Sharp County record., 1903-04-17

down his checks.
"Do not thank me. Summon up al
your strength for this rernoon, an'
we will have you carried on couei
into the gallery" and Henry Bellaml
went from the raom smiling. Ii wa'
an ugly smile to see if any one had
seen it.
That afternoon the dying man was
carried ca:ciuily into the long pie
turc gallery, and Toasted his eyes
up0n the lifework which would soon
Lc all that would be left to little
Oracle of her father. Again he turned
to Eellamy to thank him. 1t was Il
wondrous thing, this gift of forgive
ness, the sick man thought.
In taking Grace BeII&lny from her
fathers house, as he had done,
George Vcrney felt that he had
caused the rich man bitter sorrow,
and knew that he had done him
g9ieyous wrong for father and danSh-
ter had never met again. Sir, he
said. "how can | thanh-' But the
last word faitercd on his lips as h"
saw the old mans face, for he had
never seen SO diabOlicGl look be-
fore.
"Thonk?" answered the million
aire, with bitter emphasis. "Do you
think the milk of humen Kindness
urged ne to buy your pictures from
you, to take you into my house and
pamper you when you were i'll? Re-
member the words you spoke to me
before l turned you from my door.
Before you enticed my daughter
from her fathers house, you told
that father, proudly, and with head
erect, that there was one thing his
money could not buy-your name"
Well, | have bought it. Read that.
And YerAey read telegram from
New York with the words; Accept
IIoskiuS."
81 do not understand" he said.
81 will explain, Here. as you see, I
have all your pictures. They arc
good know that. But you have
painted three of which you are
ashamed. Those three I have just
bought from Hoskins, paying more
for them than the best here cost me.
Why, do you think? For my re-
venge." ..,,.
Revenge?
"Yes. On the day you die every one
Of these canvases of which you are
go proud will be cut from it's frame
and burned, even that last one. They
shall perish as you taught my daugh-
tcr's love for me to perish. Few peo-
pie, or comparatively few, know OF
your work except by hearsay. After
your death the world shall judge OF
it--by those three dauhs which
have bought from Uoskins at ten
times their value"
The dying man, white to the lips,
looked up at his tormentor in speech
less agony. Was this to be the end?
After his years OF toll, after the
hopes, which he had formed that his
little Oracle should 90 into the
world armed not only with her moth
er's, or rather grandfathGr's, mil
lions, but also with the name which
lie, her father, would bequeath to her,
was that name to be laughing stock
to the artistic world? The thing was
too diabolically cruel. He could not
believe it. And yet he slowly realized
that Henry Bellamy, IN acting thus,
vas taking revenge which was an
almost just one. He, George Verney,
had taken the daughter from the fa
ther. The grandfatheS would take
the daughter from her father, too.
Good night" said the old man,
turning on his heel. ~ will send the
servants up to carry you down to bed
again"
Just then a patter of toddling foot
steps came down the long gallery,
and little Oracle, blue-eyed and gold
en-haircd as her mother bad been,
toddled towards them on her un-
steady feet.
Kiss Oracle" she demanded, I'M
periously, holding up her rosy mouth
to the stern old man, "NDw kiss IA
thcr," she added. BelIamy drew
step away from the couch, and the
lines round his mouth frightened.
mo, dear, men never kiss" he said.
"But, gran'pa, G'acie will be
naughty if you don't" the child in
sisted.
"What do you mean?' my child?"
before mamma went away to the
Rnrdcn"--it was thus that George
Verncy had described his wife's
burial TO her little daughter -"she
took me into her arms in bed, and
said that was to make you kiss
papa for her sake, when we came to
ace you. Papa didn't want to prom
iee. but she made him. too, and II
forgot ii till this afternoon, when
Nursie said it would be TOO late
soon And though she did not un-
derstand what she was saying the
blue eyes filed with tcar3.
Henry Bcllamy answered no word.
He placed the child down beside her
father and gazed at thcm and at his