Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-02-12
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( Second Cousin $uruh
M
SPINSTER."
a.


CHAPTER vII.-(Continued.) }

the warm sunshine beyond stepped the
young lady whom he had seen first in his
fathers house. His astonishment was
great, but the young lady's surprise WAS
still more strongly marked. She stopped,
clasped her hands together, and Then
came on again, with two large clear gray
eyes distended.
'Mr. Culwick! you in Worcester! You
have repented; you are going to your
.father?'
Reuben shook his head and smiled q
little.
"You are a foolish fellow" she said,
"and almost as strange a man as your
father is. Are you still living down that
wretched street in Camberwell?'
81 can only afford to live in wretched
Streets" was the reply.
what has brought you to Worcester?"
"To see Aunt Eastbell," he replied,
"and to discover, if possible, the mystery
Of my second-cousin Sarah. They are
my relatives; l am more interested in
them than l can explain. May l ask
In return what Aunt Eastbell and my sec
ond7cousin has to do with your
Il am interested in them more than
1 can explain" was the arch answer:
that's ALL"
81 wish you would explain something.
Who are you. to begin with?'
"Ah, that's not worth elucidation:' she
said. eff 1 tell you that my name is
Holland, will that make the position any
clearer?' ..
''It might" said Reuben, quickly. my
father yished me to marry a Miss Hol-
land once, young lady whom had new
er seen, and whom l was to take upon
trust. Are you the lady"
"Yes, SIR"
"And have you married my father in
stead of me?" he asked, satirically.
Il would not marry either of you for
twice your fathers money" she said,
frankly. 81 am simply his housekeeper,
at housekeeper's wage. My father was
his best friend, and your father has been
kind to me, in his odd way, since my
fathers DEATH
'And now" said Reuben, Twill you cx-
plain why you are interested in Aunt
Eastbell, why the girl who has deserted
her corresponds with you? why you pass
yourself off as the niece of that old
woman who has left us?''
''I'll work backward, if you will allow
me-" she said, Il call myself Miss Mug
geridge because the name of Holland is
familiar to your aunt. The girl CORE
spends with me because she knows that
l read her letters to her grandmother,
and that l am the grandmother's friend
while she is away. | am interested in
Mrs. Eastbell, and feel for the utter lone
liness in which she is left by her friends.
1 have been interested in Mrs. Eastbell
for some years now, for the matter of
that"
Indeed! and her granddaughter, Sarah
Eastbell, also?"
"Of late days-a little. She was not
very gracious to me-she never cared to
see me here. When she got into trouble,
she thought that she would make me her
confdante, but it was too late"
when she got into troubled" echoed
Reuben; what trouble was that?"
"Come with me, and I'll show you
She led the way out of St. Oswald's
into the Tithing, crossed the road to the
corner of the street leading to the prison,
and pointed to the wall, in which several
bills were posted. One was to the effect
that a reward of five pounds was offered
for the apprehension of Sarah Eastbell,
late of Worcester. who had conspired
with others for the unlawful issue of spu-
rious coin.
Reuben stared with amazement at the
placard. g. .
1T is we'll that the old woman Is
blind" he murmured. Il did not think it
was so bad rs this"
Neither is it"
"You mean that"
''That her brother is at the bottom of
1t. You don't know what scamp he is. I
suppose? He gave her the money, be-
ieve. She offered sovereign in all good
faith-it was detected as false COIN
she was asked where she lived, and how
she became possessed of it. and she took
fright and ran away"
rs she with her brotber?"
Yes. She wrote to me without Civ
ing her address, stating that she must
remain with her brother Thomas for
while. He was in business, and was TAX
ing care of her. She left Grandmother
Eastbell in my charge. she said. It's a
responsibility" she added, "but 1 have
accepted it."
Reuben related the story of his dis
covery of Sarah Eastbell, of her fight
from him, and the way in which he had
lost her in the gardens of Saxe-Gotha.
Miss Holland reflected for few mo-
ments, then she said:
81 wonder if her brother performs
there. He is an acrobat at times. When
he was first in prison, he was arrested
In his tumblers Dress.
I'm prison-an acrobatY'
Reuben Culwick remembered at once
the tumbler who had been spinning round
on the slack rope at the Saxe-Gotha,
when he had first entered the gardens.
Could that be Tom Eastbell, the scamp
who hard brought his sister into difficult
ties, who had caused her to fly from
Worcester, in order to escape the charge
of uttering base coin?
On the following evening Reuben Gull
wick was in the Saxe-Gotha gardens
again, waiting patiently for the appear
ance of Signor Vizzobini, who had post
poned his departure for Turin for six
nights. by special request of the nobility,
gentry and public in general. and who
was announced to appear every evening
at half-past nine in his highly graceful
and artistic entertainment as nerform-