Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-02-16
CHAPTER III.

On the western slope of the little coun-
try churchyard, where the warmest and
brightest sunbeams lay, under the shade
of the ripping lime-trees. they laid Lady
Charlewood to rest. For long years af-
terward the young husband was TO carry
with him the memory of that green grassy
grave plain white cross bore for the
present her name; it said simply:
In Loving Memory of
MADALINE CHARLEWOOD,
who died in her Goth year.
Erected by Her Sorrowing Husband.
when / give her the monument she
deserves" he said, ~ can add no more.
Then came the morrow, when he had
TO look his life in the face again-iife
that he found so bitter without Mada-
line. What of little Madaline, the child
who mad her dead mother's large blue eyes
and golden hair? Again Lord Charlie
wood and the doctor sat in solemn con-
claye; this time the fate Of the little ons
hung in the balance.
Lord Charlewood said that If he found
his father still weak and i'll, he should
keep the secret of his marriage. VI
course, il Madaline had lived. all would
have been different-he would have proud
ly owned 1t then. But she was dead. The
child was so young and SO feeble, it seem
ed doubtful whether it would live. What
need, then, to grieve the old earl by the
story Of his folly and his disobedencef
Let the secret remain. Stephen Letsom
quite agreed with him in this; no one
knew better than himself how dangerous
was the telling of bad or disa agreeable
20, cfa I.nr
Charlewood added
"You have indeed been friend in need
10 me, DIR. Letsom. Money can no more
repay such help as yours than can thanks;
all my life / shall be grateful to you.
am going now to Italy, and most probably
! shall remain there until the earl, my
father, grows better, or the end comes.
When l return to England, my first care
shall be to forward your views and pros
poets in life: until then l want you to take
charge of my child
Among the doctors patients was ont
who had interested him very much-Mar-
garet Dornham. She had been a lady's
maid. She was a pretty, graceful wom-
an, gentle and intelligent-worthy of
far better lot than had fallen to her share
She ought to have married a well-to-do
tradesman, for whom she would have
made a most suitable wife; but she had
given her love. to a handsone-ne er-do-
well, with whom she had never had one
moment of peace or.yaappiness. Henry
.d nntifa never, borne good chtrac-
u =. dark, handsome face-atcer-
:. 22nd Ihse' rich, gypsy-like beauty 7Ebut
qualifications. He was neither
Industrious, nor honest, nor sober. His
b,ndsome face, his dark eyes, and rich
= tha hoo ort Of
pretty, graceful, gentle lady's maid, and
she had u.arried him-only to rue the day
and hour in which she had first seen bin.
They lived in a picturesque little cot
cage called Ashwood. and there Margaret
Dornham passed through the greatest
10y and greatest sorrow of her life. Her
little child, the one gleam of sunshine that
her darkened life had ever known, was
born in the little cottage, and there it had
died. DIR. Letsom, who was too abrupt
for the ladies of Castledene, had watched
with the greatest and most untiring care
,ver the fra gile life of that little child.
When a tender nurse and foster r-motheI
was needed for little Madaline. the doe
tor thought of Margaret DoTnham. He
felt that all difficulty was at an end. He
sent for her. Even Lord Chariewood
looked with interest at the graceful, timid
woman, whose fair young face was %
deeply marked with lines of care.
viii | take charge of a little childT
she replied to the doctors question. ''In-
deed l will. and thank heaven for send
ing me something to keep my heart from
breaking"
You feel the loss of your own little
,ne very keenly?" said LORD Charlewood.
You will spare neither expense nor trou-
hle," he continued, "and when | return
YOU shall be most richly recompensed. If
all goes well, and the little one prospers
with you, | shall leave her with you for
two or three years at least. You have
been a lady's maid, the doctor tells me.
In what families have you lived?'
"Principally with Lady L'Estrange. Of
verdun Royal, sir" she replied. Il left
because Miss L'Estrange was growing
up, and my lady wished to have a French
maid"
In after years he thought how strange
was that he should have asked the
question.
Il want you," said Lord Charlewood,
Ito devote yourself entirely to the little
one; you will be so literally paid as not tC
need work of any kind. l am going
abroad, but l leave DIR. Letsom as the
everything you want, as you will not be
sbIe to communicate with me-
In all things Margaret Dornham prom
Ised obedience. One would have thought
she had found a great treasure. To her
kindly, womanly heart, the fact that she
once more held a little child in her arms
was source of the purest happiness.
The only drawback was when she reached
home, and her husband laughed coarsely
at the sad little story.
"You have done a good days work
Maggie" he said; now | shall expect you
to keep me. and l shall take it easy"
He kept his word, and from that day
made no further effort to earn any money.
Faithful, patient Margaret never com
planned. and not even DIR. Letsom knew
how the suffering of her daily life had in
creased, even though she was comforted
by the love of the little child