Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-03-18
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Hill with her maid, in a disconsolate
frame of mind. She had left home full
of confidence in the result of her mission,
full of faith in being of service to Reu-
ben Culwick, and of Reuben being CRATE
full for her efforts in his behalf, and the
result had been an ignominious discom-
future. She had left home against the
wishes of her grandmother, and in oppo-
sition to the advice of her grandmother's
companion, Mary Holland. Still the
granddaughter was not sorry that she
had been to London, although she had
| failed in being of service to Reuben Cul-
| wick. She had seen him; he had prom
| ised to come to Sedge Hill some day; he
was not altered SO terribly as Miss Jen-
nings had asserted; he had spoken kind
| ly to her; he was not jealous of her po-
sition in his fathers house; he had suf-
| fered more from his own ventures, in life
| than from his disinheritance; it was not
the one misfortune, but the many, which
had altered him and aged him, and lie
| would be the same frank, warm-hearted
fellow presently, she prayed.
She reached Worcester in safety, and a
| hired fly took her the rest of the way
home. 1t was between 8 and 9 o'clock
of that autumn evening when the great
front door was opened to admit her. The
staid man servant wore so grave an ex
preston of countenance that Sarah said
quickly:
"All is we'll, 1 hope, Wills? Mrs. East
bell is upstairs, 1 suppose?"
''She is downstairs this evening. In
the drawing room."
"She has been ill-advised to go there.
The place is large and cold, and
Sarah Eastbell paused in mute aston
ishment, for the sound of violin, not
unskillfully played, came from the di-
rection of. the room in which she had been
told her grandmother was. Music had
filed the house with harmony Of late
days, for Mary Holland was a fair pian-
ist, and Mrs. Eastbell was fond of music,
it had been ascertained: but violin play
ing had not been one of "the compan-
ions" accomplishments.
'Who is it?" she cried.
"1t's Captain Peterson, Miss Eastbell
If you will allow me to explain how"
But Sarah Eastbell was of too excita-
BILE a nature to wait for an explanation.
when the mystery was to be cleared UP
first-hand, and she swept by the servant
and went at once to the drawing room.
There We're four persons in the room be-
sides herself, and she looked from one
to another with keen watchfulness that
hardly died away when her appearance
was observed. Her heart sank great
deal, but she had the self-possession to
keep a bold front to the enemy-for sure
ly it was the enemy who had appeared at
Sedge Hill in the unlucky time of her abb
sence and whose coming she had feared
before that day, although not expecting
it in this fashion.
Half sitting, half reclining by the great
coal fire burning in the steel CRATE. was
the old blind woman, her spare form
draped in heavy ruby velvet, over which
meandered a gold chain thick enough for
door fastening. On her gray hairs had
been set a turban kind of headdress, but
it had slipped sidewise, and presented
grotesque appearance. Mary Holland sat
quiet and grave over her wool work, and
near her were two visitors.
The younger of the two was her broth
er Tom, glossy as a raven in brand-new
suit of black, and the stranger was mid
dle-sized, good-looking, highly colored,
dark man of eight or nine-and-twenty,
who at the moment of Sarah's entrance
was playing a violin fantasia for the ben
eft of the company.
1t was Mary Holland who first per
ceived our heroine, and rose as if to cross
the room toward her, subsiding into her
seat again as Thomas Eastbell sprang
from his chair. with shout of welcome
that nearly scared his grandmother into
the fire.
"What, Sal-Sally-Sarahv' he ex-
claimed. correcting his address to her us
he proceeded, ''to think that you weren't
| at home to say how dye do to your only
brother after all these blessed years! Kiss
me, gal-how are you? Shiver my tim
| bers, what beauty you have grown to"'
Keep back, please-wait a monlenr," p"
she said in a low, suppressed voice.
But Thomas Eastbell was impetuous
| like his sister. He flung his arms round
| her, and clasped her to his bosom, crush
ing her hat and fall in the process.
''I'm delighted to see you, Sarah-you
don't know how glad l am to see You
again." said Tom; I'VE were always such
CHI ums like. Why, you and 1 scarcely
| ever had an angry word-we agreed to-
gether beautifully"
| you came here-whenY" asked Sarah,
| listlessly, as she got away from him, and
removed her hat and cloak. The fanta-
sia had ceased, and the violinist was
standing looking down at the carpet in a
highly decorous manner.
Saturday evening late, after you had
gone" answered Tom. "Grandmother
was awfully pleased. can tell you. Cap
tain Peterson, my sister Sarah-Miss
Eastbell, my particular friend, Captain
| Peterson"
Sarah bowed, and looked hard at the
Captain, who made a grave obeisance in
return.
TT affords me great pleasure to have
the honor of an introduction to Miss East
beI," he said in low tone Of voice
which died away in a whisper as he eat
down again.
"And to think that you and Tom are
both together in this great, grand, windy
house." said Mrs. Eastbell, ''both taking
care of me in my old age! you used to tel
me all the good news of Tom, Sally, and
how he was getting on in the world. and