The Irish standard., 1903-08-22
nd he devoted himself with q free

A week after the events narrated in
the preceding chapter Irving went
out to the Wright homestead and
found Miriam in tears.
"What is the mattcr?" he asked,
as he gently took her hand.
eve must give up this place, and
it is very hard. 1t is true we have
not been happy here, but we were
attached to the place, for it was not
to blame
Glow has this come about?"
"Col. Franklin has just notified us
that this property had been decided
to real estate company, and that
as representative of the company
he desires possession on the 1st of
February
$50 Col. Franklin imagines that he
is still alive. does he? Well, he can
go and hang himself"
Eyes, he could, but he will not.
And that would not help us any"
"Miss Miriam, don't you worry
about the colonel's notification" said
Irving; che will never get possession
of this place, l promise you that
ut is very kind of you to try to
console us, but am afraid there can
be no help for it,
But there is help for it. I did not
expect to tell you this yet, and you
must promise to let no one know of
it but your mother, and you must
| pledge her also to secrecy"
"Well, then, we both swear" said
Miriam.
cit is a bit of romance in it's way,
illustrating, however, the triumph of
the good and the just over the evil
and the unjust"
"Please do go on with your story.
My appetite is sufficiently whetted."
| Then Warde told her about the old
agreement and its recovery. He gave
her the entire story, including Mr..
Everett's adventure with Franklin.
Miriam was alternately shocked and
thrilled: and when he had concluded,
she said: 'rhen Col. Franklin is"
"a pirate of purest ray serene" in
terrupted Irving. "For the present we
have quietcd him by letting him sup
pose that he has us cornered. The
possession of the agreement is known
to you, Mr.. Everett and myself. And
when your mother is told, it will be
confined to us four
Glow can We ever show our graf
itude to you for what you have
done?"
at was Il mere accident that helped
me to get that agreement. so you
must thank fate this time
but you have been devoted to our
interests all the time. You have
never let an opportunity slip to do
, a favor for some member of our FAM
| lily. and YOU have worked as indus
triously for us as some men work
for themselves. | do not care to be
wealthy. but my mother has had a
great deal of care and unhappiness,
and it has been my earnest hope that
she would be able to spend the re-
mninder of her life here entirely in
i dependent. And now ] feel that
through you this hope will be real
i led
"If | have done anything to bring
about Ike object of your desire, | am
perfectly sntisIed.'
81 think that you must be the good
angel of the family"
Then She flew away to tell her
mother the news that Wardc had
brought, leaving him in Il trance half
way between doubt and happiness
Irving was not Il worshipper of
mammon, and he did not propose to
allow the substantial deity to come
between him and the desire of his
heart. which was to win the love of
Miriam Wright: he was not a fortune
hunter. and he saw no reason why
he should stand aghast before a pile
of gold if in other ways he could
dare aspire to the love of Il woman
like Miriam. Her gold would be the
least thing to make her seem inacces-
siblc to him.
But how would the radical change
in her life and the adulation incident
to her wealth affect her? Now she
was all womanlinrss. There was Il
sweet timidity about her, a half-star-
tied air. Il frankness without artitice
and scntirnt beauty that rendered
any description of her colorless.
| ljllt tne test. HOW WOuu she colnc
out of the furnace fed by the asso-
ciated passions of humanity? Would
she remain steadfaSt to herself, or
would she alter with alteration?
There would be uncouth lips to tell
her that she was beautiful. The IA
dance that wealth can scatter round
about one would cling to her. The
sensuous arts would environ her and
assail the simplicity which was now
her charm. Fashion would spread for
her it's subtlcst wiles, and mammon
would write sonnets to her deep gray
eyes.
, These thoughts flew through his
, mind while Miriam was gone, but
when she returned she almost tempt
ed him to lay aside his Judgment with
his doubts. she was so frankly happy
in his presence. 1t cost him a great
exerton of will not to put his for
,, tune to the test then and there, but
he conquered the inclination and went
away with his secret unspoken.
CHAPTER XIV.
The trial of Herbert made grea'