Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1900-11-16


scene seemed to rise before her.
Mollie could not remember her ia
Their at all. for he had died when she
was but n few months old. but her
pretty young mother had been her
piayfeilow. and until her sixth year.
her constant companion. Then came
the days when u tall dark man was
always with her mother. and that
dearly loved parent was somehow not
the same to her. while the dark man
used to bring her sweets. and smile
grimly when she put her hands be-
hind her back. and refused TO accept
them.
Yes. from the very first MollIc had
disliked and dlstrusted Leonard Bar
lowe. and he had cordially returned
the feeling. With her mothers Sec
ond marriage all her troubles began.
and the child would often sob herself
to sleep ut night. feeling neglected and
foriorn. missing the tender voice. the
lullaby ever since she could remem-
Der.
Afterwards MoilIe grew TO know
that her mother had not forgotten her.
but that her stcpfathcr. jealous and
morose. resented even the affection
she bestowed to her own child. and
,lmIi and clInsins by nature. sh. had
not the strength OF characterize oppose
him In any way. Noiiie vas sent
to school soon after ;h. birth OF her
haif-sist.r. Kate, and though she spen,
the holidays Mt home. chaltoHt House
H. al %
Looking ut the past through the
softcninE vista OF time. Molisc knew
tina, her woes had no, been imaginary.
She would have been fond enough
OF thu little uEurpcE. who seemed TO
hayc pushed her oai Of her place. had
she been allowed. for she ~as neither
Jealous nor r-ycnE-fal: but Mr. bar
lose. while spelling Kate until sh"
was uabeaFabic. resented the least at
,cn,ioa shown to Moliie. and ii.
holidays had been misery. school q
refuge. She gradually grew to know
tina, her mother Was miserable. that
she only dare carrss her in private and
that she feared her handsome dark
husband more than she loved him
How well she remembered the las,
time Hhr had any talk with her
mother. II ~as the nish; before her
return to school. and her mother came
into her room as she was preparing
for bed. and. eiosias the door. took
her into her arms as u she we're
baby again. kissed and cried over her
In a passionate. hsart-brokon way.
SAYING that whatever happened to the
future, she mus, never douh, her poor
mothers love. tina; save her dead fa'
,hrr. no On. Was 80 precious to her.
no one: and that her last thought aud
prayer would b. tor her ovn Mollir.
IL was not until her death a few
months later that Moiiis understood
what she meant. Chaitont and good
income had been Mrs. DsTIowc's pri-
vat. property. and she left them TO
her husband for his lifetime. and then
to her daughter Kate. NO ncntion be-
Ing made of her elder child. save that.
falling them. she would be her heircss.
This had not been her mothers
wlsh-Moliie knew as we'll as u she
had been ,oli-and the hcTtc anger
burned in her heart. not for the loss
of the property. but for what Mr.
parlowe had made her mother suffer.
oh. how she hated him as she saw his
tnc eyes rowing with an air Of pro.
pric,orship round her mothers room'
In her childish heart she fcl; that he
had got what he had schsmsd for. and
IL uattsrrd little to him that he had
ruined her mothers and her life to
obtain it.
They lived at open warfare during
the months bcfurc she was sent To
Hanover: and II vas an additional
blow to ;,nd that he had constituted
himself her guardian in her mothers
place. His motive was not far to seek.
MolJie was her fathers hciress. and
though he could not touch the princi-
nal. a handsome allowance was made
for the care Of Colonel L'Estrangcs
daughter.
And now he. too. was dead. and she
was going back to live at Chaltoht
House with her little half-sistcr anu
Madam Dubois! Were brighter times
coming. she wondered. as. in company
with the English Eoyetness. she once
more set foot on her native lana. OF
was Madame Dubois but a repetition
of Leonard Bsrlowc7
Il was a bleak March day when inc
soy,rness put her charge into hrst
class carriage at one of the great Lon
don stations. and reluctantly babe her
farewell after carefully scertaining
,b,, two elderly ladies' in the further
corner were going the same journey
and Rever,on would be reached IN NJ
lilo over an hour. where Madame Du-
bois was sure to be at the station,
50 sb. kissed the pet and pride OF
Erau sscteudorrs scnool with tearfui
ewes, and hurried away to eaten her
own train. while Moliic sank BACK IN
IN. corner OF her carriage. sorry 10