The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-05
Copyrighted, 1899. by Edgar Jepson.i

darkening room while the brief February
twilight faded into night, and only the glow
of the fire illumined their sad faces. They
had been crying NOrah, a tender-hearted
child, had wept for the loss of her father
every day that was dull or stormy since his
death a month ago; Polly after her first
natural outburst of grief, had shed no more
tears. but set manfully about unraveling
the tangle of his affairs. They were, in
deed, tangled. and in the depression caused
by a full understanding of them she had
to-day Joined Norah in her tears.
Their father had been one of the most
successful trainers in England; he had
made a large income for many years. and
spent it lavishly. Then his evil days had
come upon him; two of his patrons had
died and their horses had been sold. The
dukes horses had op4y won two important
races in three years; his own horses had
broken down or turned out good for Moth
ing; the stable had had a spell of bad luck.
Polly had at last learned their position,
and il was desperate. There were about
e4O0 in the bank; the stables were mort
gagged for nearly their full value, and the
duke had advanced the money them.
There was only one chance for them-that
the duke would let her so on training his
horses. She had her own very good rea-
to him; but she looked at Norah, and knew
that she must accept the favor. 1t would
be a favor to let a woman train his horses.
and the bitterness Of being a woman was
very keen in her heart.
Polly's feeling about being woman, and
she made no secret of it. was that it was
beastIy But there was nothing else to do.
Norah was dependent on her, and she was
far too sensible a girl TO dream that she
could go into the world and make living
for them. What could she do? She could
ride; indeed there was probably no woman
i'm England could ride as we'll; but that was
no accomplishment for a woman to make
livelihood out of. She could not be a gov
erness; her handwriting alone was impos-
sible. She could be a shop-girl or parlor-
maid but how could a shop-girl or parlor-
maid make enough money to keep deli
cate fragile child like Norah? But she
could manage a racing stable; She had
managed her fathers for the six months he
had been i'll; she had trained the dukes
Fortunio TO win the Czarewitch. In two
years, with fair luck. and she believed in
her luck. she could pay off the mortgage.
If only the duke would let her train his
horses.
A maid came in. bringing her a letter
which had just come by post, lit the lamps
and drew the curtains. Polly started at the
sight Of the dukes handwriting sprawling
across the envelope 1t was thick letter,
and Polly set about reading the six pages
with a frowning effort; it was something of
a labor to her to read any handwriting. AS
she read fine flush gathered on her pretty
face 1t seemed that the duke knew the
state Of her fathers affairs as we'll as she
did, and the letter contained an offer to pro-
vide for Polly in liberal fashion. 1t spoke
of a settlement of a thousand a year for
life, of a country house in the Midlands, Of
three hunters. One sentence in it, an out
burst of natural frankness, characteristic
of the writer, made her smile. 1t ran:
And / would give you my word to marry
you when the duchess dies, but there's no
use of doing that, because the old cat will
Outlive me-"
Polly was not shocked; she was used to
the easy morals of the sporting world. She
was not even astonished for she had seen
for some time how much the duke admired
her. 1t was not even the first proposal of
the kind that had been made to her. But
she was very angry, indeed. 1t seemed that
because she was the daughter of a trainer
any man might insult her; and the old feel
ing that all the world was against a wom-
an, If she were poor and pretty, did not
lessen her anger. She moved to a writing
table and wrote in her uniformed, boyish
handwriting: Miss Shutter begs to decline
the Duke of Shetland's Offer" sealed the
envelope and sent it to the post at once.
She came back to the easy chair and
Norah, who had not moved from her foot
stool, leaned back against her. She fell
into very forlorn musing. passing her
hand gently through Norah's curls; the pro-
posal had recalled to her mind another pro-
posal and the spoiled romance of her life
Presently she murmured with a heavy sigh
'Ah! if only jim
Il thought you said we weren't to call
him Jim any more-only Lord Huntsleigh?"
said Norah, reused from her dreaming. II
wish YOU hadn't quarreled with him, Polly;
he was more our friend than anyone; and
we shouldn't be so lonely now. Why did
you?"
But Polly did not answer her; her mind
was wandering down the paths of the past
to the days of her childhood when Haunts-
leigh, a young man of twenty-five had first
brought his horses to her father to tran
and made a pet of her She was calling to
mind how their friendship had grown; how
the wild young sportsman, in disrepute with
his family, had fallen into the way of MAX
ing her his conhdante. his comforter and his
adviser; how of a sudden, when she was
eighteen, they had found their friendship
changed TO a warmer feeling, and how, Bit
terest memory of ALL he had told her that he
loved her. and implored her 10 share his life
on terms very like those proposed by the
duke. She remembered how she had called
out TO him TO be silent to spare her; how
when he would have his say. she had re-
preached him for rating her so low for his
treachery TO their friendship; and how,
when he had tainted her with the weakness
Of her love compared with his, she had babe
him never speak TO her, never come near
her again.
She had never dreamed of his marrying
her indeed she knew the Hauntsletgh pride
She had loved him far too dearly to let him
marry her, a trainers daughter. But she
had likewise never dreamed il possible that
he who should have known her best could
offer this outrage TO her pride, this injury
TO her self-respect. Had it come from a
man who knew her less it would have mere
ly angered her; coming from him it shamed
her beyond blushing. She had never spoken
10 nam again. had made her father re-
fuse TO train his horses, she had torn him
out of her life. But it had been a bitter