Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-07-31

tne WORTH, tllu HIS IlTSI question: u
Phil sought to determine this mystery
Surely he said, 'there is some one
to whom you can appeal for help. Your
father and mother must have had some
relatives, even distant cousins. and IL
they are written to friendly hand
may be Forthcoming"
Philip shook his head The mere
taste of food had provoked ravenous
appetite He could not eat fast enough
The doctor stayed him.
Better wait couple Of hours, Phil,
and then you can tackle hearty meal
That's the thing. l like to see such
prompt obedience, but YOU certainly
have wonderful self control for one so
young. l may tell you, to relieve pres
ent anxieties, that few employees OF
your fathers firm have guaranteed the
expenses of your mothers funeral, and
they also gave me a sovereign to tide
You over the next few days."
Funeral! The word struck with
sledge hammer force. Phil had not
thought of that. He remembered the
dismal pomp Of such events in this
squald locality, the loud sobbing OF
women, the hard faced agony of men,
the frightened curiosity of children
His mother so dear, so tender, so soft
cheeked-the bright. beautiful, laughing
woman Of their life In Dieppe-to be
taken away from him forever and per-
mitted to fade slowly into nothingness
in some dreadful place, hidden from
the sunshine and the flowers she loved!
For the first time he understood death.
When his father was killed, his mother
was left. Anxious tending OH her dis
PEELED the horror of the greater trag.
edy. Now all was lost. The tears that
he hated were yelling forth again, and
he savagely bit his lip.
"You have been-very good-to us,
DOCTOR" he forced himself to say. III
eyer-I can repay YOU
"There, there, not n word! Bless my
soul, yours is difficult case"
Again the doctor tackled his glove.
He glanced ct his watch.
-Four o'clock. am an hour late OF
my rounds. No, Phil. Don't go up.
stairs. There are some women coming
Wait until they have tended your
mother. And-one last word. 1t will
do you no good to keep vigil by her
side. Best think of her US living, not
dead. You Will be grateful for my nd
vice in after life"
The women arrived, coarse but kind
ly hearted creatures. One of them
gave the boy packet Of letters.
Il found 'em under the dear lydy's
pillow" she said Neither poverty nor
death robbed Mrs. Arson of the re-
spect paid to her by all who came IN
contact with her.
He sat down, united string which
bound the letters together and looked
al the address on the first envelope. 1t
bore his mothers name and recent
postmark. Wondering dolefully what
correspondence she could have had
during these later months that de-
manded such careful preservation, he
took out the letter. Suddenly he hest
tated. Perhaps these documents al
luded to something which his mother
did not wish him to know. For an In
slant his impulse was to consign the
packet to the fire. No; that might be
wrong. He would glance Mt their gen
eral purport and then commit them to
the flames if he thought fit.
The letter in his hand was headed.
1.-THE Hall, Belthnm, Devon" and dated
about month earlier. 1t read:
Dear Madam-I am requested by Sir
Philip Morland to ask you not to trouble
him with further correspondence. This
is the fourth time ! have been desired
by him to write in these terms, SO please
note that your letters will in future re-
main unanswered. Yours truly
LOUISA MORLAND.
The curt incivility of the note
brought an angry flush to the boys
face. Who was Sir Philip AIorlnnd
that he should dare to offer this insult
to lady? Evidently relative, and IL
near one. for Morland was his moth
ers name. and his own Christian name
. suggested a family connection. Yet she
had never spoken of any such person.
Three other letters of preceding dates
showed that Louisa Morland" kept ac-
curate reckoning There were half a
dozen more. from firm of solicitora
Come of these were merely formal ac-
acknowledgements of letters received and
forwarded, bet one stated that they
were instructed by Lady Morland to
inform Mrs. Arson that Sir Philip Nor
land declined either to see or hear
from her.
That was all. Philip sprang up With
face afiame. he was alone in the
house now, alone with his dead mother.
lie went upstairs, with the letters
crushed in his right hand us though he
would choke Il reptile which had stung
the only being lie loved. He bent over
the shrunken form, SO placid, SO re-
signed, SO angelic in the peace of death,
and his hot tears fell unchecked.
You poor darlng'' lie murmnrcd, 81
believe you humbled yourself even to
beg from these people for my sake.
What can | do TO show my love for
your