VI IIc-
garthen.
She certainly did meet her match, and
her victor very often, in Il Tredennick Of
Tregarthen; but then she could gracefully
yield the palm TO those of her own kim
dred, for she had been n Tredennick of
Tregarthen before she came to rule over
Squire Vivian's handsome house and we'll
dlled purse in Roseworthy.
Il had intended to go up to Tregarthen
this evening"" Stephen Tredennick re-
marked absently, toying with n captured
pawn, and oblivious Of an awful menace
to his bishop from Madam's last move.
ut is too late now; / must go up to-mor-
row. The Truscotts are keeping the old
house togetheB | suppose, aunty"
"Ges, keeping it together" Madam re-
piled, with a slight shrug; "it is n perfect
ruin, you know. Stephen, do you intend
Tint pawn to remain?"
II am sorry for it," said Captain Tired
e%nnick, moving the pawn carelessly; II
should not like the old home to fall to
ruins, even if i never lived in it,"
ut would take full three thousand
pounds to rebuild and renovate," observed
Madam, with another snrug; "if you are
never going to live there, it does not mat
ter, j suppose. If i had three thousand to
spare, | would do it for the sake of the
aame Of the T~redennicks of Tregarthen,
but | have not. So suppose il must go,
rs they will go; you are the last of the
Jredennicks, and / dare say another half
century will blot even the memory of them
off the face of the earth"
81 dare say,'' replied Stephen Treden-
nick, gravely.
"There goes your hishop!" cried Madam,
sharply, sweeping down on the neglected
piece. what are you thinking Of? You
TIRE playing very badly tonight"
81 shalfnot spend three thousand GER
lainly," stephen Tredennick said, taking
the loss of the bishop very p~hilosophically,
but ! certainly must spend n few pounds
in making it weathertight. | shall go up
there tomorrow"
at is sad to see it in the state it is in"
returned Madam, speaking in meaning
accents still. 81 should like before | die
to see the Tredennicks of Tregarthen,
there once more; but | never shall, l sup
pose"
The unpleasant subject was cropping
up again. Captain T~redennick made an.
other reckless move, and turned his head
towards the window.
"Ab. the gale is upon us sooner than /
thought" he said, the sough Of the trees
and the mournful signing of the night
windrising, as he spoke, into Il sudden
shrieking blast, that roared above the
laundering din of the crashing pillows
out by the headland crags, and swept over
the mansion fiercely, beating at its closed
doors and windows, screaming round the
grouped chimneys, the angles and gables,
and burying itself with long tremulous
walls in the surging hurricane - sound OF
the wild, ~leaiiess woodlands behind.
"Check to your queenl' said Madam.
Captain Tredennick made q few feeble
efforts to save the game, but a move OF
two more placed it entirely in Madam's
hands.
II do not call that a game, now-it was
merely surrendered" said she, pushing
her chair away in pique. "If you did not
want to play, why did you not say so
Ring for tea, please, Stephen"
II really do not feel my head quite clear
tonight, aunt" he explained, APOLOGIZE
ca!ly; my mind kept wandering all the
time. Hark! 1t is a bad night for the
Channel. and no mistaken
Llanyon, Madam Vivian's staid, grave
butler, entered at this j%uncture with Mad
ans favorite china-pale buff and gold
and Madam's silver service, with the fra
grant green tea, the sparkling sugar, Thu
tiny silver-stoppered bottle of lemon es
sence, with which she always favored hel
cup, and the little richly-chased ever o
scalded cream. Llanyon had, beside tn,
silver biscuit-basket, another colored dish
Cook sent up some 'heavy-cake,' Mad
am, T" he said, a little apologetically "Sh'
says it is very nice, If you and the Cap
tain would like to try it. Miss Winnie is
very fond of it-only she has not come to-
night"
"Oh, / see!" said Madam, laughing care