The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-04-11
CHAPTER I-Continued.

tOLS ADOut u tuluk VI lNo IA spAD "Nh-N
and the next. Well, you can only do
your best, you know; we'll try to make
YOU comfortable and back you up.
Come all the way from London today,
suppose;--have you got yourself fixed
up vet in the village2--yhat some
author chap--Matthew or Mark Sum-
mat or Other--calls Lancashire
Hell-hoIe.' Well, we're not quite so
bad as that yet here, but we're getting
10 it. But it can't be helped, you
know; we ha' gone forrard and we nun
90 forrarder, as the rabbit said when
be let tn weasel get him into hole.
Yes, 'Hell-hole; but it should be a
useful change for you; it may give you
an idea when you want to describe to
your congregation the real"
"Jim, lad," interrupted his sister,
"you're forgetting YOURSELF"
"Eh? Oh?-ah. well can remem-
Der, you know, when all round about
here was as sweet and pretty place-I
was born back O. tn White Moss" Tin
dicating that locality over his shoul-
der), "Toppleton way"
Thus the full, quaint and careless
stream Of his talk flowed on, meander-
ing about one person and another, this
subject and that. He seemed we'll OF
curious and fearsome Lancashire lore
lore of the days when spinning and
weaving we're done in the cottage homes
OF remote hamlets and homesteads,
when Lancashire energy applied itself
10 useful work and not to useless toll,
when its fabrics were made to be worn
and not merely to be sold-the days
when the steam engine was not yet
with its sall-devouring, all-enslaving ma
chinerv.
We had talked thus for about an hour
or, rather, listened to Mr.. Birley
talk--when he paused and looked round
The had been fidgeting in his chair for
some time.)
"What's got 'Manule2" he said, ad-
dressing his sister. "Is he stuck till
midnight in his laboratory again2
Doesn't seem as if that smoke was to
come off tonight. In Paul's house now
It used to be Smoke where you please
drawing room or anywhere. Poor
PAUL."
was astonished and alarmed to see
Miss Lacloix rise hurriedly, and glide
without word from the room. Mrs,
steinhardt made as II she would follow
her, but she did not. She sank back
In her chair with sigh.
"Jim Jim!" she exclaimed, re-
proachfully. "Why will you say
things, when you know the poor girl
cannot bear illusions to it2'
"Ah," said Birley, humbly. "Poor
lass!-EIer father" he explained, turn
ing to me, "has never come back from
London. Poor PAUL." He was visibly
affected.
"He had to go to the law courts
there" said Mrs. Steinhardt, "nlore
than year ago, about some dreadful
business OF the chemical works-he was
my husbands partner"
"Hildersheimer v. Lacrnix and Stein
hardt''-( Frank turned on the music
stool to correct his uncle's pronuncia.
tion.) "Well," said he, that's all
right; anyway that was the case.
May be''--turning again to me-"you
remember it in the papers. 1t was
about the infringement Of chemical
patent Manuel had put them up to in
his eternal laboratory"
"Nay, uncle" interrupted Frank
flushing up. ut wasn't fathers fault
more than anyone else's."
Gay, lad" said Birley, "of course
you know all about it. But you're
right to stand up for your father. How
ever, Paul, as the chief of the firm
went up to London to fight the case; ht
fought and lost to the tune of 10000
pounds damages-which, l suppose
drove him mad, poor fellow, for he
never come back--made away will
himself, very likely, or, somehow, got
made away with"
"But, surely" interrupted Franl
again, at could hardly be the damages
did it, uncle2 You remember he wen
to Paris after the trial about some pat
tern business for the print works, anC
then got back to London again"
cay, lad-out 10000 pounds dam
ages can make man feel very queer al
the way to Paris and back, At am
rate, poor paul's gone lost in the grea
London wilderness"
at is very extraordinary affair,
said |. "But don't remember seeinI
anything of it in the papers.
at got into the papers, though,
said Birley, "to some extent-no
much. We didn't want noise abou
private, painful thing like that"
"But." said l, wondering, 81 sup
pose inquiries were NADER"
"rhey made inquiries high and low,
said Birley; "they laid detectives on
and everything, but nothing came of it
Did there, Frank2"
"No," said Frank" nothing at all.
"Did YOU try TO trace him out Of Lon
don2" asked. 81 suppose they did,
said Birley.
"Yes-oh yes," said Frank.
wondered that Birley should keeI
using the word they" Had he born
no share in the investigation himself
had my thought answered at once.
az wasn't able to go to London my
seli," said Birley; 81 was laid up wit
broken leg; and, when got better,
didn't think it was any use my going
There wasan end of Paul that wa
certain; for he wasn't the man to knoc
under like, and get lost just"
In little while Miss Lacroix re
turned, with apology for her with
drawal.
al had little of headache. said she
/ now saw more clearly the encroaeh
ments which grief, and what / canno
describe by other words than "anxiou
waiting" had made on a young III
which would, unoppressed, was sure
have been so full Of spirit and mirtt
longed there and then with an earnes
desire that might do something I
brighten her life, to remove the weigh
uncertainty and grief which burdene
1t, and preyed upon it.
But had little further opportunit
for talk with her that night. In ie'
minutes Mr.. Steinhardt returned. W
heard then what we're the causalties r,
sulting from the falling of the be
tower. A horse had been killed, a,
also, had been a SOW with her litter
- a.. ,,,,, hoH haar, - fpss,r.d a.