Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-29


nesting closer. Her carncstness was
helpful. He smiled wistfully.
"You forget, Enid, that there Is
grave chance OF you. Mt any rate, leav-
ing me for another" he said.
She blushcd.
THAT is the worst OF girls getting
married" she protested. "They are
supposed to DO delighted because they
uro going 20 live with strange people.
Girls who are Of that mind cannot be
happy ut homo If thought that be-
ing married TO Jack implied separation
from you and Constance
You would give him up and weep
your eyes out" He pressed her pout-
ing lips together rs he went on: Nov.
Ov dear ones. I wish both OF you to
be prepared for very unexpected
changes. Two most important events
In your lives have taken place within
few ho1ra Constance. IF you saw
/ your mother tonight Enid also saw her
fathor. hayc known for two days
that Enida father is Mr.. Trail"
For IN rstant. it must be- confessed,
/ the mental and physical strain 10 had
! undergone had temporarily dcrangcd
! him. 1t was not sheer ucredulity. but
| real terror, he saw in their eyes Some
( how. thcir self eilaccuCnt in his behalf
/ touched him more kcculy than any.
thing else had done during this tr9ub!e5
/ period.
lie bowed his head. \ strong man in
/ agony cannot endure the scrutiny Of
loving oyrs.
Enid" lie said brolicnlv, "iny words
TO YOU mist be few. Good fortune
needs hut Slight explanation. The
proofs Of my statement do not pos
tess, but Mr.. Trails letter to me could
not have been written by such man
Il he were not sure Of his facts. Here
it is. Road it aloud"
/ He handed her her fathers plain
spoken communication. Constance, in
capable Of deeper depths of amaZemcnt
than those now probed. looked over her
sisters shoulder. Together they de-
ciphered the somewhat difficult hand
writing Of n man whose chief task for
years had been to sign his name.
This drawback was good in its result.
They porscvcrcd steadily to the end.
Then Enid, the comforter broke down
herself.
at cannot be true. dad" she cried.
II have been one of your daughters all
my life. Why should be taken from
you nowf"
II believe it Is quite true" sud
Brand quietly, and the need there was
to console her was beneficial to him
self "NIr. Trail speaks of proofs.
You have met him. ! exchanged bare
ly Il word. glance, with him, but it
is not bclievablr that he would mako
these solemn statements without the
most rndcniahle testimony"
"Indced. Enid" murmured Con
stance, 1T sounds like the truth, elsn
he would never have spoken so def
nitely Of my fathers first claim on
your affections"
Brand stroked the weeping girls
hair.
zone does not cry. little one, when
one IS suddenly endowed with :.
wealthy and DISTINGUISHED relative.
Now. l did not spring this revelation
on you without motive IF cleav-
age has to come let us ut least face
every consideration. Providence by in
scrutablc decree ordained that my wife
and | should meet after twenty-one
years. That cannot have been pur-
poselesS meeting. In my careless
a.; 81, 4,
scientific place. have scoffcd at pre-
sentiments and vague porteuts of COM
ing evils. retract the immature judg-
mcnt then formed. During the height
of the hurricane when | feared the
very lantern would be hurled into the
sea | was vouchsgfcd q spiritual warn.
ing. could not read its import
These things battle n man. especially
ore whose mind leans toward materi
Hiism. Nevertheless know, though
not in ordered comprehension. that my
lie was tending toward a supreme
crisis. As the storm died. so | be
came normal. and I attributed &
glimpse of the unseen to mere phys
ical facts. | was wrong. The coming
of that i'll fated vessel was hcraldc(
to me. lacked the key Of the bidder
message. Now l possess It. On board
that ship, Constance, was your moth
er. How strange that her advent
should he bound up also with the mys
terry of Ends parentage!
Father, dear, If you can bear it, tel
me of my mother. She knew me. nnt
that Is why she asked me to kiss her"
"She asked you TO kiss her. Eacl
word was II crescendo of surprise.
Yes. One night she came to me
Oh, remember. She wished Mr.. Pyn'
TO telegraph to his uncle. When h
quilted us to take the message she. to,
how weird it all seems now admit
ted that she experienced something o
the intutive knowledge OF the futur,
you have just spoken Of"
II am not surprised. Poor Nanette
She was always dreamer in Il sense
Never content, she longed for highe
flights. She was a woman in ambition
ere she ceased to be a child. When
married her she WAS only eighteen.
was ten years older. My thought wa
to educate her to somewhat highe
Ideal of life than the frivolities Of
fashionable world. 1t was q mistake
If girl harbors decisions before mar
rage the experience of married life |
not a cure. but an incentive. A les