Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-09-22
CHAPTER I,
"The Abbey, Blandford."

80, honored with instructions from the
---.,,,tors of the late Wilfred Yelvertan,
r. n sell by auction the whole OF the
r.+s NJ the above high-class mansion,
i..l,dinr the splendid collection OF plate,
nina and oil paintings, together with Ihe
,-s,pabIe stud of hunters, hacks and mar
-ass horses, and the contents OF the coach
I7rses. the latter comprising number
- carriages and dog carts by the best
London makers.
.rTbe furniture consists Of
lire PHYLLIS Yelverton stopped short
~,l4anIv in her perusal of the huge
,Jaeard which some officious individual
II ostentatiouslv pasted on one OF the
-,assive stone pillars of the old porch,
I'D turned away with the tears yelling
10 her eyes
tn be sold by auction! To be sold by
,,.riopl Whichever way she went that
7.snpous announcement of Messrs. Jones
Jenkins & Jones seemed to follow her, as
+ had Haunted her now for weeks past,
from walls and gate posts, from hoard
mos from the advertising sheets OF the
,,aners. and now today from every avail
ahje table and cabinet. where thousands
~ catalogues were waiting in symmetrlc-
al piles.
The sudden death of her father. the in
sa]yent state of his affairs, and last but
-,o+ least the sale of the Abbey, and every
s1leI, and stone upon the estate-all these
events had been like dream to the girl,
hidaous nightmare from which sooner
ar later she must surely awake, to find
everything going on in its old course
Bat now that the hour had actually ar
rived when she was TO say farewell to
-bp home OF her ancestors and the house
had become invaded by numbers OF
strange men she began to realize that,
alas. there was to be no awakening from
tins most hideous of all dreams.
II had been difficult to believe that the
crash was so near; that the sword OF
Damocles was suspended over their heads
tn such n frail thread, when no visible
ehanre was apparent anywhere; but to-
dav the evidence of the households RUIN
vas open and palpable.
On every side preparations for the sale
were in progress. As Phyllis passed
through the han she looked around de-
-paIrinrly at the many familiar objects
which met her eyes-the ancient carved
oak furniture, the suits of armor, and
the mumberless trophies Of war and sport
which had seen generations and genera
lions of Yelvertons come and 60 Today
all were brought down to one common
level with the very pots and pans in the
kitchen; the oldest and most valued heir
loom and the most insignificant coal scut-
tie were only distinguishable as Lot 105
or Lot 2S7-there was not a piece of
furniture in the house that before many
hours had elapsed would not bear the
brand OF the auctioneer's blue and white
label!
1t was with feeling of hopeless resig-
nation that Phyllis made her way slowly
towards the stables. 1t might be hard to
say Goodbye" to all the old family
treasures and to the home in which she
had been born and reared for the past
twenty years; but the thought of part
ing with her many favorites, both in the
kennels and stables was hundred times
harder
Phyllis. Phyllis! Where are you,
child? 1t is almost time to START"
With half sob Phyllis suddenly re-
turned 70 the stern realities of the mo-
ment, Time to start! Could it really be
50 She had scarcely vet begun TO pay
her round of farewell visits.
There must be half an hour yet; it
cannot be nearly 12" she answered. as
she turned and beheld the small. spare
figure of her former governess and com
panion, now the only friend she seemed to
possess in the world, standing beneath
the old stone porch,
les, my dear, il is only a little after
the half hour, but Mr. Sackett Is here.
lie has come to say Good bye
Good bye again. II was nothing but
goodbye now. Only the previous even
En- the old rector who had christened
~#.trtaN 1,7,.; .I y r1v-
tor the past sixty wears, had come to bid
BEL touching farewell; that very morn
H- the family doctor had called with the
same object; and as he had patted her
shoulder and told her to take good care
- herself. the tears had relied dismalIy
down her cheeks. And now. here was
Mr. >ackett, the lawyer. This visit how
eter. would surely prove less affecting.
1-r. >ackett's manner w@s invariably as
dry and unbending as the parchment Of
alch he was so fond.
II was therefore with a sigh of relief
t-at Phyllis followed the coyerness into
the house, and across the hall TO the IL
tiarE, where the lawyer was sitting at
45r fathers escritoire, busy with the pile
81 correspondence before him.
An. there YOU are, Miss Nelyertont"
PIE rose from his chair at her approach,
and thQstine his pen behind his ear. held
t has hand TO her Il was afraid |
-at be somewhat in the way this
r1lnG. as You are leaving SO early; bat
IL. The same I have called 10 say Good
and to apprise You Of the contents
letter which / have received from Sir
-4tred Wharf He writes from Rome,
That he Is little nearer home than
Uas hut as he has come straight to
pe without touching at Alexandria.
had supposed he would. he has not
yed my last communication
lhen he-he can scarcely have heard
thing" Phyllis looked up III some