Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-12-11

CHAPTER VIM. tcontInnedo

CHAPTER VIII. tContinued0
eyes. But Bernard Caryl-he was
the owner than--died of a fever; that's
lust about the time your father met
me. Bernard left a little child--a boy,
/ think-who was his heir, of course.
After your father had been forbidden
to come and e me, OIL account of his
poverty, this little Bernard suddenly
died. and John, your father, though he
was of the other branch of the family.
was still the nearest Of kin. and the
property passed into his hands. Then
we were married, in less han a fort
night afterwards. John was In such a
hurry he would not wait for a decent
tTousseaa FOR me. / don't see how he
could have been more impatient If he
had been young. He was about twice
as old as T."
Ralph listened. not taking his eyes
OF his mothers face.
What was the matter with the child
the heir?" he asked.
ooh, twas a sad ending. The child
had had the measles, | believe. Any
way, II was recovering-nearly well-
and they sent 1t down to the seashore,
somewhere on the coast Of this state.
and-Es nurse must have been care
less. / think-anyway it fell into the
water from a rock and was drowned.
and they never could find the body.
So your father was heir, and was rich.
But what a spendthrift he was! What
made you think of all these things?
You must have known the story be-
fore?"
Yes" said Ralph. II did knt the
story; but happened to a to hear
# a. % -. # vxTI~~n ,,1 $50 foAA~ 80. -
the boy was drowned?"
The mother was too busy with her
recoilections to notice her sons face.
Where was he? / believe he was
off In California, or somewhere"
"He couldn't have been, and heard
the news and returned TO marry you
in q fortnight, mother. Think again"
said Ralph.
Bless me, no, he Couldn't Well.
he was OFF somewhere don't remem-
Der where. OF course, as the heir, he
heard the news directly. Aren't you
rather particular about this, Ralph?"
looking UP at him.
II have reason to be-" was the an
swer. given in such q grim tons that
II alarmed Mrs. Caryl.
And She Instantly reverted To the n
topic that mostly occupied her
thoughts.
'syou can't mean that there's any
fuss about the property" alarmed.
Your father was the heir, wasn't he?"
Don't be worried about that" said
Ralph, impatiently. Yes. I should
say, undoubtedly, that father was heir
after that child died"
There was silence for a while, DUR
Ing which Mrs. Garyl idgeted, nerv-
ou9iy, about the room, longing to ask
questions. but not daring to do so.
She had always been ruled by her hus-
band, and then by her children
II always hated my father!nn sud
denly, hercely exclaimed Ralph, turn
Ing and Walking back and forth.
"HushI You mustn't say sol" cried
his mother. He was your father, and
he is deadi"
y will tell the truth" continued
Ralph. 81 know that he Is dead, and /
know that his death released you from
a horrible thraIldom He was hard,
and cold, and cruel. and a tyrant: you
know he was that. IL he had been di2
ferent. I might have been a decent fell
low now, Instead of the BLACKBOARD
that / am, He made home hateful to
me; he did everything a man could do
10 drive a son to perdition, and | was
weak enough to GO. But | never knew
he was a criminal. | never knew
He paused in time to save himself
from the utterance Of the suspicion
within him.
His mother had sat down IN a chair,
n was sobbing, with her handker-
chief to her face. AT his last words
she looked up, still more frightened.
~ ttnh uyhQtI6 N Won n. A. a1Hfn~ Istyn
THAR" she cried.
II mean that John Caryl was a brute
that he meyer deserved a ~sost-heart-
ed creature like you for his wife-that
he-weil, mother, what's the use OF
talking this over?"
IT don't know what's the matter with
you, Ralph" sobbed Mrs. Caryl.
What has made you burst forth liz
such a TRADE as this, l don't know
and about your father, too, who should
be Jeff to rest in peace, now he's
dead"
tHe eve let us rest in peace when
he was alive" muttered the son. But
we won't talk any more about him
now. I-haye been too bad a cub my
self to have any such talk come with a
very good grace from me- I'm sorry
I've wasted as much money as I have;
and | thank fortune + never got a mort
gage on this place; it's about the only
thing there is left, isn't it?"
"Tes-and my little annuity, which
John could not touch, you know. and
which is all that supports us now
Ralph gave a low whistle.
tits been pretty hard lines for us
all" he said; but I have an idea in
my head now that may amount to
something il ! work II out properly"
"I hope 1t win amount to some mon
ey,D said his mother, simply.
II hope SO, too. And now / won't
keep you up any longer, mother. It's
already the next day Let's go TO
bed
And the mother and son separated,
neither In q at frame of mind to sleep,
CHAPTER TX.
caryl-Brother and Sister.
RI was nearly noon OF the next day