La Junta tribune., 1900-11-17
CHAPTER 4.

| looking round at the open trunks, the
wearing apparel spread upon every
| available chair or bed in the school
doFmitory. And / had no idea that
! possessed so many things"
You het been these four years
here" said the German goyerness
kindly, "and you spend much money.
bad child, But they will be pleased
to see you home-o-h. yesl"
Il don't know who Will be pleased.
I am sure" returned Mollie, with a
sigh. for there is only my half-sistes
Kate"
"Ach himmcl, Well. she is no doubt
looking forward to your return. she
IS older than you-wiser?
She Is ten years Old" interrupted
the girl. sitting down on the edge OF
the bed, and regarding the well mean
ing FrauleIn sloomily. when / last
Gaw her she was about six. and my
stepfather spoIlt her shamefully."
What? with whom will you If
then, mine Mollle? With the step
;ather7"
"oh, no. he died twelve months ago.
shall live at Chalfont House. the
property OF my half-sister. Kate. with
her. and her aunt, Madame Debois.
"Ach, French LADY,"
NO. but she married a Frenchman.
She is now a widow with one son.
and after my mothers death she went
TO keep house for her brother, Mir.
Barlowe."
THY stepfather?"
"I never called him that" And a
strange look OF scorn and bitterness
swept over the girls pretty, glowing
face. 1T is wrong to hate any one
but / hated him living. and l And 1t
hard not to hate him dead
so. so. the Bible tells rs TO hate
no man" reproved the governess. with
a placid shake OF her head. as sIe be
gan TO fold up some of her fayor!te
pupils clothes.
And ! try not to do SO; pray ey-
cry night TO forgive him." burst forth
Mollie in a shaking voice. but he
separated me from my mother; he did
not make her happy
She paused abruptly. conscious how
impossible 1t was TO make the solid
.
that were ranking in her mind had
grown with her growth. and become
| part OF her life: and. as rosy-cheeked
German maid entered at the same mo-
ment and announced that she had
been sent to assist Fraulein LES
| TRANCE to pack. nothing more was
said
For four years Mollie L'Estrange
| had been left at Frau Seckendorf's S
school In Hanover. without once re-
turning to England, without any one
coming to see her. But she had been
very happy, for she had naturally .
merry, buoyant disposition, and was
| the pet and fayorite of the school es-
iablishment. from the grave. kindly
Frau herself downwards.
Then she was literally supplied with
pocket money by her fathers trustees.
generously paid for in every way,
while Frau Seckendorf had carte
blanche to do everything for her
amusement In the holidays. and the
| time had gone SO fast that Mollie
could hardly believe she was nearly
1 nineteen, and that a few days would
see her once more in her native land.
All. that dear native land, How often
! in her dreams had she seen 1t as 1t
would be looking now. with the first
faint breath of spring rustling through
the bare, brown branches. the leaves
sprouting In the he1gerows. the vio-
lets peeping forth from some sheltered
nook, Yes, though there was no one
now in the house where she was born
to welcome her home with affection,
1t would be something to be in Eng
land in the sweet spring time, to gath
er vioiets and primroses in the well
remembered woods and fields around
Reyerton.
The packing was accomplished at
last, more by the Fraulein's and Liza's
exertions than her own, for the girl
was restless and excited. torn by con-
fiicting feelings. sorry to bid farewell
to quaint old Hanover. and all those
I who had been so kind 10 her since
she came there,-a pale. motherless
child of fourteen--yet anxious to rush
into the future. to see what 1t held in
store for her.
SO when the trunks were shut and
Liza had departed with her arms full
OF the gifts she had bestowed upon
her. Mollie made her way with un-
usual sedateness to Frau Seckendorrs
private apartments. Since the girls
Of her own age had left one by one,
and she had outgrown the class rooms
she had been promoted to the use OF
these salons. and taken out to con-
certs. theaters, and coffee parties By
the good Frau. who was secretly i'm
mensely proud of the pretty. we'll
dressed English heiress confded "a
her care. and watched over her with
vigilant eye: and Mollie looked
round them with a friendly glance,
and q sigh at the thought that after
tomorrow she should see them n0