Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-16

old hall talking of the Rawdons. There
is great family of US, living and dead"
said the squire. land 1 count them all my
friends. Bare Is the back that has no
kin behind 1t. That is not our case Eight
hundred years ago there was a Rawdon
In Rawdon. and one has never been want
ing since. Saxon, Danish, Norman and
Stuart kings have been and gone their
way, and we remain; and l can tell you
every Rawdon born since the House of
Hanover came to England. We have had
our share in all England's strife and glory,
for If there was ever a fight going on any,
where Rawdon was never far off. Yes, we
can string the centuries together in the
battle flags we have won. See therep' he
cried, pointing to two standards interviewer
above the central chimney piece; lone was
taken from the Paynim in the first cru
sade, and the other my grandson took In
Africa 1t seems but yesterday, and Queen
Victoria gave him the cross for It, Poor
lad, he had II on when he died. It went to
the grave with him. 1 wouldn't have it
touched. 1 fancy the Rawdons would
know 1t. No one dare say they don't. I
think they NEEDLE a good deal more with
this life than we count on"
The days that followed were days in the
House Wonderful. 1t held the treasure
trove of centuries; all its rooms were full
of secrets. Even the common sitting room
had an antique LONELINESS that provoked
questions to the dates of Its furniture
and the whereabouts of its wall cupboards
and hidden receSSes. Its china had the
marks or forgotten makers, It's silver was
puzzling with half-obliterated names and
dates, its sideboard of oak was black with
age and full of table accessories the very
names of which were forgotten. For this
house had not been built in the ordinary
sense, 1t had grown through centuries;
grown out of desire and necessity, just as a
tree grows, and was therefore fit and
beautiful. And 1t was no wonder that about
every room foated the perfume of ancient
things and the peculiar family aura that
had saturated all the inanimate objects
around them.
In a few days, life settled itself to orderly
occupations. The squire was late riser;
the judge and his family breakfasted very
early. Then the two women had a ride in
the park, or wandered in the garden, or sat
reading, or sewing, or writing in some of
the sweet, fair rooms Many visitors coon
appeared. and there were calls to return
and courtesfeS to accept. Among these
visitors the Tyrrel-Rawdons were the
earliest. The representatives of that fam
lily were Nicholas Rawdon and his wife
Lydia. Nicholas Rawdon was a large,
stout man, very arrogant, very complete,
very alert for this world and not caring
much about the other. He was not pleased
at Judge Rawdons visit but thought IL
best to be cousinly until his cousin inter-
fered with his plans-''rights' he called
them-"and them! and his then" implied
great deal, for Nicholas Rawdon was Il
man incapable of conceiving the idea of
loving an enemy.
His wife was pleasant, garrulous wom-
an, who interested Ethel very much. Her
family was her chief topic of conversation.
She had two daughters one of whom had
married a baronet. "a man with money
and easy to manage and the other, "a
rich cotton lord in Manchester
They haven't done badly" she said con-
| fidentially, land it's q great thing to get
| girls off your hands early. Adelaide and
| Martha were well educated and suitable,
/ but she added with a glow of pride, you
| should see my John Thomas He's man.
| OF the mill. and he loves the mill, and he
| knows every pound of warp or welt that
| comes in or goes out of the mill; and what
his father would do without him, I'm sure
/ don't know And he Is a member of
parliament, too-radical ticket. Won over
| Mostyn. Wiped Mostyn out pretty well.
| That was a thing to do, wasn't it?'
II suppose Mr.. Mostyn was the conserva-
tive canddate?"
You may be sure of that. But my John
Thomas doesn't blame him for 1.-THE gem
try have to be conservatives. John Thomas
said little against his politics; he Just set
the crowd laughing at his ways-his dandi-
fed ways. And he tried to wear one eye
glass, and let 1t fan, and fall, and then
told the men he couldn't manage half
pair of spectacles; but he could manage
their interests and fight for their rights
and such like talk. And he walked like
Mostyn, and he talked like Mostyn, and
spread out his legs, and twirled his walk
ing stick like Mostyn, and asked them II
they. would wish him to go to parliament
In that kind of shape, as he'd try and
L
and they laughed him down, and then he
spoke reasonable to them John Thomas
knows what Yorkshire weavers want and
he Just promised them everything they had
set their hearts on; and so they sent him TO
parliament. and Mostyn went to America,
where perhaps. they'll teach him that a
man - life is worth a bit more than bird
or rabbit Mostyn is all for preserving
game, and his father was mean creature
When one thinks of his father, one has to
excuse the young man little bit"
II saw good deal of Mr.. Mostyn In
New York. said Ethel. He used to speak
highly OF his father"
"I'li warrant he did; and he ought to keep
at It. for he's the only one In this world
that will use his tongue for that end. Old
Samuel Mostyn never learned to live cody
or even manly, but after his death he
ceased to do evil and that. I've no doubt,
often feels like a blessing to them that had
to live anyway near to him. But my John
Thomasr'
oh" cried Ethel. laughing you must