Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-07-04

| she spoke of tribes. The few final
hours found her conscious and intelli.
gent, although very weak. Just at
the end curious idea got hold of her.
She was little distressed that the
Gainsboroughs were not there; she
whispered her feelings to Harry apol
ogetically, well remembering his OBJ
lection to that branch of the family,
and his Discrimination to have them
or any of them at Blent. "Cecilly
ought to be here" she murmured.
Harry started little; he was not
accustomed in his own mind to con-
cede Cecily any rights. His mothers
fear of offending him by the sugges-
ton was very obvious. "She'd come
after you, you see, if" she said once
or twice; there did not pass between
them word of acknowledgement
that Cecily ought to come before him.
The barest hint of this kind would
have raised Harry's suspicion and an
ger few weeks before; the new
mood which Nina Zabriska had
marked in him made, him take it
quietly now, and even affectionately.
For this Addie Tristram was grate-
/ full; she had always the rare grace, Of
seeming surprised at her own power
over men. Harry promised to ask
the Gainsboroughs to her funeral,
Addie Tristram's conscientious scru-
pies were entirely laid to rest; with
a sigh Of peace she settled herself to
die. 1t was the feudal feeling, Harry
decided, which insisted that the fami-
ly must not be ignored; it did not
deny their humble position or the
gulf that separated them from the
succession. Yet he was vaguely
vexed, even while he agreed to what
she wanted.
So she passed away in the full tide
of the darkness of the night Tho
doctor had left her some hours before,
the nurse had been sent to bed; for
there was nothing that could be done,
Harry was alone with her; he kissed
her when she was dead, and STOOD
many minutes by her, looking from
her to the picture of her that hung
upon the wall. A strange loneliness
was upon him, a loneliness which
there seemed no one to solace. He
had said that Blent would not be much
without his mother. That was not
quite right; it was much, but differ
ent. She had carried away with her
the atmosphere of the place, the es.
sence of the life that he had lived
there with her. Who would mako
that the same to him again? Sud.
denly he recollected that in four days
he was to ask jamie liver for her ali.
swer. Say week now, for the fun
eral would enforce or excuse so much
postponement. jamie liver would not
give him back the life or the atmos.
phere. He was Tristram of Blent,
hn OF Il
but it was not the same Blent ana
did not seem as though it could BIZ
again. So much of the poetry had
gone out of it with Addie Tristram. 40
After he had left her room he
walked through the house, carrying
shaded candle in his hand along the
dark corridors of shining oak He
bent his steps toward the long gall
lery which filled all the upper floor
of the left wing. Here was the vais
halla and the treasure house of the
| Tristrams-the pictures of ancestors,
the cases of precious things which
the ancestors had amassed. At the
end of the gallery Addie Tristram had
used to sit, when she was well, In q
large, high-backed armchair by the
big window that commanded the GAR
dens and the river. He flung the
window open, and stood looking
out. The wind sw1shed in the
trees, and the Blent washed
along leisurely. A beautiful stiffness
was about him. 1t was as though she
were by his side, her fair head resting
against the old brocade cover of the
armchair, her eyes wandering in de-
lighted employment around the room
she had loved SO we'll. Who should
sit there next? AS he looked now at
the room, now out into the night, his
eyes filed suddenly with tears; the
love of the place came back to him,
his pride in it lived again, he would
keep it not only because it was his,
but because it had been hers before
him. His blood spoke strong in him.
Suddenly he smiled 1t was at the
thought that all this belonged, inlaw,
to Miss Cecily Gainsborough-th
house, the gallery, the pictures, the
treasures, the very chair where Addie
Tristram had used to sit. Every stick
and stone about the place was Cecily
Gainsborough's, aye, and the bed of
the Blent from shore to shore. He
had nothing at all-according to laws
Well, the law must have some honor$
some recognition, at all events. The
GalnSDorOuSnS SnOuld, as he had
promised, be asked to the funeral.
The last Of his vexation on this score
died away with sense Of gyim
amusement at Addie Tristram's Wish
and his own appreciation of it. He
had no sense of danger; Tristram
had succeeded to Tristram; all was
! WELL
| Little inclined to sleep, he went
down into the garden presently, lit
his cigar and strolled on to the bridge.
He had stood where he was only a
4 few moments when, to his surprise,
he heard the sound of horses hoofs
on the road from Blentmouth, Think
ing the doctor, who often did his
rounds in the saddle, might have re-
turned, he crossed the bridge, opened
the gate and stood on the high road.
The rider came up in few minutes
and drew rein at the sight of his fig
ure, but as Harry did not move, made
as though he would ride on again with
no more than the customary country
salute of Good night"
"yVho is az aclxad Harry paor;nsS