The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-01-07
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ALL QSuRERS DAUGHTER.
BY CHARL OT7E NJ BRAENE
BY CHARLOTTE NJ. BRAEME.


gest nothing?" said the earl
Every loop-hole is closed, my lord"
was the brief reply.
And you are quite sure, Ransome,
that there is nothing left on which
can borrow mCney-nothing more that
| can mortgage?"
Il believe honestly that the only OBJ
ject belonging to the Ravensmere es-
tates which remains unmortgaged, my
lord, is yourself replied Arley Ran
some.
1T is equally sure that no one will
lend money on me" said Lord Caraven,
laughlngly. Give me-not the details,
but a resume: give me some faint idea
OF how l stand
Arley Ransome, lawyer and money
lender, the calm, inscrutabie man of
business, locked at the young earl
perhaps he wondered at his perfect
calmness, then he glanced at a sheet
OF paper lying cn the desk.
1T will not be pleasant to hear, Lord
Ca1aven,'' he said, slowly; but you
ask for it. To begin At the age of
Il you succeeded to the Ravensmere
estates and title; the estates were clear
OF all debts and membranes; the
rent roll was thirty thousand per an
mum; there was besides, a sum of fifty
Thousand pounds in the Funds, the saw
lngs of the late carl-that is correct I
believer
quite So was the curt reply.
"You are now % years Of age, my
lord, and in seven years you have run
through a fortune
keep to facts no comments-plan
facts said the earl!
The plain facts are these con-
tinued the lawyer, "the fifty thousand
went, I believe, to pay the first years
losses on the Derby"
Yet my horse Won" INTERRUPTED
Lord Caraven
"The winning Of that Derby was
your ruin, my lord After that you
continually forestalled your income by
Borrowing money; then your losses OH
the turf and the gaming table were SO
great that you were compelled to raise
heavy mortgage Cn the estate; then
you borrowed money On the pictures,
the plate and the furniture at Ravens
mere. In fact. my lord, briefly told,
Your situation is this-yCu are hope
lessly, helplessly ruined. You owe six
ty thousand pounds mortgage money,
and owe forty thousand pounds Dor
rowed money-and you have nothing
to pay it with. You received notice
from me six months since that the
mortgage money was called in Unless
1t is paid in six weeks from now the
estate-Ravensmere Castle, with all it's
belcngings-passes from you; it will be
seized with all its contents.''
Are you quite sure that I can Dor
row no nlore?" asked the earl.
"Quite sure, my lord, you have sold
all the timber that you could sell, as |
told you-the only thing left is your
SELF
Then, unless repay the sixty thou
sand pounds in six weeks, Ravensmere
becomes the property CT the man who
lent the money!"
Precisely So replied Arley Ran
some
"Then j hope he may live to enjoy
1t, for I have not sixty shillings
Hush.' he continued, seeing that the
lawyer was about to speak-"no COM
1nerts! I am d ruined man, as you say;
but J. will not submit to criticism. J
say frankly that I have been a wicked
ndthrift-a prodigal I say frankly
that if l could begin life again. / would
live differently. I have been worse
than fool have been dupe It is
all over now. and I have the price Of
my folly to pay
1T is bitter price, too, nv lord
May I ask what you think of doins?"
you may ask-I know no answer.
In six weeks I lose Ravensmere. and
with it all sources of income, and he
sides that, I am forty thousand pounds
il debt, and have not forty shillings
to pay it with. 1t seems to me there IS
but one thing to be done"
Arley Ransoma looked up anxiously.
What is that" he asked.
81 had better invest the trifle 7 have
remaining in the purchase OF a reyolve,.
you can imagine for what purpose: II
will be but q, fitting end to such a ca
reer as mine. I really do not think,
Ransome, that I have had hundred
thousand pounds worth Of pleasure
What comments the newspapers will
make uEon me! They will head their
para graphs, Suicide of Spendthrift
EarI-they will draw excellent morals
and warnings from my fate Men of
nv ege will read it and think what a