The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-11-16
CHAPTER I

feminine OF all feminine ailments
prssentiment. / have q horrible dread
That you will not come back to me just
the Same as you leave me-"
Jack Dornton knew this was all very
foolish. He loved pretty Ethel Mallett
very dearly; 50, instead Of putting his
thought into words, he kissed the fearful
race and lovingly comforted her with
vows of eternal constancy.
You know / needn't stay down there
until the pictures are finished" he said.
AS soon as / have the sketches well
FORWARD, / shall come back and complete
che larger pictures from them at home;
ana, though / shall be- working very
hard, that will not prevent you from
coming every day to watch my progress
and cheer me up for an hour or so In the
Afternoon"
Ethel smiled-it was rather a pitiful
attempt-and turned resolutely to the
breakfast table.
1t was good Of voc to think Of COM
Ing to breakfast with Us, 50 that we
might see the last Of you before start
lng, she said bravely, as she busted
herself with the coffee cups. Mr.. NAL
lett came down a few moments later,
80 - nA0Sl was SOl luEOuSu Will Quc
decorum, in Difference to "papa's dislike
to emotion"
Shortly after the meal Jack was
tramping away-his portmanteau In one
hand and portatae easel in the other.
He had been engaged to Ethel Mallett
Tor two months, and they were to be
married as soon as he could provide a
suitable home for her. a fortnight after
ne had obtained the reluctant consent of
Mr. Mallett to this arrangement, a GER
tain Lord Summers, attracted by two
water colors of Jacks in a fashionable
gallery, had found him out and offered
BIN liberal commission to execute q
series OF six pictures, the subjects to be
selected from the immediate neighbor-
hood OF his lordship's place in Exbridge-
shire. Jack had jumped at the offer, see
ing that It would enable him to place
little Ethel In q home Of her OWN two
months sooner than he anticipated.
| So here he was, after O two hours
run, hard at work in the woods Of Nal
hngford, skillfully and rapidly filling In
the leading features Of Mallingford
House and its surroundings. While his
fingers were thus busy, he was recalling
the conversation he had had with Lord
Summers upon the place Of his first sub
ject.
Would you wish me to begin with
Summerfeld?" Jack had asked, when
taking his final instructions from his
Lordship.
mo; / should like to be at Summer
Held myself when you are there. I think
you had better make Mallingford House
your first subject. It 10 about ten niles
from Summer6eld, and you can work
your way toward there. I shall be down
By the last week of July, and hope to
have the pleasure Of showing you some
hospitality"
Jack bowed his thanks.
you will be delighted with Mailing
ford" his lordship went on. cit il a
noble place, and have a rather peculiar
interest in the property. The late owner.
6r Paul Mailing, was a most eccentric
man, with a very exalted notion of his
own Importance as head of the house.
He had never married, and was MORALLY
oHended with his brother Geoffrey be-
cause he took unto himself a wife at the
age OF thirty-eight without first consult
Ing him. Poor Paul! He was a great
friend Of mine; but I'm bound to confess
= =
sition. Would you believe 1t, Mr.. Dorm
ton? He was so unjust as to disinherit
Godfrey and leave the whole Of his prop
erty to his only sisters only child, Pau
line Luton. his will confirmed his rep
utation for eccentricity, for he made even
her inheritance conditional; first, upon
her taking the name Of Mailing, and,
secondly, upon her not marrying under
the age Of twenty-five without her guar
dams approval and consent A very
awkward thing for the guardian. I am
that not-to-be-envied person. So, you
gee, should the young lady in question
happen to fall in love with some poor
beggar Of fellow, could not consist
emily give my consent, and she would
have to give up either her love or her
position as owner Of Mallingford, one
Of the finest seats In the county"
I'm which caseY' Jack said, interroga-
lively.
''In which case the disinherited broth.
e. would have his own. But I am glad
TO say that my charming ward will be
twenty-five In September and VIII then
be in a position to please herself in her
choice Of husband-for which am de-
voutly thankful, as It relieves me of a
|, serious responsibility"
4 III can quite understand that
II was In hopes at first that I should
not be called upon to exercise my guar
dianship at all. When Sir Paul died
Pauline was away with her father In
Italy. He was sad reprobate. and
spent his time chiefly In gambling houses.
leaving his motherless girl among ali
kinds of people. Well, as fate willed
this Luton. died just a month before
Sir Paul, and, though we made every
| effort to find his daughter, we could OBJ
/ tain no tidings of her. We traced the
/ father and daughter to Naples, where the
4 former died; but after that we could
4 hear nothing Of her. We sent out agents,
we advertised, we did everything we
A could. At last, after FIVE months of
4 fruitless inquiry. and just as we were
Ey6sing heart, and wondering whether we
4 should not begin to hunt up poor Geof-
A frey, she appeared suddenly at my So
i iicitors offices. She looked wretchedly
1 III. said she had been working her heart
A out as a teacher Of English at Spanish
4 school, and had only recently seen one
i of our advertisements. She was nine
4 teen then-and that is nearly six years
j ago."
i And new, as Jack Dornton stood In the
4 shady wood, with the monday sun max.
n Ing little patches of white here and there
n wherever it could pierce the thick foil
4 age above, and with buzzing of insects
In his ears. he was weaving all sorts OF
II C--~~+;o corcarusnO fha 0unoy