Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-04-08

lie placed an arm around each Of them.
supposed to be delighted because they
are going TO live with strange people
Girls who are of that mind cannot be
happy at homo. If thought that be
Ing married to Jack implied separation
from yon and Constance
You would give him up and weep
your eyes out" lie pressed her pout-
ing lips together as he went on: Now.
my dear ones. l wish both of you to
be prepared for very unexpected
changes. Two most important events
in your lives have taken place within
fev hours. Constance. if you saw
your mother tonight. Enid also saw her
father. ! have known for two day
that Ends father is Mr. Trail"
For an instant it must be confessed
Constance and Enid alike feared tina
the mental and physical strain be had
undergone had temporarily deranged
him. It was not sheer incredulity. but
real terror, he saw in Their eyes. Some
how their self effacement in his behalf
touched him more kecnIy than any
thing else had done during this troubled
period
He bowed lis head 4 strong man in
agony cannot endure the scrutiny of
loving eyes.
Enid" lie said brokenly, my words
to you must be few. Good fortune
needs but slight explanation. The
proofs Of my statement | do not pos
| seSs. but Mr.. Trails letter to me could
not have been written by such a man
if he were not sure of his facts. Here
it is. Read it aloud
He handed her her fathers plain
! spoken communication. Constance, in
capable Of deeper depths Of amazement
than those now probed, looked over her
| sisters shoulder Together they de
| ciphered the somewhat difficult hand
writing of a man whose chief task for
years had been to sign his name.
This drawback was good in its result
| They persevered steadily to the end.
! Then Enid. the comforter, broke down
herself.
at cannot be true, dad.' she cried
Il have been one of your daughters all
my life. Why should l be taken from
! you nOw?"
Il believe it is quite true" said
| Brand quietly, and the need there was
! to console her was beneficial to him
self. MI Trail speaks of proofs
You have met him. 1 exchanged bare
ly word, a glance. with him. but it
is not believable that he would make
these solemn statements without the
most undeniable testimony"
Indeed, Enid" murmured Con-
stance. 1T sounds like the truth, else
he would never have spoken so def
nitely of my fathers first claim on
your affections"
Brand stroked the weeping girls
hair.
"Cna does not cry. little one. when
one is suddenly endowed with Il
wealthy and distinguished relative.
Now. l did NOT spring this revelation
on you without a motive. If Il cleav-
age has II come let us at least face
every consideration. Providence by in
scrut1ble decree ordained that my wife
and | should meet after twenty-onp
years. That cannot have been pur-
poseless meeting In my careless
youth. when l assigned all things their
scientific place. / have scoffed at pre-
sentiments and vague pOrtentS of com.
ing evils. retract the immature iudg-
ment then formed. During the height
Of the hurricane when | feared the
very lantern would be hurled into the
sen l was vouchSafed a spiritual warn.
ing. | could not read its import
These things battle a man. especially
one whose mind leans toward materi
alism. Nevertheless ] knew. though
not in ordered comprehension. that my
life was tending toward a supreme
crisis. AS the storm died. so | be
came normal. and l attributed &
glimpse of the unseen to mere phys
ical facts. / was wrong The coming
of that i'll fated vessel was heraldeG
to me. lacked the key of the bidder
that ship. Constance, was your moth
. : err. How strange that her adven
should be bound up also with the mys
terry of Ends parentager'
! Father. dear. if you can bear ii, tel
me OF my mother She knew me. an
that is why she asked me to kiss her.
She asked you to kiss herr" Fac
word was a crescendo of surprise
Yes. One night she came to me
> Oh. | remember. She wished Mr.. Pyn
to telegraph to his uncle. When b
Quilted us to take the message she. to
how weird it all seems now.-admit
: ted that she experienced something @
the intuitive knowledge of the futur
you have just spoken of.
Il am not surprised. Poor Nanette
She was always a dreamer in a sense
: Never content, she longed for highe
in nrN ~ 3 -