The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-08-21
rGeoffrey Heathcote, Esq"
T. JOHN rINNihoRE. Copyright 1899, by S. s. Mcclure Co !,

Come, sir. who are your" demanded
me OLD gentleman, turning briskly upon
~ oio gentleman 6" g. g. 6*666s6N
.haro Q smile, do YOU, and truly
clare yourself" ~
well, uncle" said I, you ought to
discover something familiar about YOUR
nearest relation" - -
5 o are" he cried, 81 see If now
Geoffrey Heathcote.
~ you service, uncle" l replied.
:. ! is ten Years since I saw you last
san my uncle, welcoming me e~ffusiye-
81 ~ anu IL IS not easy at a glance to
1our-and-twenty. But YOU are Wei
come, indeed, to Nant-y-Bryn.
Ihese are OF my name and fom,ly
IVAN ana Enid Vaughn" he con-
.l1lued, introducing the young lady ard
her brother, but how you came point
pol with Owain at such short no
gether." NSs' iNe aioo-
Say nothing Of it, Sir Arthurn
broke in Owain Vaughan; Il was in the
wrong, n I beg to thank Master
Heathcote for the great help he has
days. NNe past le"
% you are he, too, nephew?" said
FAY uncle. Wei, well, how queerly
lh'hgs turn out. But We'll get home,
a1d you shall tell me all the news"
ietched Whitesock and we moved
up the road together toward the house.
talking OF Butley Croft and Worcester
shire affairs.
My Uncle, Sir Arthur Vaughan, was
my fathers half brother. NV grand
lather was twice married, first to Mar
garet Lathrope, of a neighboring fam
lly' secondly, to Letitia Vaughan, a
Welsf. lady. Of each marriage there
was one son, and, as my father did not
marry until late in life, Sir Arthur lad
llVed many years at Butley Croft on
the footing Of heir-apparent.
Not long after my birth, his maternal
grandfather died-Sir Lewis Vaughan
or Nant-y-Bryn, and, as his mother
was an only child, Arthur Heathcote
departed for Wales, took. the maternal
inheritance II name, and was lost to
Worcestershire.
My father joined the kings forces
and was killed in an attack of the par
lament troops upon a fortified house
IN Warwickshire, into which a mum
Der Of royalists had thrown themselves;
my mother died within two years af-
terWard, n l had been left to the
care OF my grandfather, who lived to a
very advanced age He had now been
dead some years, and, practically, I
had been master OF Butley Creft since
1 was of any age capable Of under
standing q little Of affairs.
AS we walked on, the narrowness of
the o parted us into couples, and
my uncle Jagged a little behind.
But your appearing in this sudden
and secret fashion. nephew" said he.
III E1l6pa that Won ra fxinp fY0Y1
something"
You have hit it exactly, uncle"
l returned, sit Is the old cause"
rs it so?" said Sir Arthur. whats
on foot now?"
you must know" I began, what
eXcitment and uneasiness are prevail
Ing throughout the country at pres
ent. There are many who believe the
power Of the parliament army is run
are thinking that the sun is about to
turn on our side of the hedge"
y hear but little of these matters"
said my uncle. I'VE are out OF the way
Of news. Tell me everything"
Willingly" said 7. 80 far as I know
of matters. This unrest and the gen.
eral dislike OF the country being
~dragoonea by men who know nothing
of the proper arts of government. are
W iA AoN 49,
against the present authorities, and
partisans of the old cause are banding
together, in hopes Of striking a blew
to better things"
And you have been mixed up with
one Of these affatrs7"
II have" said I; 'but there was a
traitor among us, for I had a word by
a sure hand to tell me that Sir John
Postgate knew everything, and was
taking measures to lay US by the
heels"
"sir John Postgate," said my uncle;
that bitter old independent fellow. Is
he still alive?'
"He is, indeed" I returned. land as
active as ever. I toek the road within
two hours, and, after making a long
loop to throw off pursuit, headed for
your mountains"
"'Twas impossible to do better" said
Sir Arthur. You are safe here as a
man can be. If 1t was known. where
you were, force could not come through
the hills without our being aware Of 1T.
and you have only to march half a
mile beyond Nant-y-Bryn to have thir-
ty miles Of hiding places open to you
I thanked him, and we We're by this
time In front of the house.
It was a huge building, very broad for
Its height, and constructed OF sauar
masses of the dark gray stone which
the neighborhood yielded plentifully;
the windows small. with the lowest a
good height from the ground and heav-
lily ironed; the door Of three-inch oak
studded with stout bolts and nails.
you will think N~ant-y-Bryn a mere
dungeon, I fear, after our beautiful
Butley Croft, nephew" said Sir Arthur.
waving his head toward the gloomy
pile; "but it was built at a day when
men looked more for strength thar
comfort, and perchance we may need
its strength once more"
cay, ay," said Owain, for we were
four together again, and the young
lady looked grave. !,
MY uncle blew a call on a shrfl
whistle which hung from a button OF
his coat, and a man appeared from
within. Whitesock and the black horse
were handed over to his care, and we
entered a large ill-1ighted hall. MY un-
Gle at once carried me to his library
that we might finish our conversation
1t was a long, low room, one wall NOR
than half covered with books, a dozer
volumes scattered about a broad oaker
table. and, near the hearth, a great Ell
bow chair, into which he dropped ano
stretched his feet toward the ample
fire of logs and turf blazing on the wide
hearth.
$50 YOU must keep out of the way