Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-05-04
A MID LOVE
BERTHA M. CLAY.
BERTHA M. CLAY.

England. Cawdor il was called; nel.
Their court, hall nor park, simply Cav
dor: and there were very few people
in England who did not know Cawdor.
There was no book of engravings that
had not view OF Cawdor for its first
anu greatest attraction; there was no
exhibition of pictures in which one did
no see ruins of Cawdor, 1t had in it
self every attribute of beauty, the ivy
mantled ruins, the keep, from which
one could see into five different coun.
ties, the moat. now orergrown with
trees; the old-fashioned bridge
which contrasted SO beautifully With
the grand modern entrance, worthy of
a Venetian palace; the winding river,
the grand chain Of hills, and in the far
distance the blue waters of the Chan
mel.
There could not have been q more
beautiful orp picturesque spot on earth
than Cawdor 1t had belonged to the
Lanswell family for many generations.
The LansWells were a wealthy race
they owned not Cnly all the land sur
rounding the fair domain Of Cawdor
The Ear of I.auswcll was also Baron
of Raleigh, ana Raleigh Hall, in stat
fordshire, was Il very grant estate, In
one part Of it an immense coal mine
had been discovered which made Lord
Lanswell one Of the wealthest men
of the day.
Cawdor, Raleigh Hall and Dunmore
House three of the finest residences in
England, together with rent-roll
counted by hundreds of thousands,
should have made the earl a happy
man. He married a wealthy heiress
in accordance with the old proverb
that Like seeks like" His wife, Lu-
cia, Countess of Lanswell was one of
the proudest peeresses in England; she
was unimpeachable in every relation
of life, and had little pity for those
who were not; she had never known
sorrow, temptation, doubt, or anything
else; she had lived in an atmosphere
of perfect content and golden ease, she
diamonds, the finest horses in London,
she had the most indulgent husband,
the handsomest son, and the prettieSt
daughter; she did not know the word
want in any shape, she had not even
suffered from the crumpled rose-leaf.
me nearest approach to trouble of any
kind that she had known was that her
son, Lord Chandos, had failed in one
of his examinations. He asked that he
might go into the country for some
months to read, and permission was
most cheerfully given to him. With
her daughter Lady Imogene Chandos
the countess had never had and never
expected to have any trouble; she was
one of the fairest, sweetest and most
gentle of girls; she was docile and ODE
dient; she had never in her life given
the least trouble to any one.
Lord Lanswell was walking up and
down one OF the broad terraces at
Cawdor one fine morning in July, when
one of the servants brought to him
a telegram. He opened it hastily; it
was from his son, Lord Chandos:
Dearest Father-Will you run up to
town and meet me at Dunmore House
this evening? I have something very
important to tell you. Not one word
to mother yet"
LORD Lanswell stood still to think
with the telegram in his hand.
what can be the matter now" he
said to himself: that boy will give
me trouble He has done something
now that he will not let my lady
know"
He had dull, heavy presentiment
that the boy who should have been the
pride and delight of his life would be
a drawback and torment.
Il must 60" said the earl to himself;
Il must make some excuse to satisfy
my lady"
1t was typical OF Lady Lanswell that
her husband seldom spoke Of her as
my wife" the children more seldom
still as my mother" every one alike
called her my lady. She might have
been the only peeress in England, 50
entirely did every one agree in giving
her that title "My lady was pleased,
meant sunshine at Cawdor; my lady"
was angry, meant gloom She regu-
lated the moral and mental atmosphere
OF the house with smile or frown.
Lord Lanswell knew that he dare not
show the telegram to Lady Lanswell;
she would have started off at once for
Dunmore House, and there would have
been war He must deceive her. He
carefully destroyed the telegram; in
some queer fashion which he did not
own even to himself he had kind Of
sympathy with his son.
He had been wild in his youth and
made allowances for the same in 9TH
ers. His worst thought now was that
his handsome young heir, with the
frank blue eyes and sunny hair, had
been gambling or betting.
"A few thousand pounds would set
him straight, he thought: and after
all, one must not be too hard on the
follies Of youth"