Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-09-01

a|ll pipe, topacco-poA
Ill., aud matches. Such
was his custom, and
every night after dinner old
John Tlcgony, who had served him,
boy and man, rs Il Trcgony has ever
served Dcnzil, used to light the IL
brary candles and lead Sir Jasper to
his scat beside the fire, placing the
table handy ut his side. Then lie
would draw large armchair to the
other side of the fireplace, as though
in expectation Of a visitor, and, clos
ing the door, would leave Sir Jasper
to his thoughts
There Sir Jasper Danzil sat alone,
broOding over the past till the clock
on the mantcl shelf struck ten. Then
he filled goblet and rose with
glass upliftcd toward the empty chair.
MANY happy returns of the day, my
dear boy" he said, with stately bow
to the chair. "Gcntlcmcn,.' he con-
tinuCd with a sweep of his glass that
appealed to the long rows of portraits
of dead and gone Dcnzils that lined
the ak-panclcd gentlemen all,
1 give you toast. Here's to the
health of my dear son, the heir of Mt.
Royal"
The other glass remained unempticd
and the brlcr pipe untouched. Sir
Jasper was no smoker, and the pipe
belonged to his only son, now lost to
him.
Fifteen years ago they had parted
in anger and Sir Jasper had never
seen or Heard Of his boy beyond that
he had died in California of starvation
and fever. He had refused to believe
this report, and every night John Ire
gony, his butler, would lay the glass
and the pipe and place the chair for
Master Harry, who never came.
'IIc will come tomorrow" Such
had been the burden of Jasper Den
zils life for fifteen long years, to the
grief OF the faithful John Trcgony and
the chagrin of Rufus Dcnzil, Sir JAS
pcr's nephew and his next heir.
Rufus could not bear any reference
to Harry Dcnzirs fate, for his mind
was uneasy concerning n certain re.
port which he had caused to be in
serted in California paper, and GER
tain certificates which he had obtained
under false prctcnscs from trusting
justice of the State of California.
Tonight he felt restless and uneasy
rs he viciously cannoncd the balls en-
the billiard table.
What IL he should not be dead after
all?" he murmured. "Great Scott,
gust Of wind shrckcd with a rattle
Of rain across the skylight.
lie was glad when Trcgony entered
with cold syphon, for there
were no visitors in the house, and the
loneliness Of the billiard room Op-
pressed him.
From the sea sounded the deep
voice OF the wet westerly gale, min
gled with the distant crash Of the
great waves as they fell with thun-
dering boom on tic black rocky lodges
Of Mount Royal Bay.
ITS bad night, john" remarked
Rufus to the old retainer.
SAY, ny, sir. it's black night, and
thorc'll be some fat wrecks along the
coast by the morning" said John Ire
gony shaking his head, less in sor-
row than in anticipation; for John
came of an old Cornish stock, and
found it hard to regard wreck other
wise than as Il gift from the sea.
"You wouldn't minds IL there was
wrcck.-ch, John" qucried Rufus Den
I'll.
Not a-zactly tha-a-t, SIR" replied
John slowly, "but If there is wreck,
wcll-therc 1t is and It's no use AIDE
spisin' what n blessed Providence may
send In the way of salvage. Us don't
put tho ship ashore, anyway"
Then John Tregony left the room,
whilst Rufus Dcnzil seated himself
TO ponder over his affairs.
He was head over heels in debt, and
his creditors were becoming clnmor-
Gus. An income of $500 per annum,
even when cked out by n first-clnss
hand Mt whist and an uncrring cue at
billiards. he had found insufficient to
satisfy tastes that were hardly to he
INDUCED in by those whose rent rolls
represented five figures.
lie turned uncasily in his seat rs he
thought Of the old man in the library,
who was so long a-dying.
He called to mind how Sir Jasper
had sent him, the next heir. to Cali.
fornia. in search of the prodigal son,
and how the old baronct had paid
without murmur the tremendous bill
OF costs of his two years of riotous
extravaganza in the States.
He had located Harry Dcnzil to-
gcther with his wife. the pcnnlcss
daughter of the Methodist parson of
Mt. Royal. anu the innocent cause OF
the rupture between father and son.
Worse STILL he had found that Harry
Dcnzil had n baby son, who though
the father was dying and in straight
cncd circumstances, was n thriving
and healthy child. and likely to grow
up to continue the succession to Mount
Royal.
Dcnzil's illness had suggested the
first thought of evil. and Rufus srr-
rendered to temptation. He destroyed
the letter of forgiveness that Sir JAS
per had entrusted to him, and sought
no interview with his son. SO that Har-
ry Denzil starved on, ignorant Of the