The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-05-27

of his destiny.
II am Farmer Moore, my lady
Farmer Moore--and l want to speak to
YOU
Lady Caraven stood quite still; he
his appearance alone commanded re-
Spect.
Farmer Moore" she repeated, land
you want me. l am very pleased TO
see you. Will you come into the
house?"
mo. my lady; I cannot enter your
door with my present trouble on me.
Your husband is a young man, but he
is driving my white head % the
grave
My husband!!' exclaimed Lady Car
aven. You must lot speak i'll of
him."
HE must not act i'll to me-" he
said; AN old man, my lady, so old
that my grandsOns say a good wish
from ME is a blessing, an evil wish
a curse-an old. old man, my lady"
She saw how he trembled, and sweet
est compassion filed her heart. What
could he want from her, this old
man?
II have stood here, my lady" he
said, every day for ten long days,
waiting to see you. They told me that
you were young and bonny-that you
had kind eyes and a kind heart. Your
husband wants to drive me to death,
my lady-will you save me-"
She thought he must be raying; but
his manner was calm and collected.
They were standing together just at
the end of the coppice, INC Lady Car
aven pointed to one of the fallen
trees.
sit down there. Farmer Moore
she said, If you will not come into
the house, and tell me what is wrong"
Il am an old nan my lady; l have
lived many years, and I have never
seen an injustice prosper yet. The
earl is goirg to do an injustice to me
and mine. You will keep him from
it,"
Il will if l can" she replied. What
is it?' :
The Moores have lived at Bromhill
Farm, my lady, more years thar I can
count. | have heard it read how, cen
turtles age when the lords of Caraven
went to war, the Moores followed
them. They nave always been ten
ants on the Ravensmere estates. The
farm, my lady-Bromhill Farm-is let
to them on lease; when one lease ex-
pires another is signed. My lady, when
I was a boy, my father signed a lease
for seventy years, and the seventy
years will be at an end next month.
l have sons and %grandsons waiting to
succeed me, and the home is my home
Il love it. My father lived and died
there, my son were BORN there. The
old homestead is part of my life, of
my soul, M lady; standing outside
Of it, l seem to have no life.'
Il understand" she said, gently.
There has never been any difficulty
about the renewal of the leases, my
lady. The lords of Caraven knew how
to value good tenants; and when q
fresh lease was signed the earl would
say, Moore, you will take a glass of
WIG ~ IuS, duu lUc uSSI wife III
his lordship's cellar would be put be-
fore him. There might have been ten
ants who would have offered more
money; but the lords of Ravensmere
would have laughed at that. We
were their humble friends and true
servitors. my lady. You do not meet
with such every day"
Il understand she repeated, not
knowing what to say.
Nov, my lady, the seventy years
lease, signed when 1 was a curly-head-
ed boy playing at my fathers knee, has
expired. We thought, my son John
and I, that we had nothing to do ex-
cept call on the earl and renew it.
We never dreamed of anything else, my
son John and l. So we called, my
lady, and a footman brought us word
that his lordship left all the business
connected with the estate to Mr.. Blan-
tyre. AS we were leaving home l
said to my Sol John: John, we shall
taste the earI's famous wine today
and he, in his CHEEKY way, said: 1T
will do you good. father But there
was no wine, my lady, no kindly greet
ing from the lord of the castle, no
message to the old retainers of the
house, except that We were to 20 to
B%lantyre. My lady," said the old
man solemnly. as he struck his stick
upon the ground, II hate Blantyre!"
She could have added, 80 do L.
But it was wiser to be silent.
ITO be Confined