Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-10-19
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
earl lowered upon the girl,
and the black anger upon his
brow might have warned

AAoAS lhtiSpAo pSA''oAA AAhhh VIA
she appeared to be that there was peril
in trifling. When at last he spoke, his
voice was harsh and menacing.
"What do you expect to gain by a
statement so preposterous?"
II expect to gain father"
The girls answer trod quick upon
the heels Of the question, but her color
changed from red to pale and from
pale to red again, and her hurried
breathing limited of some knowledge OF
her hazard, which nevertheless she
faced without finching.
"My eldest daughter say you? My
eldest daughter is Ann, aged thirteen,
a modest little maid. take you to be
older, and should hesitate to apply
to you the qualification have just
coupled with her name"
II am sixteen, therefore her senior.
Thus one part of my contention is adj
mitted. If she is modest, it doth be-
come a maid and is reasonably to be
expected, for she hath n mothers care.
have had none. If you detect bold
ness in my manner, tits but another
proof am my fathers daughter"
Something resembling grimace rath-
er than smile disturbed the white lips
of STAFFORD at this rctort. He bent
his eyes on the ground, and his mind
seemed to wander through the past.
They stood thus in silence opposite
each other, the girl watching him in
tently, and when she saw his mouth
twitch with spasm Of pain n great
wave of pity ovcrspread her face and
she made no motion toward him, held
in increasing awe Of him.
"Boldness is not q virtuc," he NUT
tered, more to himself than to her.
''There's many jade in England who
can claim no relationship with me-"
This remark calling for no response,
received none.
Sixteen years of age! Then that
was in''- The earl paused in his
nominations as If the simple mathemat-
ical problem baflled him, the old look
of WEAKNESS and pain clouding his
downturned face.
'Theyear 1924" said the girl promptly.
Doubtless doubtless, 1924. 1t is long
since, longer, than the days that have
passed seem to indicate. was q
young man then; now-now-I am an
aged wreck, and all in sixteen years.
And so in you. the spirit Of youth, the
unknown past confronts me- demand
ing-demanding what?"
forwarding nothing, my lord"
"Humph! You are the first then.
They all want something. You think
am an old dotard who is ready, be-
cause you say you want nothing, to ac-
cept your absurd proposal. But am
not yet fifty, nor as near 1t as these
fell maladies would have me appear,
and a m NAH i shou d be IN his prime III
fifty. Madam, it will, require more
convincing testimony to make me listen
TO you further"
"The testimony, irrefutablc, stands
here before you. Raise your eyes from
the ground, my lord, and behold it. If,
scrutinizing me, you deny that am
your daughter, shall forthwith turn
from you and trouble you no more"
STAFFORD slowly lifted his gloomy
face, plemnturcly scanned with care,
and his heavy eyes scanned closely the
living statue that confronted him. The
sternncss Of his features gradually re-
Taxed, and an expression near akin to
tenderness overspread his face.
"Any man might be proud to claim
you, my girl, no matter how many 9TH
or reasons for pride he possessed. But
you have not come here merely be-
cause some one flattered the Earl Of
STAFFORD by saying you resembled
him."
mo, my lord. l am come to return
to you this document. which once you
presented to my mother"
She handed him II paper. which he
read with intent care. 1t ran thus:
have, In little, much to say to you.
or else one OF US must be much to blame.
But in truth 1 have that confidence In
you and that assurance In myself as to
rest secure the fault will never be made
on either side Well. then. this short and
this long which aim at Is no more than
to give you this first written testimony
that am your husband and that hus-
band of yours that Will ever discharge
these duties of love and respect toward
you which good women may expect and
are Justly due from good men to dis
charge them. and this is not only much
but nll which belongs to me. and wherein
shall tread out the remainder of life
which Ia left to me
STAFFORD looked up from his perusal,
blank amuzemcnt upon his counte-
nance.
allow came you by this paper?'
II found 1t among the documents left
by my grandfather, who died year
ago. 1t was sent by you to my moth
err"
Impossible"
"Do you deny the scriptY
II do not deny 1t. but twas written
by mo eight years since and presented
to my third wife, whom married pri-
vatcly."
"Your third wife? Who was sher'
"she was Mistress Elizabeth Rhodes,
and is now Lady STAFFORD"
"Then she is your fourth wife. You
will see by your own inditing that this
letter was-written in March, 1924"
Tho date was Enthusiastically set down
by the same hand that had penned the
bold signature, ".Thomas Wentworth"
and tlp bcwfidcrment Of the earl In
creased as ho recognized that hero was
no forgery, but genuine letter anto-
dating its duplicate.
els 1t possible" ho murmured to him
self, "that man has 30 little original
ity MS to DO practically the same thing
twiceY Then aloud to the girl he
said:
"Who was your 1Dothcrr'
II had hoped tho reading Of This
document would have rendered your
question unnecessary. Has man such
gift Of forgetting that tho very name
of the woman lie solemnly married has
slipped his memory us easily as tho
writing of the letter sho cherished7'
"She was Frances, daughter Of Sir
John Warburton," murmured the earl.
Ellis only daughter, us am hers. my
lord"
'But when Sir John wrote me coldly
- y,oc ar,+b In ypn1o M ynapfton op