Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-08-27

II
of the wealthiest, kindest, and most
noble men in England, mistress OF
Falcons Court? 1t did not seem pos
sible or probable.
| There was but fortnight now until
/ her wedding day, and their unkindness
/ increased with each hour. She was
no longer allowed to sit in the ante
= room-her own room was the only
: place Of refuge. When she was driven
almost mad with taunts and insults,
she would, at times, go into one OF
the unused lumber rooms, and sit
there for long hours.
One morning Mrs. Harcourt had
been especially violent and i'll
tempered; the young ladies had been
so insulting that human nature could
endure it no longer. Florence left
them, and went to her old haunt, the
lumber rooms; they were full Of old
furniture, boxes, manuscripts, looks
pictures, and papers of every possible
description.
Il will not go near them again to-
day" thought Florence. Il will
amuse myself by looking a these old
pictures"
! She was turning them over when
she saw small packet of letters and
papers addressed to the late squire.
She knew her fathers handwriting,
and, without stopping to think, opened
it.
Thank Heaven, for she found there
/ her mothers marriage certificate, for
William Beauchamp had indeed mar
: ried the pretty girl who had attracted
him; he had married her at the parish
church of st. Roche, in Falaise,
France; and there was, besides. the
certificate of her birth, Florence, the
infant child of William Beauchamp
and of Rose Hampton, his wife: there
( was certificate of her mothers death,
land these were all inclosed in letter
, from William Beauchamp to his
brother the squire. In the letter Will
lam told his brother he had loved the
ischoolmasters daughter so dearly
that he had married her, but that
dreading his brothers anger, he had
Kept the marriage secret; that the
child, Florence, was indeed his
Legitimate, lawful daughter; he begged
the squire to forgive him, and to
acknowledge his daughter as heiress
OF Weston Grange.
That was the packet the French
nurse had brought with her. and the
old squire, in his anger, had thrown
away without reading They had been
picked up by one of the servants.
who, believing them useless, had
thrown them, with others, in the
lumber room.
The first thing she did was to
thank Heaven, not for the wealth that
would be hers, but that her mothers
name was free from reproach, and the
burden that had so long weighed on
her young heart had fallen from it
now forever She sent a note to her
lover, and when he came. she placed
the papers in his hand.
Il shall not disgrace you, Leonard .
she said, land l am so thankful.
Help me to thank Heaven"
Sir Leonard, Will all his romance.
was very practical. The first thing he
did was to go to France and verify
the certificates. He found there the
old cure who had celebrated the mar
riage, and the witnesses who had al
tended it, so that Florence was indeed
Florence Beauchamp, heiress of
weston Grange. AS a matter OF
course, the Harcourts opposed her, and
the case came on for trial. when it
was decided at once in her favor.
But she was too generous to trample
on fallen foe. By Sir Leonard's
consent she kept Weston Grange. but
she didived the annual income re-
ceived from it into two equal parts,
the half of which was settled on the
Harcourts.
Yet, in spite of her generosity, they
hated her. More than once Sir
Leonard was obliged to threaten
them, they said such scandalous
things of her; but people only laughed
at them; they understood the mean
spite and jealousy that actuated each
! word.
NO one is more beloved than Lady
Falconer-no one so much admired
Her second son is to inherit the
Grange, and Mrs. Morgan lives there
still-"keeping it ready for him." as
she laughingly says.
Mabel married a wealthy old
merchant. whose later years she made
miserable. Jane conquered a young
curate. and he did penance for the
rest OF his life. The sisters disagree
about everything when they do meet,
except in abusing the lady loved and
revered by all who know her-Lady
Faleoner, of Falcons Court.
The End.