Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-01-06
CHAPTER I1I.-(Continued.)


house, after watching the carriage down
the drive, his head and heart were on
fire with the memory of her last linger-
Ing look, and the blood danced in his fin
gers as he recalled the warm, clinging
pressure of her hand 1T parting.
Il think l must be mad when she is
near me, for somehow | always manage
to believe in the possibility of her love
for me when in her presence" he NUT
tered, remorsefully "And, If she did
love, what then? Could l throw Ethel
over? My sweet, pure little Ethel, 1t
would break her hearth l must get rid
of this folly I'll finish Ethel's letter at
once, and send it off by the morning post.
I'll write long, loving letter to the poor
little girl; 1t will do me as much good to
write it as it will her to receive it."
This time he commenced with my
dear Ethel" and then before proceeding
further, he made close examination of
the beautifully executed address and
crest on the paper.
The crest of "Mallyngs"-as the name
was originally spelled-a tigers head and
front paws in repose, with the motto,
LET the sleeping lie" particularly in
terested him. He had stood for many a
minute during the past week In front
of one of these emblems of the family
circle-herce, ungovernable-and ponder
ed the probable events that had caused
1t to be bestowed on them as their
badge.
81 wonder why she never married ?"
he unused. II wonder if mine is the true
reason, and there really is some poor
In tha olrO hor
twenty-ffth birthday? / shall have a
chance of finding out if l accept her in
vitation for the partridge shooting in
September, for Lord Summers told me
she would be twenty-five in that month.
Ought l. in justice to Ethel, to place my
self in the way of such temptation !?
Bosh! | must be a weak fool indeed If l
cannot live in the society of beautiful
woman without making idiot of my
self! Besides if | come and see for my
self that she is really gone ON some
lucky fellow, it will be the most complete
cure could find for my own folly"
But Jack knew this to be false rea-
soning; nevertheless he would not listen
to conscience. and, with a gloomy brow
and tightly compressed lips, sat glazing
moodily at the blank sheet of paper be-
fore him.
Twill you take your luncheon in here,
sir? 1t will seem less lonely than in the
dining room, l think
Jack looked up in surprise at the
housekeeper.
II must have been sitting here nearly
three hours. I don't mind where | lunch,
Mrs. Perkins"
''Then I'll put it in here, sir; it's
brighter and more cheerful than the din
ing room"
Mrs Perkins walked to 6 sideboard
and licked away an imaginary speck of
dust.
Were you here in Sir Pauls timer
he asked, more because the old lady
took in the matter.
"Bless you, sir, I've been a servant in
this house for turned fifty years. l
began as under housemaid at sixteen,
and here I've been ever since; so I'm
what you may call an old servant"
'Of course you remember Miss Mall
ng's motherf She must have been a
beautiful woman"
Sometimes she was and sometimes
she wasn't She was handsome enough
naturally; but she had such an awful
temper that it quite disfgured her at
times. I've known her to sulk about
the house for month at a time because
her brother, the late Sir Paul, had re
fused her some trifing thing. We. were
quite relieved when she got married
and went away on the Continent with
her husband. You see she was many
years younger than her brothers, Sill
Paul and the present baronet, Sir Geof
frey, and was bit spoiled in conse
quence-though there is an old saying
In the family that Malling's daughtel
is always a fend, asking your pardon
for the word, sir; so it's lucky Mis-
Pauline is only Mailing by adoption.
'sThen you think she has escaped tn
failing usual to the ladies of the fam
ily?"
81 should not like to give an opinion
Of my mistress disposition. 1t would b
very bad taste on my part, sir. Mis-
Mailing, during the six years she ha
been mistress here, has been everythin
one could desire
81 beg your pardon" he said, politely
'T did not wish to betray you into dis
respect for Miss Mailing. My questio
was the natural outcome of your remar
as to Miss Malling's being only Nal
ing by adoption"
'sTo be sure, sir; and that takes m
back to what was saying. Miss Pau
ines mother was away on the ContineI
with her husband directly after the
were married, and roamed about fl
years from one country to another wit
him; she never came home again, pc,
dear! She died when Miss Pauline ws
fifteen years DID, and then Sir Paul W,
anxious to have the child with him
England, as he had made her his heires
In consequence of the other brothe
Gaoffrev having married without b