Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-07-08
MASTER OF THE MINE
By Robert Buchanan.
By Robert Buchanan.
=0Oo
CHAPTER III.

DoN SOAAC AOiAlh e i III IL hCA
distant home, there arrived a wonderful
parcel, full of dried fruits, nuts and
other foreign edibles, addressed, in the
hand l knew, to master Hugh Trelaw.
ney." at MINISTER'S. My schoolmates
laughed wildly on its arrival. / distrib-
uted the more perishable fruits among
them, reserving a very little for myself
for l had no heart to eat. l stored
up many of the nuts in my trunk, till
they were quite moldy and rotten. When
L was obliged to throw them away, l
seemed to cast away at the same moment
all my hope of seeing my dear little love
again.
l remained at MINISTER'S until l was
fourteen. In all these years l never for
got Madeline, never ceased to mention
her name every night when 1 prayed by
my bedside, never relinquished the
thought of some day sailing across the
ocean, and looking on the dear bright
face again. l found myself reading i'm
aginative books and writing verses-of
which early compositions, be certain,
Madeline was the chief and never-weary-
ing theme.
l had taken tolerable advantage of
MINISTER'S tuition, and was sufficiently
well grounded in the details Of an ordi-
nary English education. 1 had, more
over, a smattering of Latin, which, in
my after struggle for subsistence, turn
ed out very useful. 1 should have pro-
crossed still further under the care of
my schoolmaster, but at this period one
morning l received the startling intelli-
panna that INV fathar uyoo IaoI onI
that l was left alone in all the world.
Mrs, Munster came into my bedroom
and handed me a packet with a crepe
band on the left arm; she also pointed
to a cap which she had brought in with
her, and said:
You must wear this one now, Hugh"
l ventured to inquire whether l was
to see my poor father in his coffin or to
follow him to the grave. : The tears came
into the woman's eyes, and she took my
hand.
"You will never see him again." she
said; never. He died in America, and
was buried before we received the news.
But you are a brave boy" she added,
"and must not grieve."
Mrs. Munster" l said, ~piteously,
what is to become of meW
81 don't know, my DEAR" she replied;
"your poor father has not left you a six
pence. . g.. Hugh" she added, sudden
ly, "have you any relations"
NO." l replied, mot one."
mo uncles, or aunts, or cousins 2" per-
sisted Mrs. Munster; when suddenly l
exclaimed:
Eyes, Mrs. Munster; now I remember,
I've got an aunt. At least l had an
aunt; but she may be dead, like father"
LET us hope not" said Mrs. Munster.
"Well, my dear, tell me where she is
to be found"
"I've heard father speak about her.
She was my mothers sister, and her
name is Martha Pendragon and she lives
at st. Gurlott's, Cornwall"
Mrs. Munster wrote it down.
"'Mrs. Martha Pendragon, St. Cur
lofts, Cornwall 1t looks promising, as
l dare say st. Gurlott's is a very small
place. Make yourself as contented as
you can for a few days, my dear. 1
will write to the lady and ask her what
she means to do"
I could do nothing else but wait, and
1 accordingly did so. At the end of four
days l saw Mrs. Munster receive a let
ter, open it, read it and glance strangely
at me.
at is from your aunt, my DEAR" she
said. "from your Aunt Martha"
l wanted to hear more, but Mrs. Mum
ster again turned her attention to the
letter. Presently her husband came into
the room, and she handed him the letter.
1 saw him start at sight of it, read it
twice, and then glance, as l thought,
half pityingly at me.
81 suppose it's all right" he said,
turning to his wife; "the boy must CO."
"Well," she said to me, IL suppose
your Aunt Martha is better than nobody,
my dear-she seems a good-natured sort
of person, and is quite willing to give
you a home; but it seems a pity to take
you from school before your education
is complete, and if we could find anoth-
er relation who would let you stay here
it would be much better for you. She
has fixed Thursday as the day on which
you are to go to her; therefore, my deal
child, I see no help for it; you must
leave us!"
Thus it was settled. On the Thursday
morning, 1, accompanied by my small
stock of luggage, started on my travels,
and saw the last of MINISTER'S.
CHAPTER w.
1 journeyed by a small steamer as far
as Falmouth, and thence by road to st.
Gurlott's-on-Sea. l was conducted to
the boat by Mrs. Munster. On arriving
at Falmouth l was met on board by a
rough-looking person, who informed me
that he had been deputed by "Missus
Pendragon" to convey me and my be-
longings to st. Gurlott's.
What manner of man he was I could
scarcely tell, beyond realizing the fact
that he was of tremendous height, that
he wore a white beaver hat, and that
his figure was wrapped in an enormous
frieze coat. He gave a glance at me,
and then said nj a peculiar pipy voice:
HNopa 1od 1iate Tho TIN about INV