The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-02-07
CHAPTER Nv.
Continued.

"Honored Sir-When you read the
signature of my letter you will not
need, I think, to be told who it is tnat
now ventures to address you. / am
Warren Fergusson's child. You may
remember me-ah! how well do l re-
member you!-when I was a little girl,
five years ago, at Baden-Baden. My
dearest father was then-alas!-living,
although, as you may recollect, IN very
feeble health, and little did he or any
of our happy circle think how soon we
should all be thrown upon a cold world
and the meager charity of grudglng
relatives for support. After trying
various climates in vain, my beloved
parent at length fixed upon Ostend to
spend a winter in, and there (now more
than twelve months ago. he was taken
from us. Oh, sir, my pen can scarcely
describe to you the miserable poverty
through which my beloved mother, my
sister and myself have passed since
then! Suffice it to say that at times
m has not had sufficient nour-
ishment for her support, and that, DIT
by bit, we have parted with nearly all
the family plate, and every one OF
mammals wedding trinkets. My sister
is too young as yet to leave home; u
it is my most fervent desire to earn
something, if only a few pounds a
wear. to give to my dear mamma; anu
I humbly solicit your recommendation,
either among friends or the ladies OF
YOUR family, to any Of whom If they
would take me into their schoolroom as
humble companion or nursery govern
ess. T should feel most eternal graft
tude. 7 could not venture to address
you, but that papa used to speak OF
you as so good and generous a friend,
and that you said once (under most del
icate and peculiar circumstances II
YOU ever had it in your power you
would try to be Of service to him in
England. Asking your forgiveness FOR
the liberty I have taken, and soliciting
an answer by return post If possible,
] remain, honored sir, your most obedl-
ent, humble servant,
IN. PERCUSSION"
! "P. ST. am paying short visit to
an old friend of mammals at Haughton,
and, if any of the ladies in your neigh
borhood should care to see me, my
friend would bring me at any hour or
day appointed to call upon them.
"M. F."
= y
Now, the small town Of Haughton
was the nearest railway station, and
not more than FIVE miles from Yatton;
and. as she read Miss Fergusson's let
ter the second time. a little plan, not
as she considered, likely to embarrass
Clifford personally, and yet that would,
possibly, serve his dead friends chlld'
came into James heart.
IF I were to ask the poor girl to stay
with me for a week, Clifford, we
should see what her capabilities really
are, and you could speak about her IN
the ~neighborhood. I think l heard
some n say Mrs. Tenant had been
inuuiring about a nursery governess
for Bertha's oldest daughter. 1 can
write the note, and 1 can manage to
send 70. her. She won't be in your
way, Clifford, and I feel sure you will
be glad to fulfill the promise that you
made the father" =.
Clifford grumbled and opposed every
thing, and said he never had made any
definite promise, and there were no
delicate and peculiar circumstances at
all, and the girls whole letter sounded
ito him like humbug. The mother was
a mad style Of woman, he remembered
-faunting to balls and theatres when
old Ferguson was dying by inches
and he had no doubt the daughter had
grown up like her. He hated begging
letters; he hated asking anybody to
take people he recommended; and he
would have nothing to do with the girl
but sending her a fve-pound note as ne
proposed; and even that, in his opinion,
would be far better given to any poor
family in his W parish.
"Still, if you promised, Gifford?-that
is the real reason for doing anything.
Do you think you ever did make the
promise to the father that Miss Fer
gusson speaks Of"
Clifford started up angrily. 1t was
not in him to tell a direct falsehood;
but he detested being forced into a cor
ner with respect to the truth.
II did promise. Jane, as you are so
fond Of knowing the exact details of
everything. Ibid promise, and I'll tell
you how. Old Ferguson was one of
the best players, and at the same time
had the most Internal bad luck Of any
man in Baden. He came to q party at
my room one night and played lans-
quenet. He would play, though he
wasn't fit to hold a card; he played
/ couldn't have kept him from it if 1
had %tried-and he lost, to me as well as
to others. I didn't think anything
about him or his losses then, but a day
or two afterward I was smoking after
breakfast in the garden, and he came
up to me, as white as q sheet, and said
he was a ruined man, and he was go
ing to blow his brains out and so on.
Don't look so disguised, Jane; he
never. meant to do anything Of the
kind, for I found out afterward that
he tried the same thing on with an
other man as we'll as myself. He only
meant to get back some of his money.
if he could; and he got back some-of
mine, I ought to say, for 1 had lost
every farthing Of his the next night;
and then, I believe, he went on max