The Caldwell tribune., 1905-12-02
CHAPTER l.

a0PngGT
not YOU will not come back to me Just
tbp same as you leave me-"
q lack Dornton knew this was all very
fooIish. lie loved pretty Ethel Mallett
vprv dearly; so, instead of putting his
,houebt into words, he kissed the fearful
face and lovingly comforted her with
VOWS of eternal constancy.
"You know l needn't stay down there
rutl the pictures are Finished" he said
"As soon as l have the sketches we'll
forward, shall come back and complete
tbs larger pictures from them at home;
and, 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 smled--it was rather a pitiful
sttempt-and turned resolutely to the
breakfast table. "s...
at was good of voc to think of COM
Ing TO breakfast with us, so that we
might see the last Of you before start
ing" she said bravely, as she busted
herself with the coffee cups. Mr.. NAL
lett came down a few moments later,
and breakfast was got through with due
decorum, in Difference to "papa's dislike
to emotion"
Shortly after the meal Jack was
tramping aWay-his pOrtmanteaMrin In one
hand and a portable easel in the other
He had been engaged to Ethel Mallett
for two months, and they were to be
married as soon as he could provide q
suitable home for her. A fortnight after
be 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 fashiona BILE
gallery, had found him out and offered
him a liberal commission to execute a
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 a home of her own two
months sooner than he anticipated.
SO here he was, after a two hours
run, hard at work in the woods of NAL
lingford, 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
feet.
"WOud you wish me to begin with
Summerfed?' Jack had asked, when
taking his final instructions from his
Lordship
"No; l should like to be at Summer
held myself when you are there. l think
you had better make Mallingford House
your first subject. 1t is about ten miles
from Summerfeld, and you can work
your way toward there. l shall be down
by the last week of July, and hope to
have the pleasure of showing you some
hospitality"
Jack bowed his thanks.
lou will be delighted with Mailing
tord,' his lordship went on. 1T is a
noble place, and have a rather peculiar
interest in the property The late owner
Or Paul Mailing, was a most eccentric
uan with very exalted notion of his
own Importance as head of the house
: ne mad never married, and was mortally
Onended with his brother Geoffrey be-
cause he took unto himself wife at the
GSe OF thlrty-eight without first consult
Jug MN. Poor Paul! He was a great
tE1end OF mine; but I'm bound to confess
tlat Una he was of most unforgivng dispo
s''lon' Would you believe it, Mr.. Dorm
tVnt lie was so unjust as to disinherit
"eoHrey and leave the whole of his prop
cry 10 his only sisters only child, Pau
uue Luton. his will confirmed his rep
I'auon for eccentricity, for he made ever
Ief inheritance conditional; first, upor
nS' taxing the name of Mailing, and
hnr 1O+
Ge Io age or twenty-five without her guar
o",i n approval and consent. A very
I,"A"afd .,d thing for the guardian. l an
anS' not-to-be-envied person. So, yor
I" should the young lady in question
SSappeh to fall in love with some pool
% 0eesar or a fellow, could not consist
Ss give my consent, and she woult
n"'e ','. 10 give up either her love or hel
pS'IIion ~ as owner of Mallingford, on,
.I 1ne nnest seats in the county"
lively. 0"Ao' 'n'effosa
4, Al which case the disinherited broth
10 Moula have his own. But l am glat
twS aS mat my charming ward will b,
ho a. S-nVe IN September and will the1
49,: Al position to please herself In he
r."E "tIe OF husband-for which I am de
ssrioS nS thankful, as it relieves me Of
tTuS T responsibility"
~ can quite understand that"
NJ. was In hopes at first that I shoulC
T" ' pe called upon to exercise nv guar
pans pansnlp at all. When Sir Paul died
ItaYn IaIl'ne was away with her father II
,nant he was a sad reprobate, an,
Ieorin IIt MS time chiefly in gambling houses
Fins FinSn his motherless girl among al
hIs aS or , people. Well, as fate willed
|. Sir p huIton died just a month befor
.To,t taui' and, though we made ever,
tain rU't to find his daughter, we could oh
Etb,nno no tldlngs of her. We traced tn
former. former and daughter to Naples, where tn
Aaar died; but after that we coul
VA nothing of her. We sent out agents
s,u,s ssuVertised, we did everything w
frrti At last, after five months o
losinn.s inquiry. and just as we wer
Shonia neart, and wondering whether w
trsv tSuio not begin to hunt up poor Geoi
Nctoorss,H sue appeared suddenly at my SC
N sas, Offices. She looked wretchedl
out '".u o she had been working her hear
school " teacher of English at SPANS
n