The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-10-31


You are altogether unjust and un-
reasonable" exclaimed Mrs. Tempest,
weeping copiously.
very well, mother. If you are will
fully blind"
81 am not blind. have lived twice
as long as you have. / am a better
judge of human nature than you can
be-"
Then Vixen left her.
Mrs. Tempest sat by the fading fire,
and cried herself into a gentle slum-
Der. 1t was very hard. She had longed
to pour the story of this second court
ship-its thrilling. unexpected joys. it's
wOndrous surprises-intO sympa-
thetic ear And Violet, the natural re-
cipient of these gentle condolences, had
treated her so cruelty.
She felt herself sorely ill-used, and
then came soothing thoughts about her
trousseau, her wedding dress, the
dress in which she should start for
her wedding tour
In Conrad Carmichael she had found
her master, and she was content 70 be
SO mastered; willingly to lay down her
little suIl of power at h.s feet, and
live henceforward like a tame falcon
at the end of string. Her position as
a widow was an excellent one. The
squire's will had been dictated in the
sess and discretion; and doubtless al
so with the soothing idea common to
most hale and healthy men, that it
must be long time before their tes-
tamentary arrangements can come in
to effect. 1t was Photograph will. and
the squire's own composition through
out He would have no lawyers finger
in that pie, he had said The will had
cost him many hours of painful
thought before he rang the bell for
his bailiff and his butler, and executed
it in their presence.
Mrs. Tempest was mistress or the
Abbey House for her life, and at her
death it was to become Violet's prop
erty. Violet was not to come Of age
until she was twenty-five, and until
then her mother was to be her sole
guardian and absolute mistress of
everything. There was no question of
an allowance for the maintenance of
the heiress, no question as to the &C
emulation of income. Everything was
to belong to Mrs. Tempest till Violet
came of age. She had only to edu-
cate and maintain her daughter in
whatever manner she might think fit.
At Violet's majority the estate was to
pass into her possession, charged with
an income Of fifteen hundred a year.
to be paid to the widow for her life
time Until her twenty-fifth birthday,
therefore, Violet was in the position
of child, entirely dependent on her
mothers liberality, and bound to obey
her mother as her natural and only
guardian. There was no court of ap-
peal nearer than the Court of Chan
Gerry. There was no trustee or executor
to whom two women could make their
complaints or refer their differences.
Naturally, Captain Carmichael had
long before this made himself ac-
quainted with the particulars Of the
squires will. For six years he saw
himself sole master of very fine es-
tate, and at the end of six years re-
duced to an income which seemed
comparatively a pittance and alto
gether inadequate for the maintenance
of such place as the Abbey House.
Still, fifteen hundred a year and the
Abbey House were hong way on the
right side of nothing; and Captain
Carmichael felt that he had fallen on
his feet
Mrs. Tempest's manner toward her
daughter during this period was at
once conciliatory and reproachful. She
felt it a hard thing that Violet should
have taken up such an obnoxious po-
sition. This complaint she repeated
piteously, with many variations
when she discussed violet's unkind
ness with her lover. She had no Sc
crets from the captain, and she told
him all the bitter things Violet had
said about rim.
He heard her with firmly set lips
and an angry sparkle in his dark eyes
but his tone was full of paternal in
diligence presently, when Mrs. Tenn
pest had poured out all her woes.
rs 1t not hard upon me. Conrad?'
she asked, in conclusion.
MY dear Pamela, 1 hope you are
too strong-minded to distress yourself
seriously about a willful girls foolish
ness. / will do my duty to her, dear
est. be assured"
Still Mrs. Tempest went on harpine
upon the cruelty of her daughters con
duct. The consciousness of Violet's
displeasure weighed heavily upon her
One evening shortly before the wed
ding mother and daughter were alone
Il am going to write to Madame The
odore by this evenings post, Violet,
said her mother, handing her a cup OF
tea, and / should like to order your
dress for-the-wedding. / have beer
thinking that cream color and pale
blue would suit you to perfection. A
creara eolored hattie Vandyke shape
with long blue ostrich"
please don't take any trouble about
it, mamma" said Vixen, whose cheek
had paled at the word wedding" and
who now sat very erect in her chair
holding her cup and saucer firmly. %
am not going to be present at your
wedding, so / shall not want a dress.
Violet" cried Mrs. Tempest, begin
ming to tremble. You cannot near
what you say. You have been very
unkind, very undutiful; you have made
me perfectly miserable for the last
seven weeks; but ] cannot believe that
you would-grossly insult me-by re
fusing to be present at my wedding.
Il do not wish to insult you, mann
ma: am very sorry if l have panied
you; but l cannot and will not be
present at a marriage the very idea Of
which is hateful to me-"
"Violet, have you thought what yor
are doing? Have you considered
what will be said-by the world?"
Il think the world-our world
must have made up its mind about
your second marriage already, nam
ma" Vixen answered, quietly. my
absence from your wedding can make