Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-27

Copyright. 1895. under the name of LITTLE ANNA
MARK, by s Il. Crockett
Copyright 1892 by s. x. Crockett.
Synopsis of Previous Instailments.
Sir James Stansfeld Of New Milns. in COM
pany WITH his grandson, young Philip. meets
In int ToHsH his son Philip and his sons
paramour. Janet Mark. They quarrel Sir
James goes home. taking along his grand,
son. That night ne is murdered by his dis
solute and Janet Mark. Tley take his
body outside and lay II upon ice foe. In
the effort to fasten the crime upon other
shoulders. But the boy Philip has witnessed
the crime. He tells his grandfather's chief
tenant, umphray Spurway, and Spurway sue
ceHds in having the real murderer brought 10
Justice He is sentenced to be hanged. his
woman acc5mpIice to be transported Mys-
teriously Philip Stansfeli escapes the gal
lows seeks out his wife, finds her in the
company Of SpCrvay, and tries to murder
her. but does not quite succeed She IS
taken away to Abercairn for cure. leaving
her son. young Philip. in charge Of Spur
way and In the company of little Anna
Marx. from whom he learns that In some
ways girls are worth quite much as boys.
For example. in the time Of the cattle drov-
ing. when Master Spurway bought his winter
beast in the Mart" Anna beats Philip in
helping 10 cut them out Still they are
excellent friends, even though she beats
him Mt her studies in the school to which
they 60 together. John Stansfeld. Philips
lawyer uncle. brings in a new teacher,
Dominic Ringrose. small man with Won
derfui eyes. Shortly after bis coming the
countryside is shocked and thrilled with a
number of bloody and mysterious murders.
evidently for the sake OF robbery business
calls Umphray Spurway from home. In
his absence big packing case, purporting
to be full of fine Spanish WOOL is delivered
to VIII Bowman, Umphrays clerk. He
puts it in the weaving she'd That night
Philip playing about IL sees shining through
The gauze Of the packing case pair OF eyes
He calls VIII Bowman. who counts three,
then stabs the packing case with a small
sword Blood flows. they open the case and
find Dominic Ringrpse inside, apparently
deal. Shortly after the house is attacked
by robbers whom Ringrose had meant to
let in. They are beaten of. but afterward
Philips mother refuses to let him spend
holidays at New Mlns.
So, home to my mother 1 went to the lit
tie house in the Vennel. whose gable looks
on the port and out on the sea washing the
very sand before our doors, a mighty
change for a laddie bred on the hills. Be
fore me as 1 drew on my breeks were hun
dreds of masts of the harbor Of Abercairn,
the tall seagoing ships riding without at
their aIchorholds, the coastwise schooners
6impling on the swell midway. and a score
of smacks packed along the quay like her
rings in a barrel
Then such rolling, tarry sailors as slouch-
ed and smoked along the sea front, such
curious, oiled curls, pierced ears, strange
oaths. jolly shiver-my-timbers comrades.
All the sullen, melancholy sour humors of
the Covenanting hills seemed in an hour
blown away by the sunburnt mirth and
many -tongued joviality of the seaport of
Abercairn.
My mother. however had a new griev-
ance. She had often pressed it upon I'M
phray Spurway that he was not the person
TO bring up a well-grown girl verging upon
fourteen or fifteen, who would soon spring
up into a woman And SO my mother Of
fered to take Anna Mark as her daughter
and bring her up with me in our little
house at Abercairn.
She needs other governance thanyours,'
said my mother to Master Spurway. What
skills it that she can shoot and fish and
play baoksword as well as any man in ten
parishes? She Is not a man and the doing
of these things will only shame her the
more
Here I protested vehemently, and was
promptly put to silence with an asperity
quite foreign to my mothers nature. You
know nothing about the matter, Philip.
Run your ways out and play
30 LOT the Time Went, Ill enough pleas
ed. and left my mother to press her project
upon Umphray Spurway in her own man.
ner. which doubtless she did with all sue
cess For there was nothing then OF ever
that Cmphray would not do TO please my
mother.
But when came in again I said to her
Mother. what ails you and Little Anna
Mark? Why do you not like her?"
1t was surely simple question enough
yet must my mother fail a-trembling anG
locking at me with a pale and perturbed
countenance-
Listen. Philip" she said. 81 have had
enough of this Little Anna Mark. Ever
since you went to the Min house it has
been Little Anna Mark this, and Little
Anna Mark that, as often as you CONS
back And when Umphray-Master Spur
way, L mean-comeS in to drink his disf
OF tea, il is Little Anna all over again
And wildcat, madam, at the best l war
rant. she is, growing up among men there
In that rrillhouse.'
i. to try her 'Umphray himself
But at this she stamped her foot. II vii
hear nothing more concerning the mink
neither now nor again. she said: and 81
the door after her.
Then. some time after, when she had for
gotten her strange Anglers, / asked he
again But, mother. if you are so Sc
against our Little Anna, why is IL that yol
desire her 10 come hither, and be with m
In one house,
Il desire the thing itself not greatly
said my mother. But, indeed one canno
See the girl being brought up like heather
among lot of men. and for guardian
and companion having only that great sof
heart of an Umphray Spurway."
This was knocking down my two idols a
one blow; so | made answer: Why mother
what has tmphray done that you hav
grown to dislike him? l am sure he is eve
fond enough of you,''
Nhereat my mother dashed her hand t
her brow. pretending that her hair was fall
Ing over her eyes (which it was not. no
ever COULD.
Il mislike nome" she said. but | canno
bear to see Stiffness. And in this JTmphra
mas been foolish from the beginningi''
L knew that IL was time to stop so I sal
no more at that time. But, as NAV be sun
posed. 1 thought much about the matte,
and the more | thought the less could
see light Finally / judged that 1t must b
on account of her mother who had bee
sent away across the seas to the Carolina,
that my mother hated little Anna. 1t couI
not be that she was jealous of a girl Xix
her, living in one house with JJmphra
Spurway. who was old enough to be he
father No, indeed, that was clean impos
sible
But when next 7 saw Anna / got a sti
greater surprise. The manner of il was a
follows: | was going one morning to III
grammar school of Nicholas Kidston.
Abercairn, with my books in a strap undo
my arm. when met William Bowman rio