Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-06-30

..Welby Dunbar" said the lady, look
ingup inquiringly.
rs there nothing familiar in the
sound Of that name?" asked Welby,
impresslvely.
Nothing whatever"
'Haye you no vague recollection Of
having heard it before, under some
what singular and interesting circum-
stances?'
Not the slightest in tn eworld.'
Dear madam, carry your recollec-
ton back several years-back to that
winters day when l, n poor, forlorn,
orphan boy, was dragged Into your
splendid drawing room by the three
gentleruen who captured me In Canal
street."
''Fulke, yes! have much reason to
remember that boyish freak of yours!
1t gave me more anguish than almost
any event of my life! But l, Fulke,
have never once reproached YOU with
it! To have done so. indeed, would
have been ungenerous, since all your
subsequent conduct has been perfectly
irreproachablc! So good, so affection
ate. so solicitous to please me have
you been, my love, that, whereas, be-
y
q conscientious sort of way, as the son
of my late husband by his first wife.
since then. my dear, have loved you
from the bottom of my heart and for
your own personal merits"
''Oh, that you may continue to re-
gard me for myself alone, lady! dear
lady! for that is the only claim l can
venture to make upon your
But, my dear Fulke, why have you
recalled that long-past circumstance to
my mind?'
Madam; dear Mrs. Greville; my
more than mother! try to recall in de-
tail the events of that night; recollect
the account given you of my capture
by the gentlemen who arrested me.
Recollcct that they told you that they
found me crying oysters in Canal
street; that l resisted their attempts
to caDture me With all my hoyish
strery,n. That l persisted in as
Scrt;ES myself To be an emi.rant from
England. Il fish boy. in the service Of
old Carnes of Water street, my name
Welby Dunbar
Il remember that; but what of it?
And what freak has made you use that
false name again?' o
Lady" said the young man. contin-
uing without Immediately answering
her question. remember, also. that
when these gentlemen reared and left
me alone with you, stu persisted i'll
asserting that was not your son: 1
still resisted the splendid destiny that
was forced upon me, but ~ which l
had conceived l had no right
II know that you did. t'E.:ie; but
why you did it, cannot imagine. I'M
less it was because your peer father
left nothing, and l, who wished to en-
rich you for his sake, was only your
step-mother"
NO, madam, it was not that" said
the young man. sorrowfully: lit was
not that; it was because. in sad truth,
| was not what you claimed me to be:
l was not your Stcp-son; my name was
not Fulke Greville; l was. indeed,
what l declared myself to be-a new
ly-arrived emigrnnt from England;
fish boy, in the service of old Carnes
OF Water street: and my nall:; was
Welby Dunbar! l lad no means of
proving lily identity; the ship by
which l came had sailed again. my
emigrant companions had dispersed in
every direction. Old Carnes coull tes-
THY only to the fact that upon a GER
tain day l had come to him for en-
ployment. That proved nothing. as
any runaway schoolboy might have
done that Tor Il freak! So l had no
means OF proving icy Identity! All my
unsupporte;! words we're disregarded.
L bore so striking a resemblance to
your missing sttp-sOn, Whom you had
not seen for twelve months, as to
seem his counterpart, or himself. l
was minor. in the power of those
who believed and asserted themselves
to be my legal guardians! And thus.
in spite of all my protestations, l was
torn from my humble sphere, and the
condition Of a gentleman forced uDon
me-upon me, a poor, forlorn and
nameless orphan. 1 say nameless,
lady, for of my own origin | know
nothing, not even that my parents bore
the name that was given to me- But
oh! lady, do you imagine that, even
while protesting against the greatness
thrust upon me, the poor fish boy was
not much tempted to be silent, and to
take the goods the gods provided% He
was! His one dream-poor outcast as
he had been-was to rise to the condi-
ton of gentleman by his own exer-
tons! For that he came to this land
of freedom and equality. For that he
would have toiled long years. And
when, unexpectedly, the opportunity Of
springing at once into that rank was
forced upon him, do you not think he
was sorely tempted to embrace it? He
was, Mrs. Greville; he was But the
boy. poor in everything else, was rich
in the possession Of pure conscience;
that conscience would not permit him
to accept tempting position to which
he had no right! He protested against
taking 1t; and even when he knew
that his protestations were all in vain,
he warned you, when you should find
out your mistake, not to brand him as
an imposter! And he resolved that,
during his minority, he would obey his
self-styled mother and self constituted
guardians; do all he could to prove
himself grateful for their bounty; and
to make the best use of his opportuni-
ties for Improvement; and that, as
soon as he should attain his majority,
and be free to act for himself, he
would. at any sacrifice of personal
feeling or pecuniary prospects, aband-
on position to which he had no just
right. Lady, l appeal to yourself to
judge whether the first section Of these